"Heal-Seal-Repair Protocol" - what do I recommend to repair your gut?

Today I  introduce you to my Heal-Seal-Repair Program.
It's designed to address gut health and various related health issues.

The program focuses on reducing gut inflammation through a structured Elimination Diet Schedule, identifying individual trigger foods, and categorising foods into five groups: ideal, reasonable, acceptable, foods to eat with caution, and foods to avoid. 

The program consists of a four-week detox phase and an eight-week reintroduction phase. 
Participants are encouraged to carefully monitor their body's reactions to foods reintroduced gradually. 
The program emphasises personalised dietary choices and provides flexibility in meal planning, aiming to promote overall health and well-being. 

I also touch on complementary protocols like intermittent fasting and ketogenic beverages and highlight the importance of consulting healthcare providers for comprehensive health assessments.

Enjoy!

00:00 Introduction to the Heal-Seal-Repair Program

00:41 Understanding Gut Health and Inflammation

01:46 The Elimination Diet Schedule

04:39 The Five Food Categories

08:38 Problematic Food Components

13:17 The Detox and Reintroduction Phases

17:37 Monitoring and Recording Reactions

29:36 Flexibility and Personalization

39:57 Conclusion and Next Steps

The information shared in this podcast does not substitute working with your primary health care provider; it is general in nature and not considered personalised advice.

Visit us online for more information or if you wish to work with Dr Holland.
thehollandclinic.com

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Transcript

0:05

Hello, how are you? I want to welcome you to my discussion today. I am so excited to be talking with you about my Heal-Seal- Repair program. This protocol has changed thousands of lives and I hope it can change yours too. Maybe, You have ongoing gut problems. Maybe you're feeling really tired. Maybe you've had joint pain for years. Maybe a doctor has told you that you're on your way to developing diabetes or some other major health condition. Maybe you've never had a great relationship with food and you can't quite work out the specific foods that are causing you problems. The main aim of the Heal Seal Repair Program is to significantly reduce gut inflammation. If you remember from my introduction discussion, I stressed the importance of the gut. The gut is our center, our nucleus, and our key to good health. If you have an inflamed gut, this directly results in an inflamed body, mood, and mind. and mind. It causes a whole raft of problems. A healthy gut microbiome and a gastrointestinal tract with tight gap junctions is crucial to our overall health and well being. If you repair your gut, you will repair your health. It is as simple as that. And this is where our Heal program comes in. It does just as the name suggests. It heals the gut by sealing and repairing the gap junctions in our gut. It ensures a balanced microbiome. Inflammation is then reduced or eliminated, and this results in widespread and long standing health benefits. This is our goal. To achieve this, the Heal Seal Repair Program identifies individual trigger foods via something called an Elimination Diet Schedule. Remember, trigger foods are the ones that cause negative reactions in your body and brain. These are the foods you want to avoid. And at the end You will have created a list of safe foods for you. Foods that won't trigger negative reactions or symptoms or inflammation in your body. Foods that will help you achieve optimal health. You can then create meals from this list of your foods. Now let me be clear. The Heal Seal Repair Program is not a diet. This is not about calories in and calories out. This is not solely about weight loss. My protocol is about giving your body only the foods that it can cope with and thrive on, setting you up for good long term health and vitality. We need to keep in mind though that our approach does not intend to limit your food choices to a bare minimum of bland foods. That would be so boring. While foods that can cause you inflammation and flow on health impacts are identified, you have to remember that we are also determining a range of foods. That your body can tolerate and thrive upon so I'm not going to ban certain foods or certain food groups I'm not going to say:"Don't eat carbs." or avoid this or avoid that. Instead I understand that each person is different, and the foods they can tolerate vary. A food that I struggle with might be perfectly fine for you. The aim of the Heal Seal Repair Program is to create an individualized list that encompasses as many safe foods and acceptable foods as possible. It's about trialing a broad range of foods to find the ones that work for you. The final list of safe foods will be different for everybody. It is a very personalized process. I believe this approach will set you up for a much more achievable and sustainable long term commitment, rather than a blanket ban on foods or food groups. Now, to explain in more detail about my Heal Seal Repair Program, it consists of two phases. An initial detox period where you only eat neutral foods, followed by a reintroduction phase where you are carefully and systematically re-introducing specific foods. I'm going to talk more about this later on, so bear with me for now, I just want you to know that for each phase, you will create meals that are made with foods from specific categories. I've tried to make this process really clear and easy to follow by separating food into five different categories. The 5 categories are: 1) ideal foods, 2) reasonable foods, 3) acceptable foods, 4) foods to eat with caution, and 5) potentially foods to avoid. Now, I didn't just take a guess and randomly assigned food to each category. Trust me, I actually undertook a lot of research in order to assign all foods to their correct category. I looked extensively into research regarding the tolerability and sensitivities of foods, or to put it simply, how commonly the food caused negative reactions in the general population. So let's go through each category in detail now. Okay, so The first category we have is ideal foods. Ideal foods are widely recognized as, in inverted commas, safe foods, with widespread tolerance in the general population and little to no reported sensitivities. The foods in this category won't give you gut pain or cause other health issues. Hopefully! However, never forget, everyone is different. They will make you feel great, Make you feel energized. These are the only types of food we want you to consume during the initial detox phase of the Heal Seal Repair Program, but more on this later. Next, we have the Reasonable Foods category. These foods have been identified as producing mild intolerances and reactions in a portion of the population. They are a good option for most people, but you need to be on the lookout for reactions in your body when you consume them as they may cause a problem for you. Foods in the acceptable category are similar. They have also been identified as producing mild intolerances and reactions, but in a greater portion of the population than the reasonable foods. So again, we need to be more careful when selecting foods from the list and keep watch for any negative symptoms. Foods to eat with caution is exactly what the name suggests. Be cautious with this group of foods. They are commonly reported as producing negative reactions in people. Be careful. If you decide to eat them, make sure they're not causing negative reactions in you. And this leads us to the final category, foods to avoid. These foods are widely known to cause adverse symptoms and health issues. Often foods in this category are artificially produced, and it is obvious they're not going to support your overall health and well being. You know the types of foods I'm talking about here. So those are my five food categories. Now, I want to tell you which specific foods are in each category. When you first see the foods listed in each category, you may be surprised. Foods that you previously thought of as healthy might be listed in the caution or avoid categories. Let me give you an example. I have placed bananas and mushrooms in the foods to eat with caution category, while corn and cantaloupe are in the foods to avoid list. Surprised? Trust me, there is so much research behind each and every one of my decisions. There are actually so many foods out there that you think are healthy and good for you, but in reality they often cause inflammation and various problems inside the body. These are known as trigger foods. Remember? Foods that cause negative reactions. And as I mentioned before, these trigger foods are different for everybody. It is actually the various individual components within these foods that have been shown to cause adverse effects in people. While I could talk all day about these problematic components, you probably just want to hear the summary. Here I go. Firstly, there are compounds in foods that are known as lectins. Lectins are found in plants, and when you consume too much of them, they can adhere to your cells and cause inflammation in your brain, gut and joints. Now, all plant based foods contain lectins. However, it is important to know that some foods contain really high concentrations of lectin, and therefore should be avoided, or at least eaten with caution. These foods include raw legumes, beans, lentils, peas, peanuts, soybeans, and whole grains such as wheat. The next component I want to talk about is phytates. Phytates are also found in plants, which again sounds healthy, but a high concentration of phytates is known to deplete minerals and shred your gut lining. Phytates are actually commonly referred to as an anti nutrient as they block the absorption of certain minerals into the body, including calcium, zinc, magnesium, Iron, chromium, and manganese. These, this blocking effect occurs when high amounts of phytates are consumed, and when they're eaten at the same time as the beneficial minerals. Foods that are high in phytic acid include beans, seeds, nuts, and certain legumes. Unprocessed grains are also high in phytic acid. There is a way we can avoid this problem though. The way we prepare food can help destroy or significantly reduce phytic acid content. For example, sprouting, cooking, baking, fermenting, soaking and activating. Now, if you're not sure what activating is the process of soaking foods in water and then dehydrating them at a low temperature prior to consumption. This works really well for nuts. Okay, so next we have oxalates. Again, oxalates are naturally occurring compounds found in plants. However, foods that are high in oxalates can cause crystals to form in the gut, joints, kidney, brain and vagina. Some examples of high oxalate foods include potatoes, peanuts, nuts, spinach, chocolate, beets, blackberries, kiwifruit, fig, and black beans. And a little side note here, as oxalates bind to calcium as they leave the body, they can increase the risk of kidney stones in some people. Most people consume 200 to 300 milligrams of oxalates daily. However, those at risk of kidney stones should reduce their consumption of oxalates to 100 milligrams a day. Consuming calcium or magnesium citrate with your meals can also help to reduce oxalate absorption in the gut. Finally, we have mold toxins. I know these do not sound pleasant. These are toxins that form on plants as they grow or perhaps during the time the food is kept in storage. Molds can contribute to brain fog, cravings, cancer, heart disease and joint pain. Molds can also cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems. While certain kinds of molds can produce poisonous mycotoxins, they can make us sick or cause infections. Invisible bacteria can also grow alongside mould, which makes them even more dangerous to consume. Mould can often be seen on foods. We all know what mould looks like, but we can also smell it, and it has that awful musty type of smell. molds can be found on unwashed vegetables, nuts, and salads sold in bags at the supermarket. So use your eyes and nose to identify mould, and wash all foods to prevent accidental consumption. Okay, so I've talked about why certain foods may be problematic, but let's get back on track here. Let's get back to the Heal, Seal, Repair program. We've got the five categories of foods. We've got Ideal, Reasonable, and Unreasonable. And then we have the foods to eat with caution and then the foods to avoid. And I've allocated foods to these categories based on extensive research. Now, when you get down to basics, the Heal Seal Repair Program specifies a simple group of foods that we want you to consume as a meal. And for the first phase, these foods are only from the ideal category. This is the detox phase. Then, during the second phase, the foods from the reasonable and acceptable categories are carefully and separately added back into your diet to see if they are okay for you. Sounds easy? Maybe not yet, but it will after I talk about some more. Okay, firstly, let's look at what is in this meal. One meal in the Heal Seal Repair Program consists of 3 cups of green vegetables, 1 cup of coloured vegetables, and 200 grams of high quality, protein rich foods. During the initial detox phase, you choose these vegetables and protein rich foods from the ideal category of foods only. In the second phase of the reintroduction phase, you can start carefully adding foods from the reasonable or acceptable lists that I'm about to provide you. This is really important to remember. You get to choose the foods you like from the ideal, reasonable, or acceptable food lists. Within each category of food, there is flexibility to cater for individual preferences. I'm not going to tell you what to eat. I'm certainly not going to tell you to eat brussels sprouts if you absolutely hate brussels sprouts. Instead, we'll provide you with a list of foods, You select the ones you like from it in order to make your meal. So let's get into a bit more detail here regarding the two phases of the Heal seal repair program, the detox phase, and the reintroduction phase. As I've mentioned before, to begin the Heal seal repair program, you first undertake a detoxification period. This is where patients feel fantastic. This is a strict four week period where only foods from the ideal category are consumed. I want you to only eat foods from the ideal category because we know these foods are widely recognized as being safe and they rarely cause negative reactions. You shouldn't have any problems consuming these ideal foods. Now don't worry, our key values of individuality and flexibility are still paramount. As I mentioned before, you can select the foods you prefer from the Ideal Foods category, and you can choose how often you eat them. Think about this detox period as an important reset for your gut, as well as your body and your mind. It will give you a chance to eliminate all problematic foods from your current diet and will provide a baseline for the next stage. Often this phase is challenging and difficult, especially if you're not used to restricting your eating so tightly. But, you need to remember that it is only for four weeks, and you need to keep your end goal in mind. You want to do this correctly so that you can work out what foods will best support your health and being, and which ones work against that. Following the four week detox, the next eight weeks of the Heal Seal Repair Program involves, separately and slowly, reintroducing foods back into your diet and monitoring for adverse reactions. You can include foods from the Reasonable or Acceptable lists, and you reintroduce them one at a time. Remember, the aim The goal of this is to identify the exact foods that cause negative reactions in your body and brain. And by doing so, you're creating an individualized list of safe and tolerable foods for you. During the reintroduction phase, I encourage you to use your intuition when selecting foods from the reasonable or acceptable lists. If you know from past experience that you struggle with a certain food, then don't include it, even if it's on the acceptable or reasonable list. On the other hand, if you love a particular food and wish for it to be part of your ongoing diet, try including it in your meal schedule and then monitor for symptoms. Now this part is very important. Monitoring for adverse reactions. This is the key to working out what foods are safe for you, and therefore, which ones will best support your health. And when I talk about adverse reactions, you really need to know what to look for here, because I'm not just talking about the obvious things like gut pain. When you're consuming foods during the Heal Seal Repair Program, I really want you to pay attention to your body and how you feel. Monitor and take note of any adverse reactions to the foods you're eating. Be really mindful of your body. Brain and mood. Do the foods make you feel energetic and full of vitality? Are you sleeping well and not experiencing pain? Do you feel sharp and focused or foggy and lethargic? How are your bowel motions? Are you feeling stressed, anxious or angry? When you're including foods from the Reasonable or Acceptable and even Caution category, be aware of the effects they have on every part of you. If you notice any adverse reactions, we encourage you to write everything down to help you identify and isolate the problematic food. Try taking that particular food out of your diet again and note down your feelings and reactions. This will aid in the development of an individualised list of foods. Of safe foods, these foods will be the ones that you will support that will support your good health and boost your vitality. Now, what you need to know is that adverse reactions are most likely to occur within a 72 hour period following consumption. So you need to monitor your response to foods for this length of time. Sounds like a long time, doesn't it? That's three full days. But this is how long it can take. These reactions are more likely to occur with foods from the reasonable and acceptable categories. So please remember, consider any gut related issues as well as mood changes or negative symptoms within your entire body and brain. For example, When I eat gluten, the next day, I generally wake up with inflammation underneath my eyes, and it tends to affect my mood. For the next three days, I feel bloated, I feel puffy, and I have fluid retention. Gluten is not my friend, but welcome to being human. Every now and then, there is a pasta restaurant I absolutely cannot say no to. Again, welcome to being human, however, I know that this is the case, and I make executive educated decisions around what I'm going to do. I do not have orthorexia, so I'm not perfect, and I think that this is a good thing. While this information you collect could be recorded in a simple notebook. We invite you to utilise our range of comprehensive and simple to use health and wellness diaries. The diaries cover a whole range of issues and symptoms. So they provide great prompts and are very easy to use. You can print them out or you can fill them in electronically. Make sure you go and check them out if you're interested. Now, if you do come across foods in the reasonable or acceptable lists that cause a negative reaction in you during the reintroduction phase, put these foods aside and avoid eating them. I would actually make a list of foods that are NQR for me. They're obviously causing problems for you. They're not helping, and so they're not something you want to keep eating on a day to day basis. Instead, look at other foods from the Reasonable and Acceptable lists and try those instead. Also, something to remember here, of course, we want to try and identify the exact food that is causing a problem for you. So I need you to introduce each food separately. One at a time. Try to be as strict as possible when reintroducing foods. Choose a single food to reintroduce from the reasonable or acceptable lists based on your personal preference. Avoid reintroducing multiple foods at once. Don't, let's say, reintroduce foods by eating a salad with green onion, Carrots and cabbage or perhaps a frittata with zucchini parsley and green beans If you introduce multiple foods at once and you experience negative symptom It's going to be very hard to work out which is the problematic food. During the reintroduction phase you must add just one food at a time to make it clear which one is causing the issues So this is the process: eat the food, monitor your symptoms for 72 hours before introducing the next food. I'll give an example here to make it really clear. Say you've completed your detox period. You then decide to try to reintroduce a food from the acceptable list. Carrots. You eat a small piece of carrot. Then, over the next 72 hours, you monitor For negative symptoms. And if you feel good with no issues, you can then begin to include greater amounts of carrots in your ongoing diet. After those 72 hours, you can reintroduce the next food. Let's say cabbage, and so on. Now, I mentioned reintroducing a small piece of carrot. It is important to keep that in mind. To start small and only reintroduce a small amount of the chosen food. A palm sized piece of solid food, or 20 to 40 ml of a liquid, is enough for this reintroduction phase. Isolating foods in this way will give you the most accurate results. The more rigorous the reintroduction process, the clearer it will be to you. Patients in my clinic who wait the full 72 hour period after reintroducing a food have the best clinical outcomes from this. And believe me, patients know straight away which foods are not right for them. Also, try to use only organic sources of the food you are introducing where possible to help minimize reactions to external contaminants, such as pesticides and toxins. We don't want these to mix up our results. Okay I've just given you so much information, but I want to make sure some really important points stick. These are the things I want you to remember, so I'm going to say them again now. For the detox phase, Eat the prescribed meals made from only ideal category foods, nothing else. And remember, the meals are made up of 3 cups of green veggies, 1 cup of colored veggies, and 200 grams of high quality, protein rich food. For the reintroduction phase, reintroduce one food at a time. Start small. Only reintroduce a small amount of the food. Monitor reactions for a full 72 hour period before reintroducing the next food. Select foods to reintroduce from the reasonable and acceptable categories. Only reintroduce foods from the eat with caution categories if there's something you would really like to include. Okay, so does that all make sense? To summarize again. We have our five food categories, and for the first four weeks you only eat food from one of the categories, the ideal foods. For the next eight weeks, you systematically and separately reintroduce foods from the reasonable and acceptable categories, and monitor for symptoms over a 72 hour period after each reintroduction. And you're looking for negative reactions in your gut, your body, Your mood, your whole self. By the end of this, you will have developed a list of foods you can safely consume and a list of the ones you need to avoid mostly. There is just one thing I haven't gone into detail about yet. What exactly are these foods? I bet you're bursting to know what foods are actually in each category. Okay. Let me show you the lists of foods in each group. I understand our lists are long and extremely comprehensive, but we have tried to include as much as possible here. Luckily, we've also made things easier for you by putting together a handy shopping list of foods from the ideal and reasonable categories. This will make things very simple when you're at the supermarket. Okay, now we know what foods are in each category, I'm going to go back to the meal that I specified for the Heal Seal Repair Program, remember? We're going to have a meal of three cups of green veggies, one cup of color veggies, and 200 grams of protein rich food as a minimum. Let's think a bit more about this meal. Imagine this. I'm going to make myself lunch and I've decided I want a salad. Now, I'm in my initial detox phase, so I'm only going to use foods from the ideal category. I'm going to put three cups of my green veggies in a bowl. I love avocado, celery and cucumber, so I've chosen them as my green veggies. Then I'm going to add one cup of coloured veggies, and I'm going to try for a rainbow of colours here. It's really important to try for that rainbow, to capture as many vitamins and nutrients as possible. So I've chosen to add a cup of fennel and olives. Admittedly, it is tricky to achieve a rainbow during the detox phase. However, it does get easier as you start adding foods back in. So keep that in mind. Anyway, then finally, I'm going to add 200 grams of protein rich food. And one of my favorite proteins is eggs. So I've added three large, organic, boiled eggs to my bowl. Now, just as a quick aside, 200 grams of protein rich food is the minimum quantity of protein required for our meal. However, you can increase this amount if you feel you need more protein. There, I have my lunch, a gorgeous salad, with my three cups of green veggies, my one cup of coloured veggies, and my 200 grams of protein rich food. Then, I'm going to add some MCT oil as a dressing and toss it all together with some lemon and lime. Delicious! Now, when you're making your meals, in addition to selecting the type of food within each category, you have complete creative control over how these foods are prepared. You can eat the food raw, such as in a salad, like I've described, or you can cook them via any method listed in the ideal, reasonable or acceptable lists. So for example, you can roast, stir fry, slow cook or steam. The foods can be seasoned with lemon or lime juice, drizzled with a quality oil such as olive oil, MCT or high grade coconut oil. You can use fresh herbs and spices or add a sprinkle of seeds or nuts, such as organic and activated walnuts. Again, sticking to those listed in the Ideal, Reasonable or Acceptable lists. I really want you to make the food interesting and exciting, and I also want you to take the time to sit down and consume and appreciate your meal. Don't rush it. Chew slowly and be mindful of the beautiful food you are consuming. There we have it, a single meal in our Heal, Seal, Repair program. You're probably now thinking, how many times do I have this meal each day? This is where our core value of flexibility comes into it again. The frequency of consumption of these meals is flexible, because once again, everyone is different. We have different lifestyles, different feelings of satiety. A single meal of green vegetables, coloured vegetables and protein can be consumed once, twice or three times a day. You may choose when these meals are eaten at breakfast, lunch and or dinner. For example, if you find you are usually not very hungry in the mornings, you may choose to consume two meals a day, perhaps just lunch and dinner. Alternatively, you may wish to combine the Heal seal repair program with an intermittent fasting regime or time restricted eating where you fast throughout the day and eat one meal at dinner time. However, OMAD is very restrictive and not for long term. I really like women to eat at least two to three meals a day so you get the right amount of protein, fiber and nutrients. Now, as a bit of an aside here, I'm a huge fan of intermittent fasting or time restricted eating. It is so incredibly beneficial for perimenopause. I go into great detail about why intermittent fasting is so good for you in my discussion about this topic. You might like to check it out. You may also like to check out my discussion on ketogenic beverages. Ketogenic beverages are incredible hot drinks, they can actually be had cold, that are filled with beneficial ingredients that will help you feel energized, full and amazing. The keto bevs work really well with intermittent fasting and time restricted eating, as well as with the Heal, Seal, Repair program. In fact, I'm going to let you in on one of my biggest secrets here. The combination of my food protocols, intermittent fasting regime and ketogenic beverages forms my complete diet. The Holland Clinic PERI protocol. The combination of all three is highly effective and will help you achieve optimal health and vitality. This is what I get my patients at the Holland Clinic to do. This is how I've helped thousands of women. This is how I can help you, too. I encourage everyone to check out my intermittent fasting and my ketogenic beverage discussions. This complete package is really the secret weapon. Anyway, let's get back to talking about the HealCell Repair Program. We were talking about how often you eat the prescribed meals. I was describing how flexible the frequency can be, it's up to you. You choose to eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or any combo of the three. The Heal Seal Repair Program also provides flexibility from day to day. The schedule you create may change throughout the week. For example, you may decide to consume three meals a day for part of the week, and one or two meals a day for the rest. This really does underline my individualized and intuitive approach to eating. I understand the many aspects that can impact on our ability to maintain a set schedule. I'm talking about things such as emotional factors, menstruation, and times of stress. This is where our flexible approach comes into play. So if you're feeling hungry due to having your period or you've just had a really emotional experience You may choose to consume three meals that day. Please listen to your body You know what's best for you or if you're stressed and really busy and you don't have time to prepare meals This can really extend your life Your intermittent fasting regime and your time restricted eating window. Maybe you will choose to follow a single meal plan for those days. Don't do that for too long. We need at least three, two to three meals a day. Our protocol is flexible. We encourage you to use your intuition and listen to your body in order to follow the model that best suits your needs each day. I can show you an example of what I mean about flexibility here. Here's an example of the Heal seal repair program. You can see, I'm skipping breakfast Monday to Friday, I'm at work, the mornings are hectic, getting ready and getting the kids off to school, I don't have time to sit down and prepare my Heal Seal Repair Program meal. But, I do on the weekends. See how this approach is realistic and reflects our different and every changing lifestyle. Okay, let's go back to how long I want you to follow the Heal Seal Repair Program for. Initially, we want you to follow the Heal Seal Repair Program strictly for a period of 12 weeks. So pick your 12 week period. There is never a good time to do this, believe me. Decide exactly what foods you like from the lists I've given you and personalize when you eat them based on your individual preferences and lifestyle. To be as strict as you can for this period, consider it a full reset for your eating habits. Don't cheat. Don't snack. Don't have a little piece of cake or just one glass of wine. That's for your 80/20 period. Just stick to one, two, or three meals a day. I'm not joking here. You will be absolutely surprised at how full you will feel just eating these meals. You will feel full because each meal in the protocol contains a significant amount of food, as well as long lasting protein. And if you also incorporate our keto beverages, I guarantee you will never feel hungry. Stick to this protocol exactly for the whole 12 weeks. You can set yourself up for success by clearing out the pantry and fridge before you start, and replacing items with the right foods as listed in our protocol. Rope in your friends and family. Get all the support you need. I also only want you to follow the Heal Seal Repair Program strictly for a maximum length of 12 weeks before I want you to speak to your health care provider at the end of this time. I want you to make sure that your body is coping with this new protocol and that your nutrient and vitamin levels are checked, ensuring no deficiencies. After the 12 week period and after checking in with your healthcare practitioner, the Heal seal repair program can be continued. Not the detox part, of course, but you can continue eating the meals made from foods that you have determined to be safe and supportive for you during the reintroduction phase. At this point, though, I want you to have a really big think about how you're feeling. If you have followed the Heal Seal repair program for a period of 12 weeks, and you're feeling good, and you've worked out your list of safe foods, and you're not experiencing any health or gut related issues, We encourage you to continue following the Heal Seal Repair Program. Continue eating those safe foods most of the time. We understand though, there will be times when you would like something from your avoid list. Maybe it's that piece of cake at the party or the ice cream at the movies. It might be hard to say no during these moments. Even though you know the food will end up causing you those problems, and you initially set out to avoid them. You also want to avoid a sore gut, nausea, lethargy, and so on. But we are human. We should be able to have those foods occasionally. This is one of our core beliefs at the Holland Clinic. So I'd suggest you use your common sense when making choices about these sometimes foods. I don't like calling foods good or bad. I like calling them"everyday" or"sometimes" foods. It'll be an educated decision. You already know what the impact of your, on your body will be. So if you want to, we encourage you to move into our 80/20 method, following the 12 weeks Heal seal repair program. This is where you eat your safe foods and follow the Heal seal repair program for 80 percent of the time. And for 20 percent of the time you choose to have those sometimes foods. However, If this is causing you too many issues, taking you back to how you were feeling before undertaking the Heal Seal Repair Program, perhaps you could move to a 90 10 method instead. Or, if you want to avoid those negative reactions permanently, if you don't want to ever go back to what you were experiencing before this protocol, just stick to the Heal Seal Repair Program fully. However, please make space for the"welcome to being human" aspect of your life, and do not punish yourself, do not vilify yourself. Now. There will be some of you who might find that you're still experiencing negative health related symptoms after completing the Heal Seal Repair Program. This is going to be a 12 week period where you're focusing on your health and really thinking about what you're eating. Perhaps while turning your attention to your health and vitality while following our protocol, you've noticed that certain symptoms haven't eased over the course of the 12 weeks. May be gut related problems or may be fatigue or low energy. If you followed the Heal Seal Repair Program exactly as prescribed, then there may be an underlying problem that needs investigating. Please see your primary healthcare practitioner. The best way to tell if there's an underlying condition that could be impacting your overall health and well being is to undergo something called functional testing. There might be something going on for you that is getting in the way of you achieving your desired results. Perhaps a hormonal problem or a metabolic issue. For These can definitely get in the way of good outcomes, even when you've been eating the right foods for you, your health care provider may be able to help you with this, but if they can't, I'm available for consultations at the Holland Clinic, both in person and via telehealth. This is the core of what I do in my clinic. I absolutely love supporting women with functional endocrinology and functional testing. It is really important to investigate possible underlying conditions. Left undiagnosed and untreated, they could result in major long term issues. I don't want to scare you, but my Heal Seal repair program is literally the gold standard for sorting out your gut and food related issues. If this hasn't worked for you, as well as you'd hoped, you need to really investigate what is happening in your body to get to the core of the problem. Now that has been a whole lot of information, hasn't it? This actually wraps up my discussion about our Heal seal repair program. What do you think? Wouldn't it be great to be able to eat well and not have any issues relating to food? Think about the benefits of eating as much good quality food every day. Knowing it's going to do fantastic things for your body, including your brain and your mood, your whole self. You should feel incredible when you follow this guide, Please reach out to us on social media. Let us know how you're feeling right now. I'm off to make lunch. Have a beautiful day. The other thing that I will say is that my approach in clinic is to test first. I usually get my patients in, we do all the thyroid testing first, things like an FBE, full thyroid testing, insulin, HbA1c, vitamin D3, you name it. I look at GI mapping. I look at the DUTCH test, and then we embark on the Heal seal repair program or the wellness food program or the food protocol that's appropriate for that patient so that in the meantime, we're receiving those test results back and can address any underlying issues. This is the way that I would suggest you implement these protocols alongside thorough testing and support from a primary health care provider. Take it easy and have a gorgeous day.