Gut Health Technology Tips

“I am tighter than two coats of paint.”

“If it’s free, it’s me.”

And every other quotation you can assign to a good old-fashioned cheapskate perfectly sums me up.

Five years ago when I began this transformation, I was more concerned with ensuring I was getting the proper foods in my system than with the cash register receipts.

As I began to gain some momentum and expanded my dietary horizons, I had an awakening. There was a ton of expense if you were an unsuspecting shopper chasing “healthy eating”.

This bothered me as a cheapskate but more as a human being, realizing that being a healthy eater should not be based on how much money you have. I’m not naive enough to think socioeconomic factors would or could be eliminated entirely, but I was damn sure going to succeed, keep the costs down, and share what I learned.

Those two forces aligned early on and I decided that before spending a dime on shortcuts, supplements, or the latest testing, I would transform my diet with a food-first approach, coupled with lifestyle changes. This was the best way to do this on the cheap.

With this mentality in mind, I’ve found some economical ways to rebuild my gut. But rather than focus on what I eat, how I make it, or where I buy it, let me share some technological and strategic tips I’ve used to assist over the years.

Full disclosure, I don’t eat at the Waffle House regularly. And I’m not here to judge if you do. Nor am I here to make jokes about some of their funnier slogans over the years.

The one thing I will say is their marketing strategy is pure genius. Rumor has it they don’t spend any money on marketing. They select their locations based on existing traffic sources and present the opportunity to feed the customers other businesses spend money to attract.

Location is everything.

I employ a similar strategy when it comes to gaining knowledge and information on all things gut health. Sure I could spend every waking hour trying to procure and read volumes and volumes of information to become a “wannabe gastroenterologist”.

OR, I could post myself up in the digital vicinity of GI Docs, scientists, and dieticians and scoop up the knowledge and industry information they traffic every day…

FOR FREE.

Here are just a few:

So hands down, the app I use the most for learning is X (Twitter). These and many other accounts from doctors, scientists, and random users provide invaluable, free information on science-based gut microbiome topics. I also contribute to discussions where I think I can lend some experience or a fresh take.

Is the app full of crazy, conspiracy theorists too? Sure. But there are plenty of ways Elon Musk allows you to block or mute that stuff.

For gut health or any other subject you’re interested in, X.com is a hard place to beat for the price. There is a free version or paid subscriptions. Check it out if you’re not on there already.

There are plenty of other tracking apps for food, fitness, sleep, etc. but I don’t use much in those spaces. The extent of my tracking is done on a “notepad” on my phone and my watch that tracks my steps. If you’re more inclined on the technical side of life, have at it. Just don’t let tech be the reason you don’t get started.

There are plenty of gadgets that measure stress, sleep, and even blood sugar now. For me, the gadgets are pretty much limited to a smartwatch and a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). If you’re not a diabetic, the latter is probably not an option. But as I say repeatedly, I think if everyone learned to eat like a diabetic, life would be much easier. Your pancreas among other organs thank you in advance!

These are some of the most useful tools in the technology arsenal. I had to say that since you’re reading one!

But seriously, I gain a lot of information on X (Twitter) from really smart people and most of these smart people have blogs or newsletters that dive deeper into the gut health and nutrition worlds.

For example, Michael Joseph is a Nutrition Scientist and writes for Nutritionadvance.com

If you need to know anything about nutrition, this is a great place to start and probably stop. I reference his site quite often, read his articles, and have an alert to every post he makes on X. This is one example along with a host of others that fit neatly with my Waffle House strategy.

These are just some of the technology outlets I use to guide me on this journey. I challenge you to search for others that capture your interest.

I’ve mentioned some heavily credentialed folks who educate me daily. But I’d be remiss not to mention I’m equally as enthralled with average, everyday people who share their own experiences.

After all, I’m one of them. People I interact with generally aren’t along for the ride for my credentials.

But I’m probably the only X.com account operated by a former helicopter pilot, turned used car salesman, turned finance guy for said used cars, turned current 20-yr loan officer in the Hotel California we call the U.S. residential mortgage market, hoping to be a former Type 2 Diabetic and Colon-cancer surviving gut health experiential “man in the arena”. (not an expert)

I think I have a unique perspective.

There is expertise and experience. As long as the lines between representing experiences and expert information are clear, experience to me can be just as valuable as wisdom from the experts. I place a whole lot of stock in people who have been in the arena and have experienced successes and learned from their failures.

It’s one thing to know it. It’s an entirely different vantage point and arguably more impactful from someone who has done it.

Find a little of both and you have a winning combination.

I’ll take you inside military flight school and compare the process of going from a “Nickel Ride” to advanced combat skills and how that experience translates directly to rebuilding or maintaining your gut.

What’s a “Nickel Ride”? You’ll find out next week.

Thanks for reading,

Jeff