Learn about all things gut health, escaping cults and more with CHEK practitioner Peeling It Back

Episode – Gus Rickard  
Summary: 
In this episode, Eddy chats with Gus Rickard, the resident ‘Gut expert’ for the About My Brain Institute. He regularly presents to companies like Microsoft and ASX on the links between gut health and brain function. Today, he shares with us a plethora of information and value about gut health, including what affects it, what food we should stay away from, and the importance of paying attention to your body. Aside from these topics, Gus also walks us through his martial arts experience, why he walked away from his martial arts group, and the life lessons he learned through his experience.
 
Time Stamped Show Notes:
00:01 – Eddy welcomes Gus 00:40 – Gus believes the reason most people have gut issues is that people moved away from their natural environment Lifestyle has changed dramatically — both in diet and agriculture Antibiotics and the huge increase in stress are also causes of gut issues 04:13 – Gus talks about physiological stresses that stimulate cortisol production The perception of stress also does the same to our body Living in a city causes physiological stresses even with a stress-free mindset Acute stresses like exercises and workouts are needed by the body When a person is in a stressful state, food tends to sit longer and ferments in the gut because of the absence of hydrochloric acid in the stomach Body temperature rises and inflammation becomes present with stress 09:40 – Our gut is a very delicate, balanced eco-system Antibodies cure indiscriminately ⅓ of people recover the diversity of their guts in 2 weeks, ⅓ takes 6 months and the last ⅓ never recover “I’ve ruined my gut,” said Gus when he took antibiotics for 10 years 13:32 – Food to take depends on a person’s genetics and microbiome Everything that goes in your gut feeds the microbiome A change in the diet means a shift in the microbiome 19:15 – There are foods that are generally bad for your gut like gluten and processed dairy Dairy in the form that we get it, will not have a positive effect on our gut 22:31 – Obvious signs that come from your gut Any abnormality that you feel after eating gas, burping, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea The gut is responsible for so much more than just digestion of food A lot of illnesses, including mental and emotional challenges, can be cured thru the gut The gut transfers information to the brain 26:30 – Eating meat should be a nice balance of nutrients, not just muscle meat 28:06 – A healthy diet differs for everybody 29:04 – Gus talks about the many species of whole foods that we should be eating Pay attention to your body Any food you eat will have an effect on your body for at least 72 hours 32:26 – Gus shares his martial arts experience, especially with Jeet Kune Do He talks about the book, The Artist of Life, and how it influenced him “Be like water” and “responding like an echo” are two things Gus learned from Bruce Lee’s martial arts 36:05 – The calling of doing meditation and Tai Chi Mindfulness and being present in the moment lessons The difference between Tai Chi and Qi Gong “I kind of committed 6 years of my life to that teaching” Gus talks about leaving the practice 41:24 – “I don’t think anyone has bad intentions, only selfish intentions” Gus left realizing the manipulations that were happening in the school he was in “I choose to only believe in the material” 47:05 – Gus believes that somehow, you lose yourself to the group A “cult” is like an addiction 50:46 – Gus had some of the best moments in his life in the group he was in His whole sense of self-worth was tied to that practice He had a belief that he was safe because he was “protected” being there 52:45 – The ideology of death has changed for Gus For Gus, we are an eternal soul that is here to learn and to grow 57:49 – Setting the space you’re in and your min