5R Protocol

The first step in the 5R program is REMOVE. There may be one or several factors negatively impacting your system and causing distress. It is important to eliminate these stressors. They may be pesticides, environmental toxins, foods you may be sensitive or allergic to, or stress (both physical and psychological). The factor that needs to be removed may also be a pathogen such as a bacteria, fungus, or parasite that may require medication or supplements to eradicate. If the exact stress factors are unknown, your nutrition practitioner may recommend testing to find out which foods are contributing to the problem.

REINOCULATE refers to helping the good bacteria in the gut to flourish and repopulate. This can be done by consuming supplements and/or foods high in beneficial bacteria (probiotics), by ingesting foods that provide the fuel to feed them (prebiotics), or both. Common species of these good bacteria include Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus, and the probiotic yeast, Saccharomyces boulardii. Fermented foods such as yogurt, tempeh, and sauerkraut are sources of microbes which may have probiotic effects. Your nutrition practitioner may also recommend that you add several prebiotic foods, containing a fiber called inulin, into your regular eating pattern to help the probiotics thrive. Artichoke, chicory root, leeks, garlic, and onions are all good sources. Alternatively, your nutrition practitioner may also recommend a prebiotic supplement.

Now it’s time to REPAIR the lining of your GI tract. To aid in this healing, your nutrition practitioner may recommend some key nutrients that you may not be consuming enough of such as glutamine, arginine, zinc, vitamins A, C, and D, tocopherols, carotenoids, pantothenic acid, folate, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids. Your nutrition practitioner will take into account your individual food sensitivities and intolerances and only recommend non-reactive foods and ingredients.