Blog review: The Gut Stuff, London, UK
Identical twins Lisa and Alana Macfarlane are the driving force behind The Gut Stuff. They have personal reasons for launching what they call “the first brand that truly demystifies the second brain in our stomachs.” They claim to be among the first twins in the world to have their guts analyzed:
Twins are a great constant for medical research and Alana and Lisa became the “chief guinea pigs” for Prof Tim Spector and the Twin Research department at Kings College, where they discovered that despite having 100% the same DNA their guts have only 40% the same microbiota, which could explain why their bodies behave so differently – if they can’t be sold the same diet/lifestyle, no one can.
While this is not a blog about ‘booch, it’s filled with relevant information about one of the main health benefits of drinking kombucha and eating fermented foods: a healthy gut.
Stats
Blogging since: N/A
Last Updated: February 26, 2019
Posting Frequency: Weekly
Post Length: 500-1,500 words
Aesthetic Appeal: Well designed WordPress blog, perhaps a tad too much pink.
Graphics: Dramatic full-screen custom images that compliment the text.
Categories: All things Food, As a Nutritionist, Events, Gut Basics, Gut Tips, Gut to Know the Experts, IBS, The Science, Wellness.
Comments allowed: No
Alexa.com global traffic ranking: 3,213,089
Social Media: They have an impressive 41,000 followers on Instagram, where they’ve posted 1,019 pictures. 3,975 follow them on Twitter reading 4,852 tweets. They have 2,170 followers on Facebook. 905 YouTube subscribers watch 67 videos.
Give a Sh*t
The Gut Stuff
They employ pink balloons to represent the intestines as they address the need “to make gut health more palatable.” (Well, it’s certainly more appealing than a picture of the usual brown goop in our guts…).
Kombucha
There are 24 references to kombucha in the blog. They promote north-London-based Wild Fizz Kombucha and, indeed, keep a can in their own refrigerator. They host events where Wild Fizz founder Gina shares how to make first class ‘booch at home.
Detailed Information
Their blog is filled with informative, practical advice on common issues such as IBS, the difference between probiotics and prebiotics, and the importance of the microbiome. There’s articles on Candida, Hormonal Acne and Ulcerative Colitis. The information is presented in an informal, easy to digest (!) manner.
Here’s what they have to say about the importance of bacteria to human health:
Although you can’t see them, there are trillions and trillions of tiny living organisms living all over your skin, up your nose, in your mouth, in your lungs on your face and, you’ve guessed it, in your gut. In fact, there are so many of them in your body, they actually outnumber your human cells. Yep, there are roughly (very roughly) 40 trillion bacterial cells in your body and only 30 trillion human cells. And that doesn’t even include all the fungi, viruses and lots of other microbes. You are a walking, talking, microbial ecosystem.
All of these microbes help to control your blood sugar and cholesterol, prevent you from getting infections, control the calories that you absorb and store, communicate with your nervous system and brain, influence your bone strength and hundreds of other functions.
Jeanette Hyde, author of The Gut Makeover, is a nutritionist who is a frequent contributor to the blog.
Suggestions
The lack of a date on the blogs or any clear way to scroll back through the posts means it’s a challenge to find all the content. Hint: clicking on any category will list all the posts in that category. There were 24 ‘Ask a Nutritionist’ posts and 15 ‘Gut Tips’. We suggest they add an archive by date function to the blog as well as list of posts by category.
In Conclusion
The Gut Stuff is a great resource for anyone interested in the beneficial effects of fermented foods and kombucha, or in need of sound advice on using diet and natural methods to address a wide variety of digestive problems.
