The Gut - Fiber & Immunity Stack

1. Fasting state = Maximum fiber contact with gut lining and microbiome (no food competing for bacteria attention)
2. Circadian rhythm activation → Morning fiber signals "daytime" to your gut bacteria, setting their 24-hour rhythm (which affects YOUR sleep-wake cycle, metabolism, and hormone production)
3. Immune system priming → Morning is when immune response naturally peaks. Beta-glucans from Turkey Tail + Chaga activate immune cells when they're most receptive.

Result: You're not just feeding bacteria you're synchronizing your entire gut-brain-immune system for optimal function throughout the day.

Everyone is different where vagus supports in the afternoon is our digestion and nervous system supporting our circadian rhythms, sleep and stress.

Peak digestive time = Maximum vagus nerve activation.

Here's why afternoon timing is optimal:

1. Gut is actively digesting → Viva Vagus optimizes this process (enzyme support, motility)

2. Vagus nerve tone improves with food present → "Rest and digest" mode activates more effectively

3. Gut-brain signaling is most active during digestion → 90% of serotonin made in gut happens during this window

4. Prevents afternoon energy crash → Proper vagus activation = sustained energy (no post-lunch slump)

Can you take it WITH lunch? Yes, absolutely. 20-40 min after just allows initial digestion to start, but with-meal timing works well too.

Consult your healthcare provider, but generally:

Turkey Tail + Chaga:
✅ Food-based mushrooms (not synthetic drugs)

✅ Used traditionally for centuries

✅ Generally considered safe

⚠️ However, limited research on pregnancy specifically

⚠️ Always get medical clearance for supplements during pregnancy

Viva Vagus:
⚠️ Contains herbs—some may not be recommended during pregnancy

⚠️ Get medical clearance before taking

Best approach: Work with a functional medicine doctor or naturopath experienced in pregnancy who can review all ingredients and give personalized guidance.

For breastfeeding: Generally safer than pregnancy, but still get clearance (some herbs can affect milk supply or pass through milk).

Yes, and you SHOULD—but with specific timing:

During antibiotics:

• Take Gut Foundation Stack to minimize gut damage
• Take 2+ hours away from antibiotic dose (morning antibiotics? Take gut stack afternoon. Evening antibiotics? Take gut stack morning)
• Reason: Fiber won't interfere with antibiotic, but timing ensures both work optimally

After antibiotics:

• Start immediately (don't wait weeks)
• Critical window: First 2-4 weeks post-antibiotics determine how gut recovers
• Prebiotic fiber + immune support rebuilds microbiome faster than probiotics alone

Antibiotics destroy your gut microbiome indiscriminately (kill good bacteria along with bad). Gut Foundation Stack is your best defense and fastest recovery.

Everyone is different, the gut is our foundation when it is happy there everything corrects.

Why gut affects brain:

• 90% of serotonin made in gut (not brain) → Mood, sleep, appetite
• 50% of dopamine made in gut → Motivation, focus, reward
• Vagus nerve sends signals from gut to brain (90% of communication is gut → brain)
• Gut inflammation = neuroinflammation → Brain fog, depression, anxiety
• Microbiome produces neurotransmitters → GABA, acetylcholine, more

When gut is broken:

• Can't produce serotonin properly → Depression, anxiety
• Inflammation leaks into bloodstream → Neuroinflammation → Brain fog
• Vagus nerve signaling disrupted → Mood instability

This stack fixes all three pathways:

1. Turkey Tail + Chaga → Restore microbiome (produces neurotransmitters)
2. Reduce inflammation → Neuroinflammation clears, brain fog lifts
3. Viva Vagus → Activate gut-brain communication highway

Timeline for mood/brain improvements:

• Week 2-4: Noticeable mood stability, mental clarity improving
• Week 4-8: Significant improvement (anxiety reduces, brain fog gone)
• Week 8-12: Sustained mood resilience, mental sharpness

Many people who thought they had "chemical imbalances" discover their gut was the problem all along.

Everyone is different but when our gut is operating functionally this supports our metabolism and bloating subsides.

How gut microbiome affects weight:

1. Microbiome diversity = better metabolism

• Healthy gut = 1000+ bacterial species
• Some bacteria extract more calories from food (weight gain)
• Some bacteria support fat burning and metabolism
• Turkey Tail increases diversity → Better metabolic balance

2. Gut bacteria regulate blood sugar

• Beneficial bacteria improve insulin sensitivity
• Reduce blood sugar spikes and crashes
• Better blood sugar = easier weight management

3. Inflammation drives weight gain

• Gut inflammation → systemic inflammation → metabolic dysfunction
• This stack reduces inflammation at source

4. Gut-brain axis affects appetite

• Gut bacteria signal to brain (hunger, fullness, cravings)
• Dysbiotic gut = cravings for sugar/junk (bad bacteria want their food)
• Restored gut = normalized appetite and cravings

5. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)

• Produced when bacteria ferment fiber
• Butyrate improves metabolism and insulin sensitivity

Result: Many people lose weight naturally as gut heals (without "trying"). But this isn't a weight loss supplement it's a metabolic foundation restoration.

Combine with: Proper diet, exercise, sleep for best results.

Diet is the key but this can be supplemental when we check into how much fiber we are getting from food, especially pre-biotic fibers.

Dietary fiber from food:

• Average intake: 10-15g per day (severely deficient)
• Optimal for health: 30-40g per day
• Most people can't eat enough (would need 8+ servings vegetables daily)
• Food fiber is mixed (some prebiotic, some not)

Gut Foundation Stack:

• Turkey Tail: ≥58% polysaccharides = ~1,160mg prebiotic fiber per dose
• Chaga: ≥50% polysaccharides = ~1,000mg additional fiber
• Viva Vagus: Additional prebiotic compounds
• Total: ~2,160mg+ therapeutic-grade prebiotic fiber daily

Plus benefits food can't provide:

• Immune-modulating beta-glucans (≥53% in Turkey Tail)
• Antioxidant protection (Chaga highest ORAC values)
• Vagus nerve activation (Viva Vagus compounds)
• Specific compound ratios (optimized for gut healing, not just nutrition)

Analogy: Food is like a multivitamin. This stack is like targeted medicine.

Should you still eat fiber-rich foods? Absolutely. This stack is foundational support combine with healthy diet for optimal results.