24 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JANUARY 22-28, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com For plants of all types to be able to thrive in any environment, they need good, nutrient-rich soil, full of a vast array of microorganisms, from bacteria to fungi, viruses and beyond, all doing their part. According to holistic health practitioner Emily Reistetter of Grounded Health & Wellness in Monterey, the human gut is no different than the dirt beneath our feet. “We are a walking ecosystem for microbes,” Reistetter says. “We have more microbial cells in and on our bodies than human cells. And if you look at a genetic level, they outnumber us 100 genes to 1, so the collective voice of microbes is way bigger than we realize.” After a years-long career as a research scientist, in which she worked at Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove, the University of Washington and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Moss Landing, Reistetter was inspired by her own health issues to become a health practitioner. She received a master’s degree in holistic nutrition in 2023 from the American College of Healthcare Sciences. “I chose to leave science, and then came back to it through nutrition,” Reistetter says. Her interest began due to troubles during her second pregnancy when her doctor recommended the book How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger. “It blew my mind,” she says. “There’s so much research out there on nutrition that I was unaware of.” According to a 2019 study published in the National Library of Medicine, “The gut microbiome plays an important role in human health and influences the development of chronic diseases ranging from metabolic disease to gastrointestinal disorders and colorectal cancer.” Reistetter says problems in the gut, or gastrointestinal tract, can lead to systemic issues in the body that materialize in myriad ways, from skin conditions to hormonal imbalances and mood disorders. “Essentially, all of the energy and building blocks for everything that our body is able to do come from what we are able to get from our food,” Reistetter says. “So if you are not either feeding the right nutrients to your body, or assimilating the nutrients properly, or you have the wrong microbes in your gut, all of those things are going to compromise your body’s ability to function.” Reistetter makes clear that she is not a physician and cannot “diagnose” or “cure” ailments. Her mission: “I can help your body to heal itself.” The first step in Reisetter’s healing process includes an intake session. She then proceeds with food sensitivity and stool testing, which shows what microbes are present in a client’s intestines. “If we’re not testing, we’re guessing,” she says. “It’s like your body is a living room and testing gives us a window inside. We can’t go inside, but we can look through a window.” Determining what foods a client is sensitive to is paramount in healing the gut, she says. Then irritants are removed from the diet. “It’s temporary. The goal is for you to add all of those foods back in,” Reistetter adds. Once the inflammatory foods are removed, Reistetter uses a 76-marker stool test to detect any imbalances in a client’s GI tract. From there, she recommends herbal supplements to balance them out, in addition to stress management techniques and exercise. Intake sessions start at $249, but some basic principles of improving gut health are more accessible from a cost standpoint. For those looking to improve their gut health, Reistetter recommends staying away from processed foods, which can include meat and dairy alternatives, and instead eating more plant matter and fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and yogurt, but only if there is no added sugar. She also advocates for going gluten-free. “One of the most disruptive things to our microbiome that we eat is gluten,” Reistetter says. “Going gluten-free isn’t easy—I’ve done it myself and it’s not easy—but thankfully where we live, there are a lot of non-gluten food options available to us.” What we eat and in what proportions has long been the subject of analysis and change. On Jan. 7, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture released new nutrition guidelines for Americans, with a food pyramid that emphasizes protein (including, controversially, fullfat dairy and meat) and whole fruits and vegetables. It urges to avoid refined carbohydrates and highly processed foods, an approach billed by the government as “evangelizing real food.” That’s a message Reistetter can get behind. “I think the new food pyramid is great,” she says. “I love that it states in bold letters the most important tenet of healthy eating, ‘Eat Real Food.’” She adds that change is more likely to come from the policy changes beyond recommendations to consumers. “It’s a shame that at the same time, the Trump administration is not only continuing subsidies to farmers who grow the commodity crops that make ultraprocessed food so abundant and cheap, they’ve actually given them even more money,” she adds. Her interest extends beyond what’s in your kitchen to what is happening in the policy realm and at the farm level. And in addition to her practice, Reistetter spreads the word about gut health and nutrition through workshops (a talk on Feb. 7 is about the relationship between food and climate). “The only thing that worries me is how many people need help,” Reistetter says. “I am going to help as many people as I can.” Cooking for the Climate is Emily Reistetter’s next public talk. 11am-1pm Saturday, Feb. 7. MEarth, 4380 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel. $100. (831) 624-1032, mearthcarmel.org/workshops. Health& Fitness Go With Your Gut Health practitioner Emily Reistetter says it’s possible to treat a range of conditions starting with the gut. By Aric Sleeper Emily Reistetter (above) believes improved gut health can be used to treat not just digestive issues but also conditions ranging from allergies and asthma to infertility and fatigue. Below: The government’s new food pyramid flips the old model upside-down. REALFOOD.GOV DANIEL DREIFUSS
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