by MARK ST.J. COUHIG

Sequim Gazette

Sherry and Steve Fry, owners of Common Sense Nutritional Therapy, are expanding their repertoire of services.

The two, along with Jane Bultedaob, now have entered “the next phase” in providing, as the company’s name indicates, “Common Sense Nutritional Therapy.” This month all three completed a five-month program of study to earn certificates as “Certified Healing Food Specialists.”

The three now are providing consulting services to the company’s clients.

Fry said while the recent program was broad in scope, it had a particular focus on cultured foods. Many people are familiar with the “good bugs” in yogurt, she said, but added that similar processes can be applied to “veggies, fruits, coconuts, grains and seaweed. You can culture just about anything,” she said.

Fry said these healthful “gut bugs” are particularly needed by those who have just had a round of antibiotics. Antibiotics “will kill everything,” she said. “This is a way to rebuild the colonies of good bugs,” she said.

That’s important, Fry added, because the digestive system is where 80 percent of the body’s immune system lies.

Today’s standard diet, which is high in sugar and processed food, leads to compromised immunity, making it more prone to invasion by “parasites, fly bugs, MRSA, viruses, bacterias and cold bugs,” she said.

Bultedaob said their job is to teach their clients how to prepare cultures.

She provided one example, a jar of ginger and carrots in a brine of celery juice. Add a little whey, she said, and let nature do its thing.

Get it together

Later this month Common Sense Nutritional Therapy will host a free event, “Health is Fragile: Handle with Food,” to provide information on healthful foods, with a focus on raw foods.

The 90-minute event begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at the First Federal branch in Sequim Village Marketplace. Bultedaob said they will teach those who attend how to “exchange bad foods for good.”

“It’s all about making it easy,” she said. She noted that simply choosing raw foods rather than cooked foods can have a profound impact because cooking removes many of the healthful enzymes from the raw food.

To reserve a place, call 683-2756.

The Frys also own Common Sense Yard and Garden and the Live Bread Shoppe.

Reach Mark Couhig at mcouhig@sequimgazette.com.