3 Steps to Better Gut Health
Background: Growing up, I had terrible stomach issues (ask my former teammates and family members, they know). I always was flatulent (passed gas), bloated, and constipated. This grew bothersome over the years but I had no clue how to approach it. While finishing my last year of undergrad, I became enticed with the gut when coming across the microbiome. I in turn wrote a few reports on this during my post grad work and decided to implement my knowledge on myself. Later, I have implemented these methods with clients who have had similar issues and their quality of life has improved. With that being said, I will give you the 3 steps to eradicate your stomach issues.
1. Eliminate
a. I followed the elimination diet that precision nutrition has provided (link here) that worked as the following:
i. Eliminate all dairy, flour, processed foods, nuts, simple sugars, etc from the diet
ii. Only eat wild game meats and fish. (Buffalo, Turkey,Salmon)
iii. Reintroduce foods individually and monitor for adverse effects
b. The basis behind this protocol is that we can develop buffering systems and antibodies to mask food allergies/sensitivities that we may have. After 21-28 days, these antibodies dissipate and our reaction to our food sensitivities greatly increase. This is a good thing, since our allergens will be GLARINGLY obvious. I was feeling so good, that I skipped this portion and reintroduced it after the following step.
2. Restore
a. We have another environment living in our gut (check my other blog on the gut here) that we must properly feed to enhance function. The bacteria in our gut play an immense roles in our digestion, body composition, and mood. If our gut is sending off sulfur bombs and bloated like hot air balloons, there is a high likelihood that there is damage to our intestinal walls. To heal this, I incorporated the following:
i. Keeping junk like simple sugars, trans fats, and processed foods out my diet
ii. Adding in fermented foods 3x/week. (Kim chi, Pickles) I am not a huge fan of sourkrought and keifer but they are great options as well
iii. Kombucha 2x/wk. (Wednesday and Sunday) There is no specific reason why I chose those days, they just flow perfectly for me. I still follow this practice currently
iv. Probiotics. I started with the minimal dosage of 13 Billion CFU’s and gradually increased to 52 Billion CFU’s
v. Glutamine. Glutamine is primarily absorbed in the digestive tract and serves as an anti-inflammatory. 10g/day
3. Maintain
a. This is a huge phase but is quite honestly the easiest portion to follow and the easiest to fall off. Once you cut out the foods that were giving you digestion issues (mine were: all dairy and whey products, simple sugars, legumes, and almonds) they must remain out of your diet. Now, when you have these foods there is a high likelihood that eating them will cause a dramatic reaction which is usually enough to keep you away from them.
b. For those with serious intestinal issues, I highly suggest seeing a holistic health practitioner or a gastroenterologist to have your gut issues fixed. Your quality of life with improve drastically. But for those who have minor lagging issues, this may serve as a great tool it improve your gut health.
