OMGut!

Oh My Gut!

Let me tell you about my gut health journey. And has it been a journey. I’ve had times where my belly looked bigger from bloating than I did 6 months pregnant. And pain, oh Lord, I’ve had belly pain all my life because I just kept repeating the insanity day after day.

Real quick let’s break down why gut health is such a big deal. The gut, often referred to as the “second brain,” is not merely a digestive organ but a complex system influencing various aspects of our health, from immunity to mood regulation. Our GI tract is home to trillions of microorganisms collectively known as the gut microbiome. This diverse ecosystem is important in maintaining digestive health, synthesizing essential nutrients, and modulating the immune system. However, factors such as stress, poor diet, antibiotics, and environmental toxins can disrupt this delicate balance, leading to dysbiosis (an imbalance of gut bacteria) and various health issues.

AKA the bad gut bugs start to out number the good gut bugs.

What to do?

• Remove
  • The first step involves identifying and removing triggers that contribute to gut dysfunction, such as inflammatory foods, toxins, and pathogens. This may include eliminating processed foods, sugar, gluten, and food sensitivities from the diet, as well as addressing underlying infections or overgrowth of harmful bacteria or yeast.
    • Yes, you may need to do an elimination diet. Yes, it will not be the most fun task you do this year but it may be the most helpful. The Institute of Functional medicine talks about how to reintroduce food here. You can check out Dr. Will Cole’s book, The Inflammation Spectrum too for another resource.
• Replace
  • Once harmful factors have been removed, it’s essential to replace any deficiencies or insufficiencies that may be hindering gut function. This could involve supplementing with digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid (HCl), or bile acids to aid in the breakdown and absorption of nutrients.
    • Now… here’s the deal. Going all willy nilly with supplements may not help you. This where a GI Map is most helpful. Read about that here in a minute.
• Reinoculate
  • Repopulating the gut with good gut bugs. Probiotics are key players in this step, providing a diverse array of beneficial microbes to support digestion, immunity, and overall gut health.
• Repair
  • The gut lining can become damaged due to inflammation, infections, or environmental factors. Repairing the gut mucosa is essential for restoring intestinal barrier function and preventing the leakage of toxins and undigested food particles into the bloodstream. Nutrients such as glutamine, zinc, and N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG) can help support gut lining integrity and repair.
• Rebalance
  • Finally, achieving long-term gut health requires rebalancing the body’s stress response, hormone levels, and overall lifestyle factors. Stress management techniques, adequate sleep, regular physical activity, and mindful eating habits all play a role in rebalancing the body and promoting optimal gut function.

Test, don’t just guess… 

I did the thing where I guessed and I ordered supplements that made me feel terrible and then I tried a plant based diet and nearly died. That’s melodramatic but I did feel so bloated and had so much gas I couldn’t move for 3 days. Ask Dee Bonney, it was not pretty sight. So, finally I did a GI MAP [This advanced stool test provides comprehensive insights into the gut microbiome, including the presence of pathogens, beneficial bacteria, and markers of inflammation] and a Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth test (SIBO) from TRIO-Smart [a diagnostic procedure used to detect the presence of excessive bacteria in the small intestine]. SIBO occurs when there is an abnormal increase in the population of bacteria in the small intestine. Both were helpful and I had positive markers on both. Or in my un-medical terms, my gut was a hotness. 

I recommend you seek out a practitioner that can order these tests. Why? because it’ll be cheaper in the longer run than just ordering supplements off the internet hoping it helps. Take it from someone that tried that, it didn’t help, I still felt miserable and then had to pay for the testing anyway. These test run off YOUR stool and YOUR breath samples meaning YOUR results are personalized to YOU. So, when we looked at what supplements I needed we didn’t just assume I needed digestive enzymes (I didn’t) and start me on them.

First? Stop eating foods that my body didn’t like (shocker)… which meant keeping a food journal, sexy. However, my GI MAP showed that my body didn’t tolerate gluten, so therefore when I stopped eating gluten my food journal reflected how much better I felt when I didn’t eat gluten and the same with cruciferous vegetables, and certain almond milks (we think it’s guar gum in them), and so on. But with out that fun journal we’d never know.

Second? Antibiotics for the SIBO. There are supplements that might do the trick but antibiotics may be needed and that was the case for me. You may see a low FODMAP diet recommended too. I was a little hit or miss with following this to be honest but I just got in tuned to what my body liked/didn’t like.

Third? Supplements based on the GI Map recommendations. Including probiotics. It’s the reinoculate/repair phase. I’m not taking all the same ones now a couple years out since my gut is so much happier but the most helpful one and the one we still use 4-5 times a week for both Miles and I is GI Replenish. I put it in our protein shakes (the chocolate is tastier than vanilla).

Fourth? I took to heart the lifestyle modifications because I never want my belly to get to that place again and I know stress is a BIG factor for me to leading to dysbiosis.

So, this is what worked for me, or has been working for me. I’ve been lax lately with my gluten-freeness and been paying for it was itchy scalp, inflammation, and sore joints. So, here’s my accountability in a blog that may or may not ever be read. So, if you see me out and about knock that gluten out of my hand (ha!).