The prevailing thought running through my mind was: how am I going to get the energy to work all day and go to my second job at night when I can barely find the energy to shut off the alarm buzzing loudly beside my head? I was 24 years old, and I wasn’t aware my health was a mess because feeling terrible was my baseline. I was catching every cold and flu and despite being exhausted, I couldn’t sleep. My diarrhea and constipation were limiting, and my gas and bloating were embarrassing and painful. And even though I had done a round of Accutane, I still struggled with acne. These things stopped me from living the life I wanted.
Fast forward 15 years and I still work 2 jobs, but I wake up excited to tackle my day. I have control over my bloating and other digestive issues. My sleep is on point, and I’m no longer plagued by acne. I feel and look younger than I did in my 20s. Some of these things will continue to be a work in progress, but they don’t limit me.
How did I get here? I focused on my gut health.
I had ignored my symptoms until I couldn’t; I was in constant pain and that’s where my journey to health began. I started by researching what could be causing my issues, and the different diets and health modalities that could help. I worked with a multitude of practitioners and coaches, and I learned from both their good and their bad advice. I have tried a wide range of diets, some of them quite extreme. And only when I started listening to my body and began to nourish it with the food and self-care it needed, it responded. I found myself chatting all things gut, diet and health with anyone who showed a little interest. More and more friends and acquaintances started asking for my guidance. This is when I decided to get more education so I could help other women get control over their digestion and weight as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist.
We are more microbial than human; the bacterial cells within us outnumber our own cells. Our gut and the trillions of microbes living within us hold a great deal of power when it comes to our health. The bacteria, fungi and viruses that comprise our gut microbiome play a pivotal role in how our body functions. These microbes affect EVERYTHING. From metabolism to mood, the gut microbiome influences our sleep, energy, skin, immune system, and the development of disease. It influences our hormone production and plays a role in issues like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), PMS and menopausal symptoms. It does all this in addition to controlling our digestion and access to nutrients.
So where did I go wrong in the first place? I believe there were a number of factors at play. From a young age I became obsessed with my weight which led to restrictive diets, chronic cardio, undereating and stress around food. I took diet trends as gospel and ignored what my body was telling me, eating foods that didn’t work for me. I didn’t manage my stress and anxiety, preferring to escape through work and alcohol. And I simply accepted that I was an insomniac. I am sure many of you can relate. From a young age, we are immersed in diet culture that tells women that health and our worth means taking up less space. This is not only a lie, but one that is hurting our digestion and ultimately our health.
To this day, all of my clients have been undereating to their needs. Their priorities are weight loss and to have more energy. Most of my clients also suffer from gas, bloating, constipation and/or loose stools. And as these women start to eat more, they have more energy, better digestion, and many of them start to lose weight while consuming more calories. It’s amazing to witness. And unfortunately, because the lessons of a lifetime of diet culture are hard to unlearn, most of my clients need constant reassurance that eating more is ok and won’t cause ‘damage’.
When we diet chronically, we are living in a state of starvation because we are not meeting our body’s nutrient requirements and providing it with the raw materials needed to make essential hormones and digestive enzymes. As a result, our bodies respond by producing cortisol (our primary stress hormone) and slowing our metabolism and the production of sex hormones. Our digestion is also impaired. None of this adds up to long-term fat loss or health. Add in the stress we feel around food and from life, and now we’re eating in a state of fight or flight which further impairs digestion. In this state, we can eat all the ‘right things’ but we won’t optimally absorb the vitamins, minerals and nutrients from our food. This can all result in digestive issues like gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, heartburn, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and more.
If you have health or weight loss goals, my primary recommendation is to work on your gut health which directly impacts how we look, feel and function. Here’s a brief glimpse at the role our gut plays:
- 70-80% of our immune system resides in our gut and our microbiome is in constant communication with it. There metabolites, like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) help regulate the immune system and protect against autoimmune disease. (1)
- These SCFAs also have anti-inflammatory effects and are the main source of nutrition for the cells that line our colon, making them integral for gut barrier function which ensures the contents of our gut remain outside of our body. When our gut barrier is compromised (a condition often referred to as ‘Leaky Gut’) we can start to see issues like food sensitivities and allergies, autoimmune disease, gas, bloating, diarrhea, headaches, and brain fog manifest. (2)
- 95% of our serotonin is found in the gut. Also known as our ‘second brain’ our gut contains more neurons than in our spinal cord or peripheral nervous system and it can dictate our mood and behaviour. Research has shown that bacterial imbalance or irritation in our digestive system can trigger mood changes, including anxiety and depression.
- If our digestion is off, we won’t be able to adequately absorb nutrients from our food which provide our energy source and the building blocks for hormones and neurotransmitters that directly impact our mental health, stress response, mood, how difficult one’s menstrual cycle is and how one’s body responds through perimenopause and menopause.
- Our metabolism is controlled by our thyroid hormones. Our gut bacteria, together with the liver, convert the thyroid hormone into its usable form. If our liver is not functioning optimally or we have any digestive dysfunction, it can lead to weight gain, constipation, fatigue and low body temperature, among other issues.
Ok, so I have convinced you! Since our diet and lifestyle has a direct impact, fortunately that means we have a lot of control when it comes to our gut health. I recommend focusing less on restriction and more on adding things in. Here are some simple ways to support your gut:
- Eat enough, particularly fiber, healthy fats and protein. Fiber is vital for feeding our beneficial bacteria and without it, they starve. Protein provides the raw material for our hormones and the enzymes required for digestion. Healthy fats, like omega 3 fatty acids, have been shown to create a more abundant and diverse microbiome. (3)
- Eat a variety of plant foods: Think of your gut microbiome like a rainforest. We want a diverse and abundant ecosystem, so we need to feed the various bacteria by eating a range of fibers. Eating 30+ plant foods each week fosters a community that is rich and robust. Plant foods include fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, spices and legumes. Make a game of it and challenge your family to see who can get the most variety! (4)
- Take a holistic view on your health. Stress has been shown to promote dysbiosis and a leaky gut, so it is key to check in on a mental and emotional level. Get adequate sleep, regular movement, process trauma, try to reduce stress where you can and implement tools like meditation and breathwork to better manage unavoidable stressors. (5)
- Promote digestion by shifting into rest and digest mode before eating. Slow down, take a few deep breaths, chew enough (20-30 times!), focus on your food and enjoy the moment!
- Add in a high-quality probiotic and/or probiotic-rich foods like kimchi and sauerkraut. These can help to repopulate and bring balance to the gut. Digestive enzymes may also be helpful. (6)
- If you’re a chronic dieter or aware that you are eating less than 1800-2000 calories daily, consider a reverse diet. A reverse diet is where we gradually increase calories to help minimize weight gain and digestive issues.
- And if you do have weight loss goals, follow a sustainable fat loss plan where you go in and get out of the caloric deficit.
Our body is in constant communication with us. Symptoms are simply its way of telling us that something is off. Starting a food and mood journal is an important step in figuring out triggers and tuning into our body’s needs. And a good nutritionist can provide guidance, an objective view and emotional support to make the journey easier and more efficient. I recommend chatting with a nutritionist before hiring them to ensure they listen to your unique challenges and have a plan to address your individual needs. Make sure you feel comfortable talking to them and that they have the credentials and experience to provide sound advice. And always ask for a referral. And remember: if you have any health goals, your gut is a priority.
References:
- Mizuno, M., Noto, D., Kaga, N., Chiba, A., & Miyake, S. (2017). The dual role of short fatty acid chains in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease models. PloS one, 12(2), e0173032. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0173032
- Christovich, A., & Luo, X. M. (2022). Gut Microbiota, Leaky Gut, and Autoimmune Diseases. Frontiers in immunology, 13, 946248. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.946248
- Fu, Y., Wang, Y., Gao, H., Li, D., Jiang, R., Ge, L., Tong, C., & Xu, K. (2021). Associations among Dietary Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, the Gut Microbiota, and Intestinal Immunity. Mediators of inflammation, 2021, 8879227. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/8879227
- McDonald, D., Hyde, E., Debelius, J. W., Morton, J. T., Gonzalez, A., Ackermann, G., Aksenov, A. A., Behsaz, B., Brennan, C., Chen, Y., DeRight Goldasich, L., Dorrestein, P. C., Dunn, R. R., Fahimipour, A. K., Gaffney, J., Gilbert, J. A., Gogul, G., Green, J. L., Hugenholtz, P., Humphrey, G., … Knight, R. (2018). American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research. mSystems, 3(3), e00031-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00031-18
- Madison, A., & Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. (2019). Stress, depression, diet, and the gut microbiota: human-bacteria interactions at the core of psychoneuroimmunology and nutrition. Current opinion in behavioral sciences, 28, 105–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.01.011
- Wieërs, G., Belkhir, L., Enaud, R., Leclercq, S., Philippart de Foy, J. M., Dequenne, I., de Timary, P., & Cani, P. D. (2020). How Probiotics Affect the Microbiota. Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology, 9, 454. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2019.00454
