I have a lot of digestion symptoms. Where do I start?
‘’All disease starts in the gut’’. Hippocrates
Let's start with a question - how diversified is your diet?
Just think for a moment about what foods you like to eat every day.
Diet diversity is critical in order for us to have a healthy gut. Diet diversity is something we all have to put some effort into in order to optimize our gut health.
Here are some questions to ask ourselves to understand if our gut is healthy:
Do you eat the same meal every single day?
Eating the same food every day; creates an adverse impact on your gut microbiome and gut bacteria will be less diversified. Some people may have a lot of food restrictions as they eat the same food every day. That is not good for your microbiome and health. You need to have a variety of foods to keep your gut healthy. Diet diversity, especially the diversity of plant foods, is very important for gut health. By diversifying our diet we can reduce the food sensitivities which worsen our health.
Do you eat foods high in fiber?
Fiber is so important for our health with benefits such as:
Fiber helps to bulk stool.
Fiber gets converted to short chain fatty acids, which control your immune system in the gut and help to reduce inflammation.
Short chain fatty acids from fiber have anti-inflammatory responses in the brain.
Short chain fatty acids control your appetite by activating hypothalamic appetite centers so you don't need to snack.
Do you eat fermented foods?
In order to optimize healthy gut function, you need to make a conscious effort to eat fermented foods. Fermented foods can be anything from fermented pickles, and kimchi to fermented olives.
Fermented foods are one of the most powerful ways to enhance our gut function.
Do you regularly eat fast or processed foods?
If you regularly eat fast or processed foods your gut will have a negative impact. Foods that are fried, high sugar, and low nutrient-dense not only can make us eat more, but also promote dysbiosis, and abnormal bacterial or yeast growth, which can create massive inflammation in the gut and break down tight junctions resulting in ‘’Leaky Gut’’.
Do you make a conscious effort to limit your sugar intake?
Some of you have a sweet tooth and you can’t imagine life without sugar. Consuming sugar will have an adverse impact on our gut. Sometimes all you need to do is to make an effort and reduce the amount of sugar you take. Consuming too much added sugar can raise blood pressure, increase inflammation, make it hard to lose weight, and increase the risk for diabetes and fatty liver diseases.
Are you exposed to artificial sweeteners?
Artificial sweeteners do impact our microbiome and health. Be aware of how many artificial sweeteners you are consuming. Lots of people would drink diet sodas or natural diet powder drinks or put sweeteners in their coffees and teas. Over-consumption of sweeteners may also have an impact on your gut microbiome and health.
Do you consume foods that cause bloating and abdominal distension?
If you're having foods that are causing bloating and abdominal distention, that means you have some maldigestion problems or food sensitivities that trigger your immune response. Some people will try to fix their gut with supplements while eating foods that make them bloated and distended. This approach is not really going to work. You need to look at foods first that make you uncomfortable. Also, you need to remember that the food you eat shouldn’t cause abdominal bloating and distension.
Do you consume foods that cause flatulence or burping?
This is very common in people who have gallbladder issues. They start burping especially after eating fats. Any foods that cause burping is a red flag. Your body is trying to tell you that it is not able to digest your food.
Do you consume foods that feel difficult to digest?
Maybe you can't digest proteins, carbohydrates, or fats. The foods that you may have difficulty digesting could be an issue for your health. Poor digestion of food may lead to malabsorption, which can negatively impact your health. We all heard ‘You are what you eat’. This is only partially true. The truth is ‘You are what you absorb’.
Do you consume foods that cause heartburn or acid reflux?
These foods can change the environment of your stomach acid so you have some reflux. Sometimes foods that you have allergies to or sensitivities to, can promote a histamine response and can cause some heartburn or acid reflux. The most common foods that can trigger reflux are:
Coffee
Chocolate
Mint
Tomatoes
Medication, smoking, alcohol, obesity, and pregnancy can also trigger heartburn or acid reflux.
Do you know when you eat certain foods your body gets swollen or you get stiff?
This means the food is causing inflammation in your body. The most common inflammatory foods are gluten, dairy, egg, and soy.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you don’t know where to start, then always start with your gut !!!
Book your Nutritional consultation now to find out the root cause of your problem.
About the author: Ingrida is a registered Nutritional Therapist and a Functional Medicine Practitioner. She is trained in a gene-based personalised diet and lifestyle to optimise your health and wellness. She is also a qualified Sports Nutrition coach specialising in muscle building and fat loss.
Her mission is to teach how to apply natural medicine in your live so you too can have vibrant health, strong body and happy mind.
