How to spot if your gut needs extra support

Good digestion is the most fundamental yet overlooked piece of one’s overall health. Have you experienced chronic uncomfortable bloating, poor digestion, reflux or changes in bowel movements that made you wonder — “what is going on down there”?

This surprising statistic will make you feel less alone; 40% of the world population has a Functional Gastrointestinal disease, which is now being called a ‘disorder of gut-brain interaction.’ This includes IBS, dyspepsia, constipation, diarrhea, and bloating. (Source: gastrojournal.org).

So how did we get here? Why are so many people suffering from digestive issues of the gut-brain axis?

Perhaps it’s because we feel embarrassed to talk about our bowel movements and bloating with others, or perhaps it’s because we have lost some ancestral wisdom about how to care for our digestive system, or perhaps it’s the barrage of toxins, pesticides and highly nutrient-depleted processed food on our shelves.

Perhaps it’s all of the above, paired with the increasing emotional stress of modern life and all of its demands, which impairs our body’s ability to receive vital nutrients and fuel to function well. 

I believe that healthy digestion and nutritious food should be an attainable reality for everyone, regardless of their cultural, economic, or educational background. I am going to outline some ways to tell if your digestion is not working well, why that could be impacting your mood, energy, and thoughts, and some ways to start to fix this as you move towards a more balanced, nourished way of eating and living.

Signs of a gut that is out of balance and in need of some repair:

Do you experience any of these symptoms?

• Bloating that is chronic, painful, or embarrassingly obvious after a regular-sized meal

• Diarrhea or extra soft, frequent stools

• Constipation (having a bowel movement less than once /day)

• Acid reflux or heartburn

• Abnormally smelly gas :P yes some gas is normal, but excess smelly gas is not

• Brain fog 

• Food sensitivities

• Fatigue 

• Rashes and skin conditions

• Weight gain

• Sugar cravings

• Depression or low mood

• Anxiety

• Migraines

Studies also show links to poor gut health and Autism, ADHD, Neurodegeneration, and Autoimmune diseases. Our digestive organs and the gut microbiome play a large role in many of these conditions.

The status of our gut microbes can either help us or hinder us, and speed up or slow down digestion. Our nervous system plays an equally large role in our overall gut health. The vagus nerve connects your brain to your gut and actually sends more signals from your gut to your brain than the other way around!

Wild, right?

Considering that we have 500 million neurons in our gut, I think it’s time we take our ‘second brain’ health seriously and take excellent care of it.

Why poor digestion could be impacting your mood, energy, and emotions

When our digestive system is not functioning well, we are not absorbing the nutrients and energy from our food very well.

We need a lot of different vitamins and minerals to run all of the enzymes in our bodies that help us break down, absorb, and utilize food for energy, send chemical messages, think, move, and feel—basically everything we do at every moment of the day! What could be more important?

Mood

Our gut microbiome produces many of our neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and GABA, which help send signals in our brain and regulate our mood and thoughts.

The types of food we ingest feed different types of microbes, which then produce molecules that send signals to our body. One category of signals are inflammatory signals.

If this becomes chronic inflammation and travels up to our brain, this contributes to an inflamed brain, which manifests as brain fog, lack of focus, and depression. Not fun.

Energy

Our small intestine is where we absorb most of our macronutrients like carbs, proteins and fat, as well as our micronutrients like vitamins and minerals, which we then convert into fuel for making energy, hormones, and building blocks for our cells. Bodies are so cool!

However, if we are not releasing enough stomach acid or digestive enzymes to break down our food, or there is constipation or diarrhea, we may not be absorbing enough of these vital ingredients.

If we have an underlying infection or imbalance in our gut microbes, we could be fighting a storm of inflammation that takes away our bodies resources, confuses our immune system, and impairs nutrient absorption. All of this further contributes to poor energy, mood, and food choices.

Emotions

Digestive symptoms like painful bloating start to train your brain that certain foods are going to trigger your symptoms, which only creates more stress and worry around mealtime, leading to even lower stomach acid, slowed transit time, and more chances of infection or microbial overgrowth. A downward spiral that can lead to highly restrictive dieting, which may influence one’s social activities and freedom, due to uncertainty, guilt or embarrassment.

You may be thinking, "Well, I am eating what I’ve been taught is healthy, so why am I having trouble with my digestion?” It may come down to the right proportions, quality of food, diversity of food, and how it’s prepared.

This is where things can get tricky and further support from a trained practitioner may save you a lot of time and energy. 

The state of our microbiome, or missing out on some vital ingredients like fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Also, it’s not always about what you’re eating but rather the state you're eating it in. Eating lunch while continuing to work on your laptop, having a stressful conversation, or even thinking stressful thoughts can weaken your digestion.

Enough of the sad news… On a more positive note, let’s explore what optimizing your digestion can do for your health!

What about the root causes of digestive issues?

This could be several blog posts on its own, but here’s a quick explanation of some common root causes of general digestive issues.

I see a lot of digestive issues stemming from…

• Low stomach acid, which doesn’t allow food to be broken down well. (It can be low due to stress, aging, poor nutrient intake or absorption, mineral deficiencies, etc.)

• Gut infections (ie. mold, candida, h. Pylori, staph, klebsiella, parasites, to name a few)

• Bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine aka SIBO

• Chronic constipation (possibly due to low fibre intake, high stress levels, ignoring your body’s cues)

• Low pancreatic enzyme function

• Low bile or gallbladder function

• Sluggish liver

• Hypersensitive nervous system in gut-brain axis linked to previous trauma or infections

• Too little or too much fibre (yes, there’s a happy medium)

• Poor quality food (lacking nutrients, or high in toxins)

• Not investigating your unique food sensitivities
  
  
  

Benefits of good digestion and gut health

Cleaning up your gut can have positive benefits in many areas of your life, including:

• Increased energy

• Improved focus

• Positive mood

• Less anxiety

• Weight management

• Better immune function

• Lower inflammation and stress in the gut-brain connection, which impacts all of the above 

Not to mention a stronger trusting relationship with your body. Sounds great, right?!

How do you get there? I’d say start by being curious about your body and your emotions and how your gut-brain axis may be asking for your attention. Sometimes taking action on your gut health can be simply slowing down and tuning in to your body’s wisdom.

Ways to start fixing your gut

If you are ready to start healing your gut, addressing dysbiosis, and stimulating more digestive power, here are some simple things to start doing:

1. Try slowing down and doing 5 deep breaths before a meal. This will tell your nervous system it’s safe to turn on digestion. Aka the ‘rest and digest’ mode.

2. Try eating something bitter with the first few bites of your meal, like arugula, or endive.to help stimulate your digestive juices.

3. Make sure you are eating regularly timed, balanced meals with healthy fats, carbs, protein and fibre. This will help slow down digestion so you can absorb the most amount of nutrients from it, and all of our essential macros and micronutrients.Regular timing teaches your body when to turn on digestive processes so that it is easier to digest your food.

4. Don’t drink water 15 minutes before or 45 minutes after your meal to make sure you don’t dilute your stomach acid too much.

5. Try drinking ginger tea to help soothe a stomach ache and to help food move through your digestive tract. (Natural laxative).

6. Journal about your relationship with food. What emotions do certain meals or snacks bring up for you? Have you had any negative experiences with food?

Want more tips?

Check out my 5-page guide on ‘How to Heal IBS’ HERE.

For further support, I recommend finding a nutritionist or health practitioner who is trained in holistic approaches to gut health and optimizing digestion.

Did any of these symptoms surprise you? Which tips will you implement today? 

Let me know on Instagram @heather_neurofit or via email at neurofitforlife@gmail.com.