Today we’re talking all about gut health & how to know when your gut needs love. This has been a very common question lately and for good reason!
Growing up in conventional medicine, I was never taught the importance of gut health, diet, or just how much our gut has to do with our overall health. The only story I was told by my doctors was that diet played no role in the management of my autoimmune disease.
Yet, at the same time, I was told to avoid certain foods that could aggravate my gut back then, such as raw fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds.
Now, it seems like such common sense (to me) that of course the food that we eat can make a difference in our health. It’s our fuel! As I’ve learned through my own experience, having a healthy gut is truly EVERYTHING and diet can play a huge role in it all.
Before we dive in, it’s important to know that I’m not recommending anything here, as I’m not a doctor or medical professional. I can only speak through my own unique experience and the research that I have done. Always talk to your doctor before making any diet or lifestyle changes.
What makes the gut so awesome?
Our gut is not only where we digest our food, but it’s also where 70% of our immune system is housed. In addition, our gut bacteria manufacture approximately 95% of our serotonin, which plays a huge role in both mood and GI activity (digestion, etc).
Gut bacteria are key players in our mood and mental health, and depending on what your unique set of good or harmful bacteria looks like, this can either make things better or worse.
So what does it look like when your gut could use some extra support? There are so many different symptoms, many of which might not seem gut-related at all (but they are!).
How to know when your gut needs love:
- Do you suffer from chronic digestive issues?
- Do you feel bloated or gassy after meals?
- Do you have heartburn or indigestion?
- Do you have anxiety or depression?
- Does food sit in your stomach so that it feels like a brick?
- Do you have a “nervous” stomach?
- Do you eat on the fly?
- Do you crave sugar?
- Are you constipated?
- Do you have diarrhea?
- Do you have skin issues (acne, eczema, psoriasis…)?
- Do you have allergies?
- Do you have any sinus issues?
- Do you have food intolerances?
- Do you have rib tenderness?
If you answered “yes” to any of the questions above, then your gut might just need some extra love!
As Hippocrates once said, “all disease begins in the gut.” I believe that prevention is the best form of medicine and the great news is, even if your gut isn’t in tip top shape, you can take the steps to get there, just as I have!
Ready to get started with healing your gut?
Be sure to check out THIS POST, where I wrote all about what I’ve done to heal my gut. My own gut-healing took just about two years, and now, looking back, I realize that it’s because I didn’t have a clue as to what I was doing. I figured it out all on my own through a ton of research and trial & error.
My gut was also in TERRIBLE shape when I first started and true healing does take time … as I often say, the time will pass either way.
I didn’t have access to functional medicine back then, like I do now, and it’s one of the biggest reasons that I’m so excited to launch our online gut reset later this summer! In this course you’ll learn from me and my amazing functional practitioner to get the exact tools and a step-by-step guide to heal your gut, strengthen your mindset, and lead a healthy lifestyle.
I’m helping to create the course that I WISH I would have had back when I was working on my own healing and it’s because of this, that your journey will be SO much easier than mine!
Here are just some of the symptoms that I was able to release once I changed my diet and healed my gut:
- Gut issues
- Overwhelming fatigue
- Brain fog
- Anxiety
- Inflammation (in my body overall and especially in my head & sinuses)
- Damaged immune system (I’m so grateful to have an incredible immune system these days!)
- Impetigo (a chronic, painful infection that I had in my nose for 8+ years)
- Healing my gut also set the foundation for me to be able to heal my adrenals
Isn’t it amazing just how much can be tied into the health of our gut and the food that we eat? I was blown away as I started to heal my own gut many years ago and had symptoms that I’d never even thought to link together, start to resolve on their own.
Everything in life flows easier when we’re feeling GOOD.
If you’re wanting to dive further into this, stay tuned as we’ll be announcing the full details of our upcoming online gut course over on my email newsletter!
Looking forward to this!
Thanks Laura! 🙂
I just want to thank you for putting this information out there. It’s so difficult to find good, balanced information. Finding a practitioner that will hear you and truly help is another mountain many of us looking for better health climb. Hope I will be able to take advantage of the gut reset. Just made the gelatin gummies and they’re really good.
Again thank you very much!
Thanks so much Mary! I totally agree! I’m so glad you are finding this information helpful 🙂
Recently turned 51 and am finally ready to be as healthy as I can be. Looking forward to this class and learning as much as I can!
Tracy that’s so awesome! 🙂 So happy to have you with us! 💕
I’m wanting to get my gut healthy but running into a few obstacles.
1. I am on chemo and other meds that are bad for my gut? Can I get gut healthy in spite of this?
2. Whenever I begin supplements or introduce anything new my gut issues get worse? Does this mean my gut is not absorbing even healthy things?
3. Can gut issues become psychosomatic? (I’m afraid to leave house and bathroom)
Hi Laura! So happy you are wanting to join this journey of healing your gut 🙂 It’s so important! We will have lots of great gut health content coming up in the next few months + the launch of the gut reset course with Kristen’s functional medicine practitioner – so stay tuned! As your experience and situation is unique to you, we would highly recommend looking into functional medicine as it can be such a great resource and help with your questions. You can find a practitioner in your area here: https://www.ifm.org/find-a-practitioner/ – I hope this is helpful!
I’m looking forward to comparing what I’m doing currently and curious if you had more ideas/things that worked for you, that I could add to what I’m doing.
It’s nice when we don’t have to always start from scratch with trial and error.
Sjögren’s syndrome.
Thanks for sharing Terah! We have a lot of great content all about gut health coming over the next couple of months, as well as the launch of our gut reset course with Kristen’s practitioner! We can’t wait to share 😉
I am looking forward to this course. I answered yes to most of your questions. I have just recently been diagnosed with some form of autoimmune disorder and now we are working to try to figure out what it is and what are my triggers. I have been slowly progressing towards a plant based diet and this has definitely helped alleviate some of my issues. I like the fact that you preach that lifestyles and diet habits are not a one size fits all, I am curious if your courses will cater to ones individual needs. Thanks so much.
Hi Laurie! Thank you so much for sharing 💕 – we are so excited about the gut course too! Yes, the course will definitely cater to the individual, as we are all so wonderfully different 🙂
I was recently diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and have been following you for a few years before even knowing this diagnosis for your recipes but hearing your story gives me motivation and inspires me that hopefully some day I can come off the prescriptions and heal my gut naturally. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much Trish! You definitely can, and will! 😉💕
When I started following you I didn’t have active gut issues. Since I feel like I got a lot of them. It makes me feel out of sorts mentally and physically enough to miss work. Anyways I love reading all the info you put out. Would you say that a GI map test is worth doing. It costs so much and I’ve already spent so much. Any tips on how to get rid of constipation quickly. Should I take a break from eating?
Hi Martha, I totally understand – gut issues are no fun! A GI Map test can certainly help! Have you tried a simple food elimination diet? We have an awesome gut reset course coming soon with Kristen’s functional medicine practitioner, which would be a great option for you! I would check out our most recent blog post – Gut Problems? How to Jumpstart Your Healing Journey! – for some ideas too 💕