We’ve been getting email after email from our community and question after question popping up in our membership group from people struggling with gut issues. They are experiencing symptoms like bloating, constipation, acid reflux, food sensitivities, blood sugar issues and so much more.
And the sad thing is, many have eliminated so much already, so restricted in their diet (some down to just meat and vegetables) and they still haven’t seen much progress. They don’t know where to go next.
It’s so unbelievably frustrating isn’t it? You put so much effort in for what feels like nothing in return.
So today, I’m going to share 3 common misconceptions that people have about digestion and gut issues and offer 3 proven solutions.
3 COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
1.PROBIOTICS ARE THE ANSWER
Probiotics have been all the buzz lately, which is understandable. Probiotics make perfect sense to help your gut flora, right? Our guts need more support than ever. They are getting quite the workout these days.
1) Our diets consist of so many different ingredients and types of foods
2) Many of us take (or have history of) antibiotics, killing all the bacteria in the gut, good and bad
3) Many of us take (or have history of ) NSAIDs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and Aleve for the aches and pains
4) There are plenty of chemicals in our food, air, and water
5) Lack of nutrients in the soil or people not eating from the soil at all
All these factors affect our gut flora. The gut flora is the environment inside our gut made up by trillions of microorganisms.
Probiotics are something that can certainly help with creating a healthy gut flora (in some situations) but they aren’t always the answer or the end-all. Too many people jump to probiotics because it’s easy to pop a pill. (not always easy on the pocket book though).
What you need to know is probiotics can - not only be a waste of money if you have deeper gut issues going on, but they can actually be detrimental too, particularly if you have Intestinal Permeability aka Leaky Gut or Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth (SIBO)
In these cases, there is some balancing/repairing that we recommend happen first before throwing probiotics into the mix, this is why adding probiotic supplements are one of the last steps of our 5-step gut healing protocol. These are taken once you’ve taken measures to address issues like SIBO and repair the gut lining.
Probiotics are not just a one sized fits all either. Many issues do better with certain strains in certain doses. Quality products can be quite expensive and it is not uncommon to see people throwing their money into cheap products when they could be investing in something better that is more likely to help get them the results they’re looking for. We recommend you get advice from a professional if probiotics are best for you at this particular stage of your gut healing and let them give you some suggestions on the best one for your condition.
2. ELIMINATING COMMON ALLERGIC FOODS
Yes, eliminating common allergens like dairy, gluten, eggs, nuts and soy is a popular step in the adrenal recovery process for many and we’ve given this advice to many of our clients. In many cases, eliminating common allergens like these can be helpful and even transformative for some. However, we find with many of our clients they find themselves at a sticking point where their diet is limited and they are still struggling with symptoms— they feel stuck.
In these cases, the root of the problem must be addressed. Eliminating these problem foods is just the first step in a deeper exploration and trial and error process for gut healing.. but it doesn’t STOP there.
We believe getting testing or having a professional analyze your situation to determine which gut issues you are most likely dealing with (different gut issues listed below). Getting this clarity first will save you money, time and a bit more sanity. There will always be a bit of trial and error involved, but working with a professional will help you streamline the process…and your dollars.
For many it takes time and a more thorough protocol that lasts about 2-3 months to get to the deeper issue and heal the gut.
3. JUST DO A WEEK LONG JUICE FAST OR GUT CLEANSE
We know these short cleanses are popular these days and seem a bit more doable, right?
They can help the body a bit depending on what you’re struggling with. However, for most a week long juice or gut cleanse is not an adequate gut repairing protocol and won’t have lasting results. Why, because most likely the wear and tear on the gut has been years in the making and it will take some time.
For example if you have a parasite, you will need longer than a week or two to kill those bugs.
So if you’ve been approaching gut healing from any of these angles only…
Taking Probiotics
Eliminating so many common allergens without understanding the root issue
Not following an extensive gut healing protocol
...and you haven’t had much improvement, you’re not doing anything wrong. It just means you haven’t quite got to the root of it all. Don’t worry because it hasn’t all been a waste of your time and energy. This process takes a lot of trial and error and it just means you’re closer to figuring this all out. Yay!!!
So, to wrap this up here are 3 solutions to take your gut healing to the next level and support great digestion.
1.GET CLARITY WITH HELP OF A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL OR TESTING AS TO WHICH GUT ISSUES OR DEFICIENCY YOU MIGHT BE DEALING WITH
Before you stress yourself out by doing too much, get clarity on the very root of the symptoms with the help of a professional.
There could be other things going on besides a basic gut imbalance issue like; mineral or nutrient deficiency, gut infections, heavy metal toxicity or fungal or bacterial overgrowth. The symptoms of these conditions can often look very similar to adrenal, hormone and other gut related issues and you want support to figure it all out.
Here are the various gut related conditions people are commonly dealing with:
Leaky gut
Fungal overgrowth, Candida
Dysbiosis
Parasites
Bacterial overgrowth, SIBO
Food allergies
The recovery approach you take will be slightly different for each of these conditions so that’s why you want to work with a professional and/or get tested. They can get clarity based on your symptoms or get further confirmation through testing.
2. TAKE DIGESTIVE ENZYMES
Many of the gut related symptoms we experience are because we don’t have enough stomach acid (HCL) or digestive enzymes in our gut. These acids and enzymes break down the fats, proteins and carbs in food, properly.
When the body can’t break down our foods properly that’s when we experience all the symptoms and reactions like irregular bowel movements, constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, acid flux and more.
Adding digestive enzymes help you tolerate more foods and stop the ongoing stress happening every time you eat, meaning less inflammation, which allows more healing to occur.
Just like probiotics, it’s important that you get a quality formula and do a little trial and error to get the right dosage.
If you can’t afford digestive enzymes, you can see if taking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a bit of water before a meal helps you. It has been known to do the trick for many.
When taken at the beginning of a meal, enzymes help ensures that foods are fully digested. This decreases the chance that partially digested foods particles and proteins are damaging your gut wall. They also help to relieve digestive discomfort like bloating and gas.
A few of our favorite brand suggestions are Digestive Enzymes SAP by NFH or BioGest by Thorne
3. FOLLOW AT THE VERY LEAST A 6 WEEK GUT HEALING PROTOCOL
Don’t expect everything to change overnight. Follow a proven system for AT LEAST 6 weeks and see the process through until you get the results you seek.