The Three Most Common Drivers of Bloating, Constipation & Other Gut Symptoms
Bloating, constipation, loose stools, heartburn, fatigue, hormone imbalances, PMS, acne…these are all symptoms our clients bodies use to communicate with them that the body needs more support.
So then the question becomes, what support is the body asking for?
In our work with clients, we aim to align our clients symptoms and experience in their body with deeper functional testing to understand the root causes that are driving their symptoms. This process gives us access to a wealth of information and insight into our clients unique needs and we use that information to customize a healing protocol that includes nutrition, lifestyle and targeted supplements.
With all of that deep insight, there are three common drivers of digestive symptoms that I see time and time again - and the best part, we don’t need deeper functional testing to start supporting these three common drivers!
Under-eating negatively impacts the gut, hormones & thyroid
The first common driver of gut symptoms - and we can add thyroid and hormone symptoms to this list too - is undereating. Often I see clients who are unintentionally undereating or experiencing an imbalance in the number of calories coming in from their food versus going out from life demands, movement and exercise.
Chronic undereating is actually a major stressor on the body and stress can drive inflammation, imbalanced blood sugar, breakdown in the gut lining, hormonal issues and suppression of optimal thyroid function which can lead to fatigue, hair loss, constipation and dull, dry skin. I know this topic can run deep for many reasons such as the pressures from popular media and conventional medicines over simplification to eat less and exercise more as the solution to so many ailments - but unfortunately this emphasis on less caloric and nutrient intake is creating more harm than it is good.
Optimal nutrition requires optimal caloric and macronutrient intake to meet our bodies needs - especially if that body is experiencing symptoms such as constipation, fatigue, bloating, heartburn, PMS, etc. A thriving metabolism is actually referring to the body's ability to make energy and the two most important things to make energy are calories and minerals - calories for the raw fuel and minerals to ignite the process. The food choices we make certainly play an important role too, but if we are overall just not eating enough it doesn’t matter how “clean” our diet may be - our body will continue to fall short of optimal health until we choose to eat to thrive versus eat just to survive.
We teach you how to personalize your body's calorie and macronutrient needs inside of our Nourished Gut Guide which educates you in how to practice the five essential foundations that must be in place to heal the gut.
Carbohydrates are critical for gut & hormone health.
The second most common driver of gut symptoms is eating too low of a carbohydrate diet…you’re sensing there is a theme here. Carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap over the past several years as being detrimental to health but that belief is overly simplified and overall incorrect.
Carbohydrates are imperative in the optimal health of both the gut and hormones. Carbohydrates are key food sources that nourish the protective beneficial bacteria in the gut, are essential for optimal gut health and contribute to nutrient production, mood balance and reduced inflammation in the holistic body. Carbohydrates are also needed for healthy hormone levels including our stress hormone cortisol, thyroid hormones and sex hormones.
The key when it comes to incorporating more health supporting carbohydrates is in the type and combination of carbohydrates we choose. For type, we want to emphasize whole food sources of carbohydrates such as starchy plants like sweet potatoes, squash, fruit and legumes. Then we want to ensure that we are combining those carbohydrates with optimal amounts of protein, fiber and a little healthy fat to balance our blood sugar and nourish our metabolic health.
Successful nutrition is more about what we are inviting into our diet versus cutting out of our diet - this mindset and approach of addition nutrition is what we guide our clients to adopt inside of our Nourished Gut Guide that is releasing next month!
Stress - emotional and physical - are a root cause for gut symptoms.
The third most common driver of gut symptoms is stress - maybe no shock there. This might be even a frustrating answer to read as stress can feel like something we don’t have much control over. We may not have control over the life events leading to stress but we do actually have the ability to build resilience to stress through our nutrition, lifestyle and targeted supplements.
First we have to assess for the myriad of different types of stressors that can exist in a unique person's life - these include emotional and physical stressors. Stress can certainly be psycho-emotional such as worry or anxiety but it can also be further driven by physical stressors such as excess movement, undereating, fasting, low mineral status, gut infections, imbalanced blood sugar and much more. The key is to identify which stressors are at play and if we have more direct control over those stressors such as blood sugar, movement or shifting nutrient intake. Nutrition and lifestyle shifts can play a major role in helping to support our bodies' resilience to stress.
Inside of Nourished Gut Guide we include the step by step guidance on how to practice these nutrition and lifestyle shifts to reduce the more controllable stressors in our lives to build greater resilience.
Our Clients Healing Story: When the foundations are the root cause of gut, hormone, low energy & hair loss
Sometimes life creates the perfect storm of events to highlight the impact of depletion, stress and its major player in our health. This was certainly the case for a client of ours. She came to use struggling with chronic loose stools, gas and bloating with a very irregular period as well as brain fog, dry skin, low energy and hair loss. About a month before our work together started this client experienced an injury that prevented her from working out, which was a significant everyday outlet for her previously. What she didn’t realize was how the combination of intense exercise and the unintentional undereating was creating a significant stress on the body contributing to her gut, skin and hormone symptoms.
Our first month of working together we set the stage for deep nourishment, reflecting on the importance of continuing to feed the body nutrient dense foods even in the face of limited movement and its connection to our hormones, gut and skin healing. Symptoms started to improve even within the first 30 days. Our lab tests showed more concretely the impact of depletion on the body as we ran a comprehensive DUTCH hormone test and a GI map stool test. Our first 2-3 months we prioritized deep nourishment focusing on optimal caloric intake and inviting back in more starchy plants, gentle movement, key nutrient repletion for hormones and thyroid as well as a soothing gut protocol to rebuild gut barrier and support key drainage pathways.
With the considerable amount of gut disruption we saw on testing, the initial plan was to do a more intensive gut protocol after month 3…but it soon became clear that that wasn’t necessary. With the deep focus on repletion of nutrients and optimal calorie intake, reduction of additional stressors like intensive exercise, gentle shifts in the timing of eating and an emphasis on listening to her body's needs - we observed that her body was able to remedy so many of her symptoms all on its own. Her monthly cycles normalized, her skin cleared, her bowel movements became regular, her bloating disappeared and she felt more brain clarity and energy. Most important of all, she learned that her body is resilient and that she can trust it when it communicates hunger or need for rest as those signals are a superpower not a burden.
This client's dedication to restoring her relationship with her body is a joy to be a part of and an amazing reminder to all of us that our bodies heal when they are supported through nourishment, rest and validation of deservingness.
I share these three common drivers of gut symptoms because they are areas that so many people can start to support right now.
If you are feeling unsure on how to start, we’ve got just the guidance you need. The Nourished Gut Guide (NGG) is releasing next month and it is our NEW self-paced course that guides you in the 5 essential foundations that must exist to heal the gut. We created this course to help our community begin their healing journey, and maybe even solve their digestive symptoms before needing to invest in deeper functional testing and guidance!
Discover the five essential foundational steps to nourish your gut to eliminate your food fear, understand how your body heals, decrease overwhelm, and take the simple daily steps to long-term gut healing results.
Inside of NGG, we guide you in the essential foundations that MUST exist to fully address the real root causes of your poop problems. Get on the waitlist to be the first to know when NGG is live to build your strongest gut healing foundation!
