- Ali
We’ve all heard the old adage ‘you are what you eat’ but there is new evidence appearing almost daily identifying that what’s inside us, the quality of our microbiome, can affect everything from our immune system to our mental health.
Over 2000 years ago Hippocrates said, ‘All disease begins in the gut,’ yet it’s taken us over 2,000 years to really get to grips with this. There’s new scientific data appearing daily that is enabling us to have a greater understanding of the microbiomes, or collections of bacteria, fungi and microbes in our bodies which help fight germs, break down food and produce vitamins.
All too often problems in the gut manifest themselves as symptoms now commonly associated with IBS – irritable bowel syndrome – but what is this and how can you cope with it.
IBS: What are the symptoms?
No two cases of IBS are the same and people experience different symptoms in varying degrees of discomfort and with varying triggers.
However, the most common symptoms of IBS tend to be:
Stomach aches and bloating
Diarrhoea
Constipation
These can last for any amount of time, from a couple of hours in the evening to weeks or even months in the future and can be anything from mildly irritating to totally debilitating.
Other symptoms may include:
Flatulence
Incontinence
Nausea
Backache
Tiredness
Headaches
Anxiety and depression
If you think you may have IBS, you should consult your GP for a full diagnosis. There is no absolute test for IBS, but they may take a blood test to check for other problems like coeliac disease, vitamin deficiency etc.
What causes IBS?
The three common causes that I come across most often are:
After affects of a powerful course of antibiotics, as this can unbalance the microbiome and make the bowel more sensitive.
After a trauma or in response to a series of distressing events or stressful situations.
After a bout of food poisoning - which again may have triggered sensitivity in the bowel.
Once you have IBS you may find your symptoms can be triggered by diet or lifestyle or a combination of both.
Certain foods can upset a sensitive gut and undertaking an elimination diet to see if you can find the triggers for your particular symptoms can be most helpful. Fatty foods, spices, caffeine, alcohol and certain vegetables – especially onions, broccoli, pulses, beans and lentils can be significant triggers too. These vegetables contain medium chain complex sugars that can’t be absorbed, so ferment in the colon, which causes flatulence and bloating.
A common IBS misconception is that it’s all about food intolerance. However, lifestyle factors are important too and mood plays a big part in it. Your level of anxiety and stress can cause you to have a sensitive gut. This may mean that some foods are fine on a normal week when everything is going smoothly but add a stressful situation at work and that broccoli that you found fine last week may trigger your IBS symptoms.
How can you treat IBS and minimise the symptoms?
Unfortunately, there is no magic pill for IBS and no absolute cure. I’ve found that lifestyle changes can make a huge difference in how you tolerate it. Changing to a wholefoods diet and avoiding processed, ready meals, cooking using fresh vegetables and adding exercise as well as mindfulness and relaxation to your day can really help. Plus avoid overloading on caffeine and alcohol. I also find that being more mindful about what’s on your plate and slowing down, chewing food more and allowing our gut and brain to communicate that you are full, also helps.
If you are struggling to work out your triggers than investing time to create a food diary, writing down what you eat each day and whether there are any adverse effects in terms of pain, bloating, mood swings, lethargy etc can really help.
If you find that stress is a major trigger, you may benefit from mindfulness or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a talking therapy that helps to relieve anxiety. You may also find a support group beneficial to your mental health – if nothing else it will reassure you that you’re not alone in this condition – it’s thought that over 20% of the UK population are sufferers. You can find a support group through the IBS Network, a national charity supporting people living with IBS .
How can I help?
Many sufferers who have undertaken one of my 30 day elimination plans have seen marked improvements in their symptoms and their ability to cope on a day to day basis. I’m not a medical Doctor, and everyone is an individual, but I’ve witnessed many symptoms improve immeasurably when clients are eating clean and mindfully and gaining the support they need on a daily basis.
Why is an elimination plan so effective?
Lifestyle changes play a major part in the effectiveness of our guts. What I teach as part of my 30, 60, 90 and 120 day programmes is how to effectively nd safely eliminate wheat and gluten, dairy, refined sugar, caffeine, alcohol and artificial colours, flavours and preservatives while making ifestyle changes to support your overall health. We cook wholefoods and increase both the nutritional value to the food we consume and the daily fibre content. Alongside that we increase the good gut bacteria that we ingest from our food and supplement with a pre-biotic, pro-biotic and digestive enzymes to help improve the microbiome. Couple this with a 12 hour fast over night (longer if you're used to this already) and you are allowing the gut to settled and digest and eliminate rather than overloading it continually. For many eating in this way is a radical departure from everyday life so to ease people into it we allow supplementation with a vitamin enriched protein shake or smoothie which can double as breakfast, lunch or supper. These often become a staple in everyday life long after IBS symptoms have been controlled and or eliminated and are a tasty treat that many clients look forward to on a daily basis.
Daily support and self care are a major part of the plan. You’ll be partnered with me as your Health Coach and i'll support and guide you with daily whatsapp messages and motivation, meal plans, recipes and mindfulness practices.
What is the cost of the plan?
The plan is highly effective and many clients comment that they're actually saving money each month given that they're no longer throwing food away or buying proecessed foods and ready meals.
How can I get involved?
If you’d like to discuss your symptoms and understand more about one of my elimination plans and how it could support you then please get in touch.
