If you’re experiencing non-digestive symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, or joint pain, consider checking your gut health after optimizing diet and lifestyle, as it could be the underlying cause.
Begin by cutting out processed foods, grains, and dairy, focusing instead on whole fresh foods, fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins, fats, fish, nuts, and seeds to improve gut health.
If an initial elimination diet doesn’t resolve symptoms, consider a short-term low FODMAP diet to reduce fermentable sugars, which can alleviate issues for those with bacterial overgrowth.
After a short period on a restrictive diet, gradually reintroduce foods to identify personal triggers and broaden your diet, aiming for the most diverse healthy diet possible.
Try skipping a meal or two, such as breakfast, to assess if it improves mental clarity, energy, or digestion, but discontinue if it leads to fatigue or irritability.
Experiment with fasting to find the optimal duration that promotes health without becoming counterproductive, ensuring it enhances clarity and reduces cravings without negative effects like poor sleep.
Incorporate probiotics to help heal the gut, reduce inflammation, improve mood, and alleviate symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, potentially increasing food tolerance.
Experiment with the three main categories of probiotics (Lactobacillus/Bifidobacterium blends, Saccharomyces boulardii, and soil-based) to identify which ones work best for your unique gut and avoid those that cause adverse reactions.
Contrary to some online claims, probiotics can be effective in clearing Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) from the small intestine, fighting bacterial overgrowth.
Select probiotics from companies adhering to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and undergoing third-party testing for label accuracy, or rely on recommendations from a trusted healthcare professional.
If you feel overwhelmed or nervous about managing dietary changes or food reintroduction, enlist the help of a professional like a dietitian or nutritional therapist for personalized guidance.
When reintroducing foods after an elimination diet, start with the foods you enjoy and miss the most to maintain engagement and make the process more positive.
Approach health information found on the internet with caution, as it often exaggerates conditions like SIBO, leading to unnecessary fear and misunderstanding of the body’s healing capacity.
Once you’ve committed to a healthcare professional and a treatment plan, focus your energy on following it and temporarily avoid further online research to reduce overwhelm and allow the plan to work.
Regularly dedicate time to slow down, be still, and reflect without distractions, which is vital for introspection, addressing unhappiness, and appreciating simple aspects of life.
Practice thankfulness for what you have to counteract the constant drive for more, fostering appreciation and preventing burnout from endless striving.
If getting all nutrition from food isn’t always possible, consider taking a nutrient-dense whole food supplement, such as Athletic Greens, each morning as an insurance policy to meet nutritional needs.