Improving gut health
Gut health. It seems to be a common conversation on social media, and a topic that many people have an opinion about. But what sources can be trusted? And is there anything that can be done to improve our gut health?
Felicia Newell, a registered dietitian and nutritionist with Sustain Health in St. John’s, N.L., offers health and nutrition coaching services, corporate wellness programming, group education, nutrition project consulting and content writing. Her goal is to help her clients improve their health, feel their best and reach their wellness goals while maintaining their sanity and in a way that fits their lifestyle.
Your digestive system, aka gut, breaks down the foods you eat and absorbs nutrients that support your body’s functions, explains Newell.
“Over time, if we don’t think about our gut health, it can lead to issues with digestion, immunity, heart health, mental health, and more,” said Newell.
On top of all of the potential health-related impacts, Newell says the state of our gut can affect our general wellness and how we feel. If our gut is in a state of dysbiosis (too much harmful bacteria and not enough helpful), we can feel the impacts through uncomfortable symptoms such as gas, bloating and irregularity.
EASY FIX?
Although it sounds like it is an easy fix, Newell says she wouldn’t be a good professional if she were to generalize and say there is an easy fix to gut health for everyone.
“If someone is claiming that they have an easy fix for a broad range of people, this is a red flag and it could be misinformation,” said Newell.
People are all so unique in our physiology, and there are many symptoms that could be attributed to poor gut health (gas, bloating, cramping, tiredness, irregularity), that could also be symptoms of other conditions that are important to rule out including celiac disease, irritable bowel syndromes like Crohn’s and colitis), diverticular disease, or H. Pylori.
“If someone is having ongoing issues, it is important to be working with other healthcare professionals to rule out more serious causes,” said Newell.
Even if someone is having digestive issues without an underlying medical cause, it is too complex to say that there is an easy fix for gut health, she says. This doesn’t mean issues can’t be resolved.
SIMPLE LIFESTYLE CHANGES
Newell often recommends trying simple lifestyle changes first, such as slower eating and more chewing (as digestion starts in the mouth); smaller portions; modifying fibre intake; increasing fluid intake; increasing diversity of plant-foods; or adding probiotics.
Then, if they are still having issues, food intolerance is a likely culprit. The gold standard of identifying a food intolerance is by keeping a food and symptom journal or completing an elimination diet under the supervision of a dietitian, says Newell.
SIMPLE STRATEGIES
Newell offers several examples of things to do to support digestive health.
1. Be more mindful with eating. I think we are all guilty of eating on autopilot sometimes and inhaling our food without intention. If we slow down when we eat, chew our food more, and minimize distractions, this has been shown to support digestion.
Chewing your food more (and more slowly) can make it easier for the stomach to digest and lead to less uncomfortable symptoms.
2. Look at fibre intake. Fibre is extremely important for digestive health, as well as heart health, yet many people do not get enough in the diet. Research shows that people who eat a higher variety of plant foods, have a more diverse microbiome and better gut health.
Have a look at your overall fibre intake, says Newell. Add more high fibre foods such as nuts, seeds, beans, chickpeas, lentils, fruits, veggies, oats and grains. Be sure to add fibre foods slowly to give your body time to adapt.
3. Look at portions. For many people with digestive issues, portion size matters. Eating meals and portions that are large can make it more difficult to digest. Try eating smaller portions throughout the day and see if this helps.
4. Add probiotics through food or supplement. Probiotics are also referred to as our ‘healthy gut bacteria’ and if we don’t have enough in our gut can lead to poor digestion and digestive issues such as gas, bloating, or constipation. They are found mainly in certain dairy foods and fermented foods like kombucha, sauerkraut, or kimchi.
Most people do not get enough probiotics in their diet, and if this is the case then you may want to try a supplement, says Newell. Be sure to work with a registered dietitian and your healthcare team if you do want to try a supplement.
5. Start a food and symptom journal. Identifying a food intolerance can be tricky - other than lactose and gluten, there are no tests you can complete to identify food intolerances. Food allergies present differently, and testing would be done by an allergist. The easiest and less life-impacting way to identify triggers, is to try a food and symptom journal. Become familiar with foods that are common triggers and track your food intake as well as your symptoms. Try to find trends in what foods you are eating that consistently lead to symptoms within a few hours of eating.
Other important things to do are to work with your healthcare team to rule out underlying conditions, manage stress, get adequate sleep, limit ultra-processed foods such as chips, baked goods and fast food to 10 to 20 per cent of overall diet, said Newell.
HEALTH MISINFORMATION
Health misinformation online is rampant, and sadly it tends to spread faster and further than the truth because it can be alarming, surprising, or offer quick fixes, says Newell. This means that accurate information sometimes gets minimal engagement (likes, comments, views), and misinformation can sometimes have millions of likes, shares, comments, or views.
Influencers can also sound compelling because they are either good at marketing their brand, and/or they believe the information themselves. This is so unfortunate, she says, because this information can shape people’s views, behaviours, and actions. However, most of these influencers do not have the credentials, such as a degree in nutrition science, or are a part of a regulated profession such as a dietitian.
“In all honesty, sometimes even educated professionals can end up sharing misinformation, so my best advice is to take everything with a grain of salt, think critically about the information you take in, and be sure to confirm that information with multiple sources,” said Newell.
When in doubt, Newell says to check with reputable sources to confirm health information, such as through dietitians, other health-care professionals such as gastroenterologists, non-profit organizations that have many researchers and health professionals behind them, such as the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation.