What NOT To Do for Your Gut This Year!
As we transition from one year to another, one decade to another, it’s a great time to evaluate our lifestyle and habits to make change for the better.
However, because we are all motivated to set new goals, there will be a lot of people trying to lure you in to whatever they are selling that will “cure” all of your problems. I don’t want you wasting money or time on things that won’t help your gut and could actually harm your gut, so here’s my list of what NOT to do as you jump into a new year!
Juice cleanse
This one seems to be losing momentum this year, but it’s always around and your nearest juice bar is going to be yelling about it from the rooftops. Juice cleanses may make you feel good in the moment because they clear everything out, but here’s the thing, most juices are going to trigger symptoms for IBS because they’re made with large portions of high FODMAP fruits.
Also, juices have very little, if any, fiber, so you’re actually starving your beneficial gut bacteria. Most likely, if you don’t have a flare from the cleanse, you’ll feel good for about a day or two, then start feeling worse than you did when you started. Don’t waste your money here.
Liver/Colon detox
These are getting more and more popular, but they are very dangerous. Usually, these are administered or recommended by non-medical professionals who don’t have the necessary training to make sure your holistic health needs are taken in to account. They’re basically just laxatives, so if you do feel better, it’s because your poop has been cleared out.
But, there is a lot of harm we see with these, including risk for infection, and the diarrhea you will experience may actually feel horrendous due to the hypersensitivity of the gut we see with IBS.
Let your liver and colon do the job of detoxing they were created for, and choose to support them instead of override them.
Want to learn more about IBS? Sign up for a free IBS mini course here!
Weight loss diets
We are talking about the extreme calorie or food group restriction ones here. Restricting calories, either by decreasing your food or over exercising and not increasing calories to meet the higher need, can actually lead to dysbiosis of the gut bacteria.
Dysbiosis is one of the major underlying causes of IBS, so this is not something you want to worsen. Restricting food groups, like carbohydrates, leads to restricting fiber, which feeds your beneficial gut bacteria. Your gut bacteria are essential for managing IBS long term so you don’t want to starve them.
Also, most people who restrict their food with dieting end up “binging” or overeating those foods because their hormones and hunger/fullness cues are all out of whack.
High intensity fitness challenges
If you haven’t seen the Facebook ads from local gyms telling you how their HIIT or bootcamp classes will help you lose fat and get your “perfect beach body”, you probably will soon.
There isn’t anything “wrong” with these workouts (except maybe the language used around your body and how you need to earn things), but high intensity workouts like these can trigger a stress response, thus triggering symptoms for those with IBS.
If you want to feel good in your body, support your stress hormones, and improve your gut bacteria, mindful movement like yoga, pilates/barre, and weight lifting (mindful and slow) may be more beneficial.
Long list of supplements
Supplements may have a place in your IBS management, but if your supplement list is so long that you can’t keep up or even notice what is actually working, then it’s time to rethink it. Also, if you’re spending so much of supplements and products that you can’t afford care with a dietitian or GI psychologist, then it’s time to check priorities.
Supplements should be recommended from the medical professional you are working with because they understand your health history, know how your IBS symptoms work, and have tried other approaches that aren’t as expensive to keep up.
Are you doing any of these?
If you’ve already fallen into one of these, don’t worry. Take a step back, evaluate whether or not it’s actually serving you then either let it go or keep moving forward with the connection to YOUR body.
If you joined a gym, know that you can say no or modify a workout.
If you bought a juice cleanse, instead of drinking them all on the days they’re assigned to, spread them out with your balanced meals.
If you bought supplements, write down what you’re trying and talk with your doctor and dietitian about how to use them and evaluate their success.
If you started a weight loss diet, stop and find a dietitian you can work with to support your body well, hormones, gut, and all!
If you’re searching for science-based IBS care, I have three options for you:
Apply for a consult to talk about how this program can help you get full control of your IBS!
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