My Gut Health Journey: The Steps I Took to Start the Healing Process

Ever since I can remember, I’ve struggled with digestive issues. When I was seventeen, I was diagnosed with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and given a pill to take when I got stomach cramps. I took the pill maybe five times until I decided I was going to try to manage my symptoms via the food I was eating. As a teenager, I was not cooking my breakfasts and lunches and therefore, was used to eating processed foods - cereal, cow’s milk, bread, orange juice (with added sugar), deli meat, pretzels, cookies. I was somehow able to manage the stomach cramps by reducing the amount of processed foods I was eating but I never fully healed ALL of my digestive issues - constipation, bloating, gas, feelings of nausea.

It was not until recently that I decided to get focused on healing my gut. The day that changed everything was during Christmas 2019. I was at the airport, ready to fly home for the holidays when I started feeling sick to my stomach. I ran to the bathroom, ready to (you know), but nothing ever happened. When I finally calmed myself down, I left the bathroom and bought crackers and ginger ale so I could make it through two flights without getting sick.

I survived both flights without getting sick (thank goodness) but the entire time I was home, my stomach was off. No matter what I ate or drank or if I went to the bathroom or not, my stomach never calmed down. I felt completely drained and exhausted during the entire trip. I could not enjoy the gatherings I attended with family and friends because I was too anxious about my stomach. When it was time to head back, my only goal was to get through another two flights without getting sick or passing out from exhaustion. When I arrived back to my place, I remember laying on the couch and drinking ginger tea, praying for my stomach to feel better.

I remember feeling so emotional after that trip. I was angry that my stomach issues caused me such exhaustion and worry over what was supposed to be a fun break. I was anxious because I didn’t know what was going on.

I was tired of dealing with these issues and letting them affect my personal life. And more importantly, I was tired of people telling me I was fine when clearly, something was not fine.

If you think I jumped right into researching what was going on, you’re wrong. I wasn’t ready to invest the time, energy, and money into healing my gut. So for seven more months, I dealt with IBS flare ups on a monthly basis - tons of gas, no bowel movements, stomach cramps, bloating, overall sour feeling in my stomach. I made an effort to take better care of my body but I did not particularly focus on gut health. I focused on moving my body more often, drinking hot lemon water every morning, avoiding foods that I know do not work well with my gut (gluten & dairy), and taking time to slow down and meditate. All of these things were helping me mentally and physically but they were not helping my gut to heal.

In August 2020, I decided it was time to focus my attention and energy on healing my gut. I started reading The Inflammation Spectrum by Dr. Will Cole and took notes as if I was going to be quizzed on the material later. I created a spreadsheet (that I still use today) to record what I was eating and how I felt afterwards. In September 2020, I finally decided to make the leap and start an elimination diet.* I set a goal to eliminate specific food groups for eight weeks and add them back one-by-one to figure out what ones were causing my digestive problems. During those eight weeks, I eliminated the following foods along with caffeine and alcohol:

• Grains, dairy, added sweeteners, inflammatory oils, legumes, nuts & seeds, eggs, nightshades**, FODMAPs***

Since day one, I was committed to this lifestyle. The first few weeks weren’t easy. I missed (regular) coffee, eggs, french fries, the occasional cheese plate, hot sauce, pizza, etc. but any time I felt like quitting, I reminded myself of WHY I started this elimination diet in the first place. I was determined to heal my gut and figure this thing out by myself.

By week five, I felt better overall but my digestive issues were still lingering and I was frustrated. I realized that if I truly wanted to heal my gut, I was going to need help. I decided to “shop around” for an expert who I felt the most aligned with. I consulted with a GI physician, holistic nutritionist, and functional medicine doctor and spent time contemplating the pros and cons to each of their approaches. In the end, I decided to move forward the functional medicine approach and have been working with Dr. Will Cole and his team ever since the beginning of November. This was not an easy decision to make as it required me to invest time and money BUT I felt the most aligned with their approach and am excited to continue down the path of healing my gut.

I decided to press pause on reintroducing more foods as I wait for my test results (which will be ready in mid-January). I’ve added back most of the foods I missed eating (and regular coffee!!!) and will need to retest a few of them once my gut is in a better spot (nightshades, grains, certain FODMAPs). I’ve learned that I may not have an actual intolerance or sensitivity to these foods and until my gut lining is healed (or at least a little better), I cannot rule these foods out before retesting them.

Deciding to move forward with healing my gut was not an easy decision. I knew I was not going to magically have a healed gut overnight and am learning to be patient as the process unfolds. Understanding what was going on with my digestive system and overall body was something I always wanted to invest in and I am glad I finally chose to put my health first.

If you are someone who is struggling with a health issue (digestive problems, low energy, brain fog, etc.), I encourage you to start putting your health first. This doesn’t mean you have to seek an expert opinion right away or start an elimination diet. Putting your health first means getting real with how you are feeling and what your body needs. Putting your health first means reading a book related to the issue you are dealing with instead of binge watching another show. Putting your health first means becoming aware of what makes your body feel poorly instead of ignoring it and considering it “normal”.

If you want to develop more awareness around how certain foods make you feel, download the Food Journal I created or click here to learn more about how one of my coaching programs can help you.

*Before starting an elimination diet, please consult with your doctor.

**The following foods are nightshades that I was used to eating: tomatoes, white potatoes, peppers, chili powder, and paprika.

***I chose to eliminate FODMAPs at the start of week six as I learned that these foods could be causing my bloating problems. If you are interested in learning more about FODMAPs, I recommend downloading the following app: Monash University FODMAP Diet.

Photo by Milo McDowell on Unsplash