Episode 4:

The role of diet in managing IBD is discussed. Whole, organic, and grass-fed foods are important for supporting gut health. Ultra-processed foods have negative impacts on the gut, including disrupting the microbiome, promoting harmful bacteria growth, increasing inflammation, causing leaky gut syndrome, being nutrient deficient, contributing to metabolic health issues, altering gut motility, and impacting satiety. Specific diets like the anti-inflammatory diet, autoimmune protocol, and low FODMAP diet are discussed as options for managing IBD symptoms. Lab testing, such as food sensitivity, gut permeability, and hormone testing, can help determine individual needs. It is important to find what works best for each person. Hey, and welcome back to Gut Fix, Say Goodbye to IBD Naturally. I'm Wendy Handy, and today we're diving into a crucial topic for anybody managing IBD, and that is the role of the diet. So we talked about the dress for health success, which is really the foundation for any good health protocol, and that is diet, rest, exercise, stress management, and supplementation. And I want to take each one of these separately and dive deeper into them. So today we're going to talk about the diet. We'll explore different dietary options, like the anti-inflammatory diet, the autoimmune protocol, and the low FODMAP diet. Plus we'll discuss the importance of eating whole, organic, and grass-fed foods, and the role of lab testing in getting a complete picture of your overall gut health. So let's start with the foundation, and when I say the foundation, I mean the foundation of, like I said, any good health protocol. And that is, in the diet, pertaining to the diet, is eating whole, organic, grass-fed foods. What do I mean by that? So whole foods are those that are grown in the ground or raised by a person. And organic is those that are not sprayed with pesticides. And grass-fed foods, or beefs, or chicken, things like that, these foods are packed with essential nutrients that are going to support your gut health. And unlike processed foods or ultra-processed foods, they help reduce inflammation and provide the body with clean, high-quality fuel. And for an example, grass-fed beef is much richer in omega-3 fatty acids, as well as fresh-caught salmon. These are very well known for their anti-inflammatory properties. So let's talk about ultra-processed foods and the negative impacts that they have. And ultra-processed foods are those foods that you buy in a box, maybe in a can, and they have an ingredient deck on them that sometimes take up the whole box, right, the whole side of the box or the whole can, because there are so many ingredients in them, most of which you can't pronounce and shouldn't be in your body. That is ultra-processed foods. And the negative impacts, there are several negative impacts on your gut. Number one is the disruption of the gut microbiome. So ultra-processed foods often, certainly often, lack a diverse range of fibers and nutrients that support the healthy microbiome, but they also lead to reducing that. Then you have the harmful bacteria growth. So in your gut, you have good bacteria and you have bad bacteria. And we need both, just we need a balance, right? If one gets out of control or one gets higher than the other, it's not good. Even if it's good bacteria, we need a balance of both. And so high sugar and fat content can promote the growth of that bad bacteria or the harmful bacteria. And that can contribute to the dysbiosis or the imbalance in your gut microbiome or your gut bacteria, excuse me. Then number two is increased inflammation. So pro-inflammatory ingredients, ingredients like your refined sugars, your trans fats and certain additives, those can trigger inflammation or inflammatory responses in your gut, which obviously with IBD, that's something we definitely don't want, right? Immune response, so chronic inflammation in the gut can lead to the immune system breaking down or immune system dysregulation. And it can be obviously particularly problematic for those individuals that are dealing with IBD. And then number three, leaky gut syndrome. Now you may have heard a lot about leaky gut, but really don't know what it is. So leaky gut is the gut's permeability. So in your gut, you have a lining and the lining is there to protect the bloodstream. It protects from the toxins and the pathogens from getting into the bloodstream. So when there is permeability in the gut lining, that leads to leaky gut and that does allow those toxins, the pathogens, even undigested food particles to pass over into the bloodstream. And that's going to cause not only inflammation, but systemic inflammation. And it's obviously going to exacerbate the IBD symptoms. The fourth thing that ultra-processed foods do is they're nutrient deficient. So they're often obviously very low in essential nutrients. They're more, they've just killed any nutrient that was ever in there. So they're lacking the essential nutrients of vitamins, of minerals, of fiber that are crucial for maintaining that gut health. And then malabsorption. So when you can't absorb these nutrients, then that further contributes to the deficiencies of poor gut health and function. And then you have number five, the metabolic health issues. So then you get into obesity and insulin resistance, which is almost epidemic in our society of this insulin resistance. Even people who are not overweight per se can be insulin resistant. So think about your high calories, your sugar and unhealthy fat content can lead to obviously obesity and insulin resistance. And both of which are linked to poor gut health and increased inflammation. And inflammation, I'm going to stop here for a minute, and inflammation, no matter where it is, is at the root of just about every disease that is known. So inflammation is a problem, whether it's in your gut, whether it's in your heart, whether it's in your joints, whether it's in your brain. And so the metabolic syndrome, these foods can contribute to metabolic syndrome, which includes conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and that obviously is going to negatively impact your overall health. And then number six, ultra processed foods, they alter your gut motility. So what that means is it's going to cause constipation and diarrhea or a combination and maybe back and forth. So a lack of fiber and high intake of your artificial additives can disrupt your normal gut motility, leading to issues like your constipation and your diarrhea. And then IBS, irritable bowel syndrome, people with IBS may experience worsened symptoms due to gut irritating effects of ultra processed foods. And some folks that have IBD also, lucky enough, right, kidding, also have IBS. And then the seventh impact is it impacts your satiety. Ultra processed foods can cause you to overeat. And that leads to obesity and other associated gut health issues. And not only just overeating, but eating the wrong foods. And so when you're hungry all the time, you tend to grab for the wrong foods. And it also has addictive properties. So some ultra processed foods are designed to be so palatable that they can have addictive properties to them, leading to very poor dietary choices. So in conclusion of the ultra processed foods, they pose a significant threat to your gut health due to the impact on that gut microbiome, the inflammation, the gut permeability, and the overall nutrient balance. And so individuals managing conditions like IBD need to really eliminate and at the very least minimize the intake of these foods and focus on those whole nutrient dense options which is so crucial for maintaining gut health and reducing those symptoms. So now let's talk about some of the specific diets that have shown promise in managing those IBD symptoms. And I want to emphasize just one more time that everyone is unique. So you need to find out what works for you, what doesn't work for you. And the role of lab testing comes in very handy, no pun intended, for finding out exactly those things. And so understanding your body's specific needs is essential. And so some of the tests that are obviously very highly recommended are food sensitivity tests. So this test is going to identify foods that may be causing adverse reactions in your body. So they're going to eliminate those triggers so you can eliminate those triggers and you can significantly reduce the inflammation and improve your gut health. And if you're eating foods that you're sensitive to, we call that a stressor. And so stress comes in all different manners and that becomes a stressor if you're eating something that you're sensitive to. That's a stressor on your system, your immune system, your gut, everything. And I would recommend a gut permeability test or a mucosal barrier assessment, or you can call it a leaky gut test. It helps determine if your gut lining is compromised. So again, that leaky gut allows the toxins, the undigested food particles to enter into the bloodstream and that's really going to exacerbate your IBD symptoms. And then hormone testing is a good one as well because hormone imbalances have a huge impact on your gut health. And so testing for key hormones like cortisol and thyroid hormones can provide insights into just how your body's stress and metabolic processes are affecting your gut. So having said all of that, let's dive into the different types of diets. And again, once again, explore these. Use what you can. Maybe it's a combination of all three for your specific type. But the anti-inflammatory diet, that's kind of a no-brainer. The diet focuses on reducing inflammation through the foods like leafy greens, berries, nuts, and fatty fish. And then olive oil is a great anti-inflammatory. So some clients will even take a tablespoon or two each day and that really helps inflammation. But you can drizzle it onto your cooked veggies when you're done cooking them just to add in that. And it's also good to have that good healthy fat in there too. But also avoiding processed sugars and trans fats is crucial in the anti-inflammatory diet. And then we have the autoimmune protocol. And this diet is designed to help manage autoimmune conditions by eliminating those potential triggers and focusing in on the nutrient-dense foods. So that includes avoiding grains, legumes, dairy, and with a heavy emphasis on vegetables. And I would say cooked fruits and high-quality meats. And then the third one is the low FODMAP diet. And this was originally developed for IBS. And yet for those that are sensitive to certain carbohydrates, the low FODMAP diet can be a game changer. And so it involves reducing the foods that ferment in your gut. Like there's certain fruits, vegetables, dairy. And that can help you minimize bloating and discomfort. And like I said before, some of the people that are diagnosed with IBD also have IBS. So the low FODMAP diet might work well. Like I said, again, everybody is different. So you've got to find out what works for you individually. And like I said, it could be a combination of all these three diets. I think the key is to get whole, organic, grass-fed foods and just focus on those whole foods. So wrapping this up, I wanted to give you some practical steps that you can take starting today. So number one, start by incorporating more organic, grass-fed, whole foods into your diet. A number one. And that should be, like I said, ongoing for just anybody that wants to maintain a healthy lifestyle. And then the second thing would be consider trying one of the diets we discussed or a combination of them and monitor how your body responds. Number three, get the necessary lab testing done to understand your unique needs and what triggers you might have, whether they be food sensitivities, whether they be hormones that are triggering some gut imbalance. But just knowing, having that knowledge is power, right? And then the fourth thing is to work with a health coach or a nutritionist to create that personalized plan for you because everybody is totally different and it's not a one-size-fits-all. So to wrap up, diet plays a huge role and a vital role in managing IBD. Choosing the right foods and getting the proper tests can help you take significant steps toward better gut health. And next time we'll be discussing rest and the importance of rest. So thanks for listening. Be sure to tune in next time on more on living well with IBD.