What Your Gut Is Trying to Tell You About Your Health
Photo by Tina Witherspoon on Unsplash
Clearer skin, happier digestion, and better sleep: just a few of the appealing promises that led me to try a detox program for the first time.
Detox vs. elimination
I recently completed a 5-day detoxification program. I figured it’d be pretty easy since I’ve done elimination plans before.
Turns out, I was wrong!
An elimination plan involves eliminating specific foods like dairy, grains, and alcohol in order to find out what might be causing issues around digestion, acne, etc. Typically, you remove all suspicious food categories for an extended period of time until you see improvements. Then you reintroduce one food category at a time, to see how your body reacts.
A detox is all about clearing out your digestive system. Every program is different, and the one I did focused on eating mostly vegetables and superfoods, and giving the digestive system a break (but not a complete break!) from solids. It also included vitamin and mineral supplements.
For 5 days, I ate things that were not typical for me, like:
Broths for dinner
Coconut kefir for afternoon snacks
Tea twice a day
Very large veggie-filled breakfasts
When it was all over, I didn’t introduce foods back in categories. I just went back to eating the way I ate before, which thankfully was mostly plant-based and organic foods. (It’s recommended to ease back into the inflammatory and/or hard-to-digest foods that are eliminated as part of the detox, such as meat and dairy.)
Why do a detox?
I recently attended a seminar on nutrigenomics and the microbiome by Dr. Karen Wolfe through the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute, and this led me to my 5-day detox.
Nutrigenomics is the study of how foods affect gene expression (how cells use the information in our genes).
The microbiome is all the genes that belong to the microorganisms (like bacteria) that live inside our bodies. It potentially exerts a great influence on our health and nutrition — so much so that it’s been called our “second genome” according to Raphael Kellman, author of The Microbiome Diet.
I did some further research after the seminar, diving into some of the resources that Dr. Karen Wolfe suggested. She calls the microbiome a collective community of microspecies. She used the analogy of a forest fire to illustrate what can happen -- if a fire takes out one species, it takes out the whole community. The same applies to the microspecies that live inside us.
It’s important to ensure the health of the entire community because from stress regulation to controlling inflammation to supporting mental health, the microbiome is such an important key to our health.
So how do you make sure your microbiome is healthy?
That’s where a detoxification program comes in.
What I learned from my detox
Completing the detoxification program was challenging.
People’s bodies respond in all different ways to detox. Possible responses include headaches, bloating, cravings, gastrointestinal issues, low energy, body aches, breakouts, lightheadedness, fatigue, and irritability — quite the list!
I experienced a number of these, and as you can imagine, it was difficult to live the rest of my life while dealing with such side effects.
And yet, I’m definitely glad that I did it.
Going through a detox clears out your digestive system so that the microorganisms in your gut — and your microbiome — are healthy and happy.
One of the most amazing things I learned is that you can improve your microbiome in just 24 hours, with prebiotic and probiotic foods. Wow.
Prebiotic foods are fibers that help the healthy gut bacteria grow. Garlic, onions, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and apples are all prebiotic.
Probiotic foods contain healthy gut bacteria. Examples include sauerkraut, kombucha, yogurt, and kimchi.
Here are the results I saw after my 5-day program:
Increased energy
Clearer skin
Weight loss
Greater focus
Improved digestion
All in all, I call that a successful detox!
Before you jump into a detox program...
You don’t have to commit to a full-on detoxification program to improve your gut health.
Start with these 2 steps.
Step 1: Pay attention to your gut.
Pain and discomfort
Are you constantly popping antacids to relieve heartburn or other uncomfortable feelings in your gut?
Gas
Some of us have been taught to normalize this, or take medications to silence it. But you really shouldn’t be having gas and bloating issues constantly.
Noise
Have you ever noticed loud noises coming from your digestive system? That’s trying to tell you something too! Things should be pretty quiet there, even when work is happening.
Bowel movements
Do you know what a normal one is like? It’s important to pay attention to what is normal for you, because that’s the only way you’ll notice when something is happening that shouldn’t be.
Step 2: Pay attention to what you eat.
If, after considering pain, gas, noise, and bowel movements, you have a feeling that something is off, the next step is identifying the food culprits that are causing the problem.
It might take some backtracking to recall what you’ve eaten recently. That’s usually pretty simple and from there you can isolate potential triggers and remove them from your diet to see if things improve.
Work with a health professional.
Even if you don’t have problems, you might be surprised at how much better you feel after a detoxification program. Sometimes we get so used to feeling a certain way that we forget it’s not normal. So if you find yourself feeling a little “off” on a regular basis, you might want to consider a detox.
If you do decide to participate in a detox, be sure to work with a health professional such as a naturopath or FMD (Doctor of Functional Medicine).
What’s your gut telling you?
We aren’t supposed to have pain in our guts all the time, or really ever, if everything is moving through smoothly.
Your gut health affects so many aspects of your overall health. If your gut is healthy, that helps other parts of your body — like your immune system, heart, and brain — stay healthy.
So pay attention to what your gut sounds, smells, and feels like. If it needs a little extra care, it’ll let you know.