Is elimination for you?
In the last couple of weeks I’ve read some articles about gut health issues. I recently read one in particular that covered bloating and what anyone suffering with bloating needs to do about it. In this article the writer spoke with a dietician who advocated that one thing that we all need to do was eat yoghurt. The quoted dietician went on to explain the benefits of a good quality yoghurt that was not sweetened with sugar and syrupy fruits. Good call. They then espoused yoghurt as being full of lactobacillus acidophilus, which is a probiotic and great for gut health. All good once more. But that was the sum of it, no investigation into what the cause might be, just add something on top of a symptom and that was it. It left me wondering why would you not try to find the cause?
It is now thought that between 2% to 20% of the population suffer with intolerances. Many of these intolerances can be attributed to food. When attempting to find the issue elimination diets are considered to be one of the best ways to identify gut problems. By removing certain foods for specified times it is easier to ascertain which foods may be triggering symptoms. Elimination diets have been used for many years as a diagnostic tool and work well in helping health professionals to get to the bottom of digestive issues.
If you have symptoms such as bloating, intestinal discomfort, indigestion or any other form of gut problem have you considered trying to work out if a food is aggravating the issue? Last year I had to eliminate a number of foods to see if they were triggering the issues I was having. Elimination is phase one, whereby you completely stop eating certain foods. Some foods I was able to begin the process of reintroducing after a few weeks, which is phase two. Whilst it was not easy I was eventually able to get to the root cause and from their worked on repairing my gut and my overall health. It was a slow process, but now 12 months on it was worth it. My body began to heal and do what it is so perfectly able to do, look after me. There is a saying that goes “you can’t apply a band aid to a gaping wound.” So rather than apply the band aid of adding things to the diet to get better, or take medications, I chose to be proactive, invest the time and energy into finding out the real source and then allowed my body time to heal and begin the all important recovery process.
In western society we have become quite impatient and want the pill to cure all our ills NOW. At times it is just not that simple. Rather than applying a band aid to gut issues it may be beneficial to do some investigation. It is important to note that you should always seek professional advice when undertaking any type of elimination as there are risks involved, specifically with the reintroduction phase. We need to be mindful that we may have eliminated something that our bodies treat as an allergen and reintroduction can trigger more symptoms than you may have first been experiencing.
The elimination method of diagnosing gut issues has much merit and it is just one way we can look for answers and provide our amazing bodies with a way to heal. Not every symptom is going to be caused by food, but our gut and and our health is important so no more band aid solutions here, just good quality wholefoods, lots of prebiotics, bone broth and gut loving additions to our daily meals and occasionally when our bodies exhibit symptoms of inflammation or illness, that could be food related, we look at the cause, and then look for the cure.
Stay Gut Happy
The Gut Happy Girls
xxx