Healing the gut by treating food intolerances
Keeping a food diary is a great way to identify potential food sensitivities.
Gut health has become a hot topic in recent years and there are thousands of products on the market that make big promises about healing your gut and curing all sorts of digestive issues.
I am a big fan of gut-healing supplements (good quality ones, that is) and I believe they can make a huge difference in resolving clients’ digestive issues but what many people don’t understand is that it is impossible to heal your gut without first addressing potential food intolerances. Neglecting intolerances and continuing to eat foods you are sensitive to is like adding fuel to the fire, perpetuating gut inflammation and hindering genuine gut healing.
When a client comes to see me about gut issues, the first thing I do is talk about potential food intolerances, for example, gluten, dairy, eggs, salicylates, histamines, sulphites and FODMAPs.
Sometimes people are well aware of the foods that don’t agree with them but may not be quite ready to acknowledge the problem (this is very common when it comes to gluten) but for others, a bit of detective work is required. In these cases, I ask the client to complete a 5 day diet and symptom diary which involves writing down everything they eat and drink as well as any symptoms they experience. These symptoms are often gut-related but also may include fatigue, brain fog, sleep issues, headaches, aching joints or sinus issues (reactions to foods can have a wide-reaching impact, due to the fact that they cause inflammation throughout the body).
Food triggers are sometimes easily identified following this process but other times, further monitoring is required and the client will complete the diary for another week or two. One factor that can make identifying food intolerances a bit tricky is that reactions to trigger foods can be delayed, for example, symptoms appear the next day or even two days later.
I like using food diaries with clients for two reasons:
they provide invaluable information about potential food triggers and symptom patterns
they help clients to become more aware of how the food they eat impacts their body and overall health (physical and mental)
After completing the food diary and identifying potential food triggers, I then ask clients to eliminate that particular food (or food group) for a period of time to see if their symptoms improve. Many clients experience relief of symptoms within 1-2 days, however for others it can take a bit longer to see significant changes.
If gut health is an issue for you, get in touch to book a consultation or free discovery call. Addressing food intolerance is a powerful - and essential - first step in the gut-healing journey that can produce amazing results!