Digestion & Gut Health
When your gut isn’t happy, you know about it.
Bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, reflux, abdominal discomfort or simply feeling like your digestion isn’t working properly can have a bigger impact on you than you might realise. When you are already dealing with stress, fatigue, poor sleep or burnout, digestive symptoms can become one more thing to manage.
Does this sound familiar?
You may have been experiencing:
Regular bloating or abdominal discomfort
Constipation or difficulty having regular bowel movements
Loose stools or diarrhoea
Reflux, heartburn or indigestion
Feeling uncomfortable or overly full after eating
Increased sensitivity to certain foods
Feeling like you have to constantly restrict what you eat
Changes in your digestion during periods of stress
Fatigue, brain fog or poor sleep alongside digestive problems
Maybe you have tried changing your diet, removed foods, tried supplements or followed advice you have found online but you still don’t feel right.
Understanding the Bigger Picture
Your digestive system doesn't operate in isolation.
What happens in your gut can be influenced by many different factors including what and how you eat, fibre intake, hydration, meal patterns, stress, sleep, medications, physical activity and your individual health history.
Even then sometimes the digestive symptom you notice isn't the whole story. For example, two people might both experience bloating after meals, but that doesn't mean they have the same reason for experiencing it.
One person's symptoms may relate to their overall dietary pattern. Another may have constipation, inadequate fibre or fluid intake, or an irregular eating pattern. Someone else may notice their symptoms become significantly worse during periods of stress.
The symptom is real. But the reason behind it may be different from person to person which is why I start by understanding you.
You don't necessarily need to remove more and more foods to have a healthier gut.
If you've already reached the point where you're frightened to eat certain foods because you don't know how your body will respond, simply removing more foods isn't necessarily the answer.
The aim is not to create an increasingly restrictive diet. It's to understand what may be contributing to your symptoms and, where appropriate, work towards a nutritionally adequate, varied and sustainable way of eating that works for your individual circumstances.
Why It Might Be Happening
Digestive symptoms can have many contributing factors, which is why I don't assume that one explanation will fit everyone.
Depending on your individual history, we may consider things such as:
Your gut environment - The microorganisms living in your digestive tract play an important role in digestion and overall gut function. Changes in the composition and balance of these microorganism, often referred to as dysbiosis, may be relevant income people with ongoing digestive symptoms.
The intestinal barrier - The lining of your digestive tract acts as a barrier between the contents of your gut and the rest of your body. Changes in intestinal barrier function, sometimes referred to as intestinal hyper-permeability, may be one factor worth considering depending on your symptoms and clinical picture.
Your diet and food tolerance - what you eat, how much fibre and plant diversity you are getting, your meal patterns and teh foods you tolerate can all be relevant. Our aim is to improve gut function so you can tolerate a wide range of foods not merely remove foods from your diet.
Bowel function - Constipation, diarrhoea and changes in stool consistency can provide useful information about what is happening within your digestive system.
Stress and your nervous system - Your digestive system and nervous system are closely connected. If your body is spending much of its time responding to ongoing stress, this can affect how you experience and respond to digestive symptoms. This is particularly relevant if you've noticed that your gut problems became worse during a period of chronic stress, burnout or poor sleep.
Your wider health picture - Digestive symptoms may occur alongside fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, blood sugar issues or nutritional deficiencies. I therefore look at your digestion as part of the whole clinical picture rather than treating it as an isolated problem.
Where appropriate, I may use elements of the G.E.M.M. (Gut Ecology & Metabolic Modulation) approach to gradually support dietary diversity and the gut environment. This is not a fixed protocol that everyone follows. The approach is adapted according to the individual and what is appropriate at that point in their care.
My Approach
Your fist consultation is about understanding the bigger picture rather than jumping straight into a list of foods you can and can’t eat.
We will look at:
Your digestive symptoms - What you are experiencing, when it happens, how often it occurs and what appears to make it better or worse.
Your health history - Your medical history, medications, supplements, previous investigations and treatments and other relevant health information.
Your diet - What you are eating, your meal patterns, food variety and any foods you have already removed or are avoiding.
Your lifestyle - Stress, sleep, activity, hydration and teh practical factors that influence how you eat and look after yourself.
Your over all health picture - Digestive symptoms may be occurring alongside fatigue, poor sleep, brain fog, blood sugar concerns or other symptoms so these are all considered as part of the assessment rather than separately.
Clinical assessment - Where indicated, pathology and other assessment tools may be used to build a more complete picture and guide personalised recommendations.
The goal is to help you understand your digestive health and make changes that are practical, nutritionally appropriate and sustainable for you.
Lauren Michel is a Certified Practising Nutritionist specialising in personalised clinical nutrition for people experiencing digestive issues particularly for police, emergency services and other caring professionals. Telehealth consultations available Australia-wide.
“I know what it is like when your gut becomes another thing you have to worry about. When I went through burnout, my health was affected on many levels and digestion was part of that picture. If you are already exhausted, stressed and not sleeping properly, constantly worrying about what you can eat makes life even harder. I want you to understand why you are experiencing the symptoms and work out what is right for you.”
Read more about the Operation Recovery Program here ➡
Ready to Support Your Digestive Health?
If you have been putting up with bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, reflux or ongoing digestive discomfort and you’re ready to understand what is going on, we can start by looking at the bigger picture.
Book in for a free, no-obligation strategy call to see if this is right for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is dysbiosis, and could it be contributing to my digestive symptoms?
Dysbiosis refers to a disruption or imbalance in the composition or function of the microorganisms living in the gut.
Your gut microbiome is influenced by many factors, including diet, fibre intake, medications, lifestyle and other aspects of your health. Changes in the gut environment may be relevant when someone is experiencing ongoing digestive symptoms, but dysbiosis isn't automatically the explanation for every gut problem.
what is intestinal permeability?
Intestinal permeability refers to how selectively the intestinal lining allows substances to pass from the gut into the circulation. The intestinal barrier is an important part of normal gut function, and changes in barrier function may be relevant in some circumstances.
I don't assume that symptoms such as bloating or food sensitivities automatically mean you have "leaky gut". Instead, I look at your symptoms, health history, diet and other relevant clinical information to determine what may be worth investigating.
If there is a reason to investigate something that falls outside my scope or requires medical assessment, I will recommend appropriate referral or further investigation.
Do I ned to follow a restrictive diet to improve my gut health?
Not necessarily. In fact, continually removing foods isn't always the best long-term approach.
If your digestive system is sensitive, we may initially need to modify certain foods or dietary factors while we work out what is contributing to your symptoms. But the longer-term goal is usually to support a varied, nutritionally adequate diet that you can maintain without constantly worrying about what you can and can't eat.
The approach is individualised. What works for one person's digestion may not be appropriate for another..
Still have questions?
If you are unsure whether nutritional support is right for you, or would like to learn more about how I work, book in your free strategy call for a chat.