Gut Reset method – IBS nutrition support

This post gives you an overview of what you might expect in the 3 month Gut Reset programme. I use a comprehensive method to support people with IBS and gut health issues, and it’s a framework I’ve used with hundreds of clients.  

Proper gut health incorporates food, lifestyle and eating patterns

Have you ever started out trying to fix your IBS with a laser sharp focus on one particular area like taking a probiotic, or deciding to go to the gym 3 times a week?

Well, that probably got you some improvement. But if you only look at one aspect of your gut health it’s hard to make real lasting impact on a chronic condition like IBS or SIBO. 

What is the 3 month Gut Reset?

My programme for 1:1 nutrition clients who have IBS or SIBO is the 3 month Gut Reset. This is:

• NOT a faddy quick fix
• NOT a list of ‘cleanse’ supplements
• NOT a juice diet

I’m a registered Nutritional Therapist and I’m all about helping you resolve your digestive symptoms, with tailored advice.

How to reset your gut

If you want to change your gut health you can try all kinds of typically healthy things. You could start going to the gym, you could take up meditation, you could start eating green vegetables. 

I like see all these different elements of gut health like cogs. Each aspect will influence the next in the intricate machine of our health.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a complex condition, there is rarely only one cause. You can focus on one area, like diet, all you like. However, if you’re completely sedentary, or not sleeping you will only get limited gains from the changes in your diet. 

My Gut Reset cogs model helps me investigate where you could make healthy changes. It’s also about being holistic, taking in your whole person. It’s more than just a diet change. 

The four main cogs are:

1. Digestion – what’s the capacity for you to breakdown your food? When are you eating and what could that mean for energy intake and IBS?
2. Gut Health – what’s the role of your gut microbes in your digestive symptoms? Are they adding to your bloating, pain or stool habits? 
3. Diet – Let’s identify your dietary triggers, and look at whether you should follow an elimination diet.
4. Lifestyle – What impact does the role of sleep, exercise and stress have on your capacity for better digestion.

I explain a bit more about each of these headings these further down the page.

When you’re working with me you get access to my video portal. Here you’ll get snippets of implementable education to digest at your own pace. This means we use our 1:1 coaching calls for tailoring the information to your unique situation.

1. Better eating habits can help reset your gut

The first area I encourage you to work on is improving HOW you eat, and WHEN you eat. You’ll understand in simple terms the way your digestion works, and begin implementing some simple, healthy changes.

Sometimes you might see improvements in digestion without even changing your diet.

In this section you will explore the following areas:

Mindful eating – your key to a calmer digestion

Did you know changing your approach to eating can make a big difference in IBS? Even if you don’t change what you eat. You will learn about HOW to eat to improve IBS symptoms.

• Listen to my podcast episode about mindful eating for IBS

Meal timing

Maybe you skip meals, or snack all day long. Erratic eating can all have a big impact on your digestion. If you’re cramming all your FODMAPS, protein and calories into a very short eating window to avoid digestive symptoms your gut might struggle. Or maybe you fear large meals so you nibble all day long. You’ll learn gut healthy sustainable approaches to eating.

Tuning in to hunger & appetite for gut reset

Many people who experience IBS, can find it hard to tap into their feelings of hunger, or fullness.

In this section you’ll learn better appetite sensitivity to help you eat in a way that reduces digestive symptoms. This can also help you maintain a healthy weight.

• Listen to a podcast episode about eating patterns and IBS

2. Building gut health

Living inside our gut are trillions of microbes and these have a huge impact on the way we digest our food. It’s not just about taking a probiotic, but understanding which microbes could be influencing your symptoms.

The gut microbiome – resetting the balance

Sometimes you might have an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine, or not enough bacteria in the large intestine. If I think it’s needed I may talk about additional tests that could help you (e.g. SIBO breath test). But I always try to work with food and lifestyle first.

Gut microbes can affect your body’s reaction to food. Including the speed of our gut motility, our immune system, and other symptoms such as gas production

The Vagus nerve – your gut brain connection

Becoming conscious of the impact of your emotions on your digestion can be a huge step in improving IBS symptoms. We now have a strong body of evidence about the role of the gut-brain connection in digestive health.

Working with me you’ll learn skills for implementing this science into your life to create a strong foundation for your digestion, and mental wellbeing.

Diet variety – aim for 30

I love helping you expand your diet, increasing diet diversity. This aspect of the Gut Reset often comes near the end of your 3 months, when digestive symptoms have improved.

We know that eating a wide variety of foods is good for your gut health, and aiming for 30 different plant based foods can be a good place to start. I have a mini course called Aim for 30 on this aspect if you’re someone ready to dive in there with gut health. 

3. IBS diet for gut reset

There is a perfect diet for everyone, but it’s not the same one! IBS is a complex set of symptoms and triggers, so the treatment needs to be individual. 

We all have different health conditions, symptoms, gut microbiomes, genetics, history, eating habits, caring responsibilities and work patterns. These all affect our diet, and what works well for one person won’t work for everyone.

What is a balanced diet?

There is no one-size-fits-all diet. But most people can do well to…

•         increase their protein
•         increase their fibre intake
•         eat a more varied diet
•         eat more fruit

Even if you work hard to eat a healthy balanced diet, your IBS can make things tricky because

•         Fat can lead to diarrhoea and reflux. (See my podcast episode about fats and IBS)
•         Protein can sit heavy in your stomach.
•         Carbohydrates can cause gas and bloating.

IBS Elimination diets to reset your gut

In the Gut Reset we’ll look at elimination diets. But also a big part is how to expand your diet, and what foods could help you when you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Many of my clients go through the low FODMAP diet, because this is a tried and tested method for reducing digestive symptoms, but it doesn’t work for everyone.

We may also look at low histamine, high fibre, low sulphur, or other specific diets to improve your gut health. 

4. IBS lifestyle

Don’t underestimate the impact of your lifestyle on your gut health. Trying to restore your gut by focussing only on gut microbes, or food just won’t work. You will also need to look at these areas:

Sleep and gut health

Did you know sleep is very important for digestion? It’s not just about feeling tired the next day, but actually a lack of sleep may change our cravings for food. Regulating our wake-sleep cycle is also very important for brain health, as well as maintaining a healthy weight. 

Stress reduction can help digestion

The vagus nerve connection between your brain and gut is a superhighway of information flowing backwards and forwards. You’ll learn how to support your digestion through the gut-brain axis.

Movement can improve IBS

You probably already know exercise is good for staying healthy, but in what way does it affect your digestion? As part of my programme we’ll cover which types of exercise help the most. And strategies to avoid making your IBS worse through exercise.

Work with me individually

I hope this has given you an idea of the comprehensive scope of my Gut Reset package. It might help you if you have digestive issues.

Ready to chat? – If you’d like to find IBS freedom from painful, unpredictable gut symptoms then just contact me to set up a free discovery call. In the call I’ll ask you about what you need help with, and you can ask me about the programme.