Gluten-Free: Five things you need to know

You’ve no doubt heard a lot about going ‘gluten-free’ and noticed ‘gluten-free’ products springing up all over the place. But is it actually beneficial for your health to avoid gluten altogether, and why might gluten be bad for you? Here are FIVE things you need to know, and what you should do if you suspect you’re gluten intolerant.

As with most things nutrition-related, whether or not you need to avoid gluten depends on a number of factors. Let’s dive into what the potential problems may be with gluten.

The difference between coeliac disease and gluten intolerance

Gluten intolerance is a totally different condition to coeliac disease. Coeliac disease is a fairly rare condition in which the villi (delicate projections lining the gut) become completely destroyed when gluten is eaten. For a long time coeliac was considered the only condition where gluten needed to be avoided, and you either had it or you didn’t. If your test results came back negative for coeliac, then you could freely eat gluten, as it didn’t appear to be a problem for you. However, as time went on it appeared this wasn’t the case and Non-Coeliac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) was recognised.

If you’re worried your diet is impacting your gut health, I’d highly recommend downloading my online course The Ultimate Gut Health Programme to help support both your digestive sysem and hormone health, whilst avoiding triggering symptoms.

It’d be impossible to include all you need to know in one blog, but the programme will have all you need to know to ensure you’re soothing your digestive system, whilst eating delicious and filling foods.

Gluten-free? How gluten affects your microbiome

Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity can result in significant and negative changes to the microbiome (your resident gut flora). This may result in an imbalance of beneficial and not-so-beneficial-bacteria. Seeing as though our general health and wellbeing depends on the health of our microbiome, it’s easy to see how gluten may be problematic for some.

Gluten is an anti-nutrient

As gluten is an anti-nutrient it’s going to be reasonably difficult for most people to process, whether they’re especially sensitive to gluten or not.
Anti-nutrients are substances present in all plant-foods, including grains, lentils, beans and seeds etc. Plants contain anti-nutrients as a defence mechanism, to stop them being so appealing to predators.

Thinking of going gluten free? Here’s what to do if you suspect you may be sensitive

Unfortunately the only way to know for definite if gluten is a problem for you is to remove it from your diet totally, for a period of at least 2-4 weeks.

If gluten does indeed turn out to be a problem food for you, you’ll notice your symptoms start to subside over this time. Slowly start to reintroduce gluten. If your symptoms reappear then its definitely time for you to go gluten-free. If you don’t notice any changes, it’s unlikely that gluten is causing your problems.

If you’re suffering with your gut health, for example with IBS, bloating, SIBO, or candida, the chances are you may have tried restricting your diet in one way or another. When restricting your diet, you need to be careful you’re not missing out on vital nutrients.  Eliminating grains, gluten, or FODMAPs for example, may provide temporary relief from your symptoms. But these foods may well contain vital nutrients which you may be missing out on.  So, supplements for gut health, do you need them?

Supplements aren’t magic bullets and they won’t compensate for a bad diet. The number one rule is that your diet comes first,  although supplements may just be the icing on the cake as far as your health is concerned.

For reasons I’ll explain, it may be a good idea to supplement so you can avoid some of the more common nutrient deficiencies.   These deficiencies may cause all sorts of health niggles from headaches, to a lack of energy, digestive issues or hormonal ups and downs.

Whether you decide to supplement or not, a top notch diet is vitally important. You need to be eating nutrient dense foods and avoiding processed products as far as you possibly can. Good quality protein, healthy fats and a rainbow of fruits and vegetables are what’s required.

If you’re worried your diet is impacting your gut health, I’d highly recommend downloading my online course The Ultimate Gut Health Programme to help support both your digestive sysem and hormone health, whilst avoiding triggering symptoms.

It’d be impossible to include all you need to know in one blog, but the programme will have all you need to know to ensure you’re soothing your digestive system, whilst eating delicious and filling foods.

Supplements for gut health: do you need them if you’re eating well?

• Often our diets aren’t as nutrient-packed as they could be. We may eat well for a few days each week and then it might all go to pot when we’re busy at work, away for the weekend or on holiday, for example

• A lot of food is highly processed and contains lots of additives. Whilst much of the fresh produce we consume has been sprayed with pesticides.

• The soil used for farming is alarming depleted in vital minerals, much more so than it was a few decades ago.  A great way to overcome this is to use a box scheme – I use Riverford and have done for a long time.  Feel free to use this link to get £15 off your order.

• Often fresh produce has travelled a long way to get to your table, and is likely to have been refrigerated for long periods of time. The longer food takes to reach you, the less nutrients it contains.

In addition –

• If you’re suffering with digestive issues such as IBS you may have an underlying problem such as a yeast infection, SIBO or low stomach acid. All these problems affect your gut’s ability to absorb vital nutrients.

• Stress will drastically impact your ability to digest food properly, and hinder your absorption of nutrients. Added to that your body’s stress response will use up lots of nutrients – especially your B-Vitamins.

• Occasions when your body is under extra pressure such as PMS, perimenopause, menopause and especially pregnancy will undoubtedly cause your nutrient requirement to increase.

• Vitamin D will definitely need to be supplemented during the winter months if you live in the Northern Hemisphere.

•  A lot of people don’t like fish! Yet the fats that oily fish contain – Omega-3s – are vital to your health and wellbeing. Omega-3s are needed to protect your cardiovascular system, to help your brain function properly, avoid mood disorders and reduce inflammation. If you’re not eating oily fish 2-3 times each week then you’re likely to need to supplement.

Supplements for gut health: which kind of supplements should you take?

Unfortunately the brands you commonly find in supermarkets aren’t great quality.  They usually contain a lot of added fillers or even artificial sweeteners or sugars. Added to that the nutrients they contain often aren’t in forms which are easily absorbed by the body. So they won’t do you much good!

Some great quality brands you can easily get hold of in health food shops are Nutri, Biocare, Pure Encapsulations or Cytoplan, for example.

Vitamin D with K2 during the winter.

This is vital to keep your levels topped up after the sun has disappeared. You need good levels of Vitamin-D to keep your immune system healthy, your bones strong and just about every other bodily function you can think of ticking over nicely!

Extra Vitamin-C

Again, this is vital for your immunity, to help your adrenal glands cope with stress and assist in the production of collagen.

IMPORTANT: If you’re taking medications of any kind, suspect you may be, or are, pregnant or have any other health concerns always check with your healthcare provider before taking any supplements.

Carbs seem to be highly controversial at the moment. Some guidelines suggest that half of our food intake should be in the form of carbs, but others suggest that carbs are the source of many health problems from excessive weight gain, to diabetes and a whole host of other diseases. The arguments from both sides seem to be valid and ultimately whether you should eat carbs, and how often, depends largely on the individual. So, low carb diets, are they good for you?  Read on to find out.

Why do we need to eat carbs?

The main purpose of carbohydrates in the diet is to provide energy, and most carbs get broken down or transformed into glucose to fuel the body. The molecule which delivers this energy is called adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Any excess carbs can be stored by the body as glycogen for later use.

Low carb diets – different types of carbs

Sugars:  You may also hear of these called ‘simple carbs’.  These are found as added sugars in foods, in fruit juice and packets of white and brown sugar, for example.

Starches:  These are long chains of glucose molecules, which eventually get broken down into glucose in the digestive system. When you eat ‘carbs’ these are the ones that are the best for your health – you want the ‘wholegrain’ varieties though, not ‘white’ versions. More on that in a second.

Fibre:  This does not provide energy directly, but it does feed the friendly bacteria in the digestive system. These bacteria can use the fiber to produce fatty acids that some of our cells can use as energy.

Low carb diets – which carbs to avoid?

Well, there are plenty of studies around which demonstrate time and time again that refined carbohydrates are associated with dozens of health problems, ranging from obesity to type 2 diabetes.

They tend to cause major spikes in blood sugar levels, which lead to a subsequent crash that can trigger hunger and cravings for more high-carb foods. This is the blood sugar rollercoaster that many people are familiar with.

Refined carbs have had almost all the goodness taken out of them, including any minerals, vitamins and fibre. In other words they are empty calories.

Examples of carbs you’d be better off avoiding include –

• Fizzy drinks
• Fruit juices
• Pastries
• ‘White things’ – bread, pasta, rice etc
  Sugary breakfast cereal

Which carbs should you eat?

Whole food sources of carbohydrates are packed with vital nutrients and fibre, and don’t tend to give rise to the dreaded blood sugar rollercoaster, particularly when combined with good quality protein.

If you’re worried your diet is impacting your gut health, I’d highly recommend downloading my online course The Ultimate Gut Health Programme to help support both your digestive sysem and hormone health, whilst avoiding triggering symptoms.

It’d be impossible to include all you need to know in one blog, but the programme will have all you need to know to ensure you’re soothing your digestive system, whilst eating delicious and filling foods.

Examples of whole carbs include –

• Whole fruits
• Vegetables
• Legumes
• Potatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Whole grains (rice, bread etc)

So what’s the deal with low carb diets?

These types of diets restrict carbohydrates, while allowing plenty of protein and fat.  Numerous studies have now shown that low-carb diets are much more effective for weight loss than the standard low-fat diet that has been recommended for the past few decades.

These studies show that low-carb diets cause more effective weight loss and lead to greater improvement in various health markers, including cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure.

But they certainly don’t suit everyone. Some people feel dreadful when they eat a low carb diet, whereas some people flourish, even on very low carb diets such as the ketogenic diet.

In fact, in certain health conditions a ketogenic (very low carb intake) diet has been proven to be very effective.

If you’re going to look at dropping your carb intake that low always work with a professional to make sure you do it safely. I won’t talk about ketogenic and very low carb diets in this article, as that’s a whole different topic.

So, for most people, which carbs should you focus on?

As a general rule, carbohydrates that are in their natural, fiber-rich form are healthy, while those that have been stripped of their fiber are not.
If it’s a whole, single ingredient food, then it’s probably healthy for most people, no matter what the carbohydrate content is.

As with many things nutrition related the whole carb situation is rarely black and white, or one size fits all. It’s the overall picture which needs to be looked at – not just one aspect. Remember we are all unique! Just because dropping carbs worked for one person, doesn’t mean it will work for you.

If you have a lot of weight to lose, or have health problems like metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes, then working with a professional to drop your carb intake safely will likely have huge benefits for you.  This is why a personalised approach to nutrition is vitally imporant.

Thyroid problems are very common indeed, and surprisingly it’s estimated that roughly 60% of people with some kind of sub-optimal thyroid problem don’t realise there’s an issue.  So what’s the link betwen IBS & thyroid health?

Thyroid symptoms can be quite vague, and overlap with a lot of other health problems, making them difficult to distinguish.

This article will address five things you need to know about the important links between your gut health, and thyroid health.

Although quite small, your thyroid gland is extremely important and impacts just about every other system of your body. It helps to regulate your –

• Metabolism
• Heart
• Digestive function
• Mood

1. IBS & Thyroid

The thyroid impacts gut health mostly because the hormones your thyroid produces directly affect how your digestive system functions. In the case of hypothyroidism, not enough thyroid hormone is produced, causing a general slowing down of everything. Your gut function included.

To keep your hormones functioning optimally its really important to use ‘clean’ skincare.  Tropic is a super range (I use it myself and have seen an amazing improvement in my skin since I have) click here if you’d like to learn more.

When your digestive system is functioning optimally, the muscles lining the digestive tract contract regularly in what is known as peristalsis. This peristaltic action keeps the gut moving, ensures nutrients are digested and absorbed, and waste eliminated.

Slow gut function results in slow motility and constipation.

2. Your microbiome

Since sub-optimal thyroid function impacts digestion in this way, it also has a very negative impact on your gut flora – the colonies of bacteria that live in your gut. There are beneficial strains of bacteria, and not so helpful ones and we need the beneficial strains to ‘crowd out’ the less helpful ones. You can read more about the microbiome and the effects it has on health here.

If you’re worried your thryoid health is impacting your gut health, I’d highly recommend downloading my online course The Ultimate Gut Health Programme to help support both your digestive sysem and hormone health, whilst avoiding triggering symptoms.

It’d be impossible to include all you need to know in one blog, but the programme will have all you need to know to ensure you’re soothing your digestive system, whilst eating delicious and filling foods.

3. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)

Alterations in gut motility may potentially give rise to a condition known as SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). SIBO causes a lot of the typical IBS-type symptoms such as abdominal pain, excessive gas and bloating. When SIBO occurs you end up with bacteria (or sometimes yeasts) which should be flourishing in the large intestine, taking up residence in the small intestine. Needless to say this causes a great deal of distress and discomfort if you happen to be affected.

Unfortunately, as is often the way with these things, the health of your digestive system also determines how well your thyroid functions.

We can end up in a vicious cycle …

Your body converts T4 hormone into the active form of thyroid hormone, T3, in your gut. So if your gut health is imbalanced, for example, through –

• IBS
• Chronic constipation
• Coeliac disease

or anything else, you may not be getting as much conversion of T4 to T3 that you need, to function optimally. 

I hope that helps to shed some light on the link between IBS & thyroid health.

No matter what type of issue you’re facing – whether it’s hormonal, gut related or weight loss, for example, then some form of intermittent fasting may well help you.

Although it sounds scary, and let’s face it some of these ongoing fasts seem pretty hair-raising, a lot of them are really, really easy.

Considering there are a lot of people benefitting enormously from these techniques let’s take a closer look at how and why they help, together with some simple techniques to try.

Here are a few simple techniques and FIVE HUGE BENEFITS to be had from allowing your digestive system to rest and reset.

Why do You Need to Give Your Digestion a Break?

If you think about it, it’s only recently that we’ve had access to round the clock food. In the past we would’ve had to have fasted for long periods, we just wouldn’t have had any choice.

Sometimes your healing plan should focus just as much on how you’re eating as what you’re eating.  Your Migrating Motor Complex (MMC) is a series of muscle contractions which propel undigested food residue through the small intestine. This only kicks in after you haven’t eaten anything for 90 minutes or more – so essentially, if you keep munching, your gut won’t be able to have a spring clean.

The root cause of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is often some kind of imbalance with this system, which allows bacteria to flourish in the wrong place.  Bacteria then multiply in the small, rather than the large intestine.

You can read more about SIBO here.

The important thing to remember here is that your gut clearing process, or MMC, doesn’t kick in until you haven’t eaten for 90 minutes or more.

Ensuring you’re eating a diverse diet can be a nightmare when you’re suffering with your gut, especially as so many of these ‘healthy’ foods are also big trigger foods. If this is the case for you I’d highly recommend downloading my online course The Ultimate Gut Health Programme to help you eat safely, whilst avoiding triggering symptoms.

It’d be impossible to include all you need to know in one blog, but the programme will have all you need to know to ensure you’re soothing your digestive system, whilst eating delicious and filling foods.

Intermittent fasting – a quick note on stress

Stress is really bad for your digestive system – you can read more about this here – so don’t restrict your eating so much that it makes you anxious. You really won’t do yourself any favours by putting the pressure on.

With that in mind if you’re just starting to experiment with making dietary changes, adding restricted eating into the mix is perhaps something best left until you’re well into the swing of things. You don’t want to put too much pressure on yourself.

Needless to say, fasting or restricted eating is only another tool in your toolbox, it’s important to eat healthily too.

Intermittent fasting – different methods

As I mentioned, the simplest way is to just go 12-16 hours overnight and into the next day without eating.
You can practice lengthening these timings as you get used to it.

Another popular choice is choosing an eight hour block to eat within – for example 1pm to 9pm. This works for a lot of people. Of course the fine tuning will all depend on your lifestyle and commitments.

An important point to note is that you don’t have to eat your first meal at ‘breakfast time’.  It’s often said that you have to eat breakfast before you leave for work, but really it’s best left until your digestive system has had a chance to wake up properly.  Or even leave it until much later in the day – whatever feels best for you.

Another popular method is the 5:2 Diet whereby you eat normally for five days of the week. On the other two days, calories are restricted to about 500–600 a day.

I wouldn’t, personally, recommend going overboard and fasting for days on end – although seasoned fasters can get great results from doing this. BUT aiming for not eating anything for 14-16 hours overnight is usually very doable and beneficial (unless you suffer from a health condition which prevents you from doing this).

I think a better way to look at it is to avoid grazing all day and evening. Grazing and snacking isn’t good for your digestion.

Intermittent fasting – some points to consider

Small, frequent meals

If you’re someone who finds that small, frequent meals are better for you and your symptoms, then restricted eating is possibly not for you. Remember we’re all different.

I hope that helps, give it a try and see if it works for you!