Trust Your Gut: What Your Digestion Is Telling You

We hear it all the time: "Trust your gut." But what if your gut is bloated, gassy, cramping, and generally screaming for help? (Not exactly the inner wisdom we were hoping for)

Digestion and more specifically digestive symptoms can give insight to your overall health. When something's off in your gut, it doesn't just stay there. It can ripple into your energy, skin, mood, hormones, immune system, and more. The gut is home to trillions of bacteria and when the microbiome is out of balance, your digestion is often the first thing to raise a red flag.

Signs Your Gut Might Be Waving a White Flag

Common signals of gut imbalance include:

1. Bloating

2. Gas

3. Belching

4. Heartburn or reflux

5. Constipation or diarrhea 

6. Feeling overly full after small meals

7. Undigested food in your stool 

8. Chronic food sensitivities

And because the gut is connected to everything:

1. Skin issues like acne, eczema, or rosacea

2. Brain fog and fatigue

3. Joint pain or body aches

4. Anxiety and mood swings

So, What Can You Do to Support Digestion?

While we love using functional testing to get specific, there are some foundational steps everyone can start with to support a healthier gut:

1. Focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods. Colorful fruits and vegetables are prebiotics, aka the food for our good gut bacteria. Aim for 20-30 different plant species per week. . If you’re looking for help with your diet, explore our foundational eating program Eat to Achieve™.

2. Practice good eating hygiene. Slow down, chew thoroughly, and minimize distractions while eating. Digestion starts before your food even hits your stomach.

3. Nervous system support. Your nervous system plays a huge role in digestion. Chronic stress can literally shut down digestive function — making even the healthiest meal hard to process.

4. Stay hydrated. Water helps to keep things moving through the system.

5. Support stomach acid and enzymes. Sometimes low stomach acid (not high!) is the real culprit behind heartburn and bloating. Bitters, mindful eating, and proper hydration can help.

Meet Your Microbiome: The Unsung Hero of Digestion

Inside your gut lives a massive microbial community that works hard behind the scenes. These bacteria:

1. Help break down and ferment fibers you can’t digest on your own

2. Produce key nutrients like B vitamins and short chain fatty acids

3. Maintain the gut barrier 

4. Train and regulate your immune system

5. Influence neurotransmitters like serotonin, impacting mood and stress response

When your beneficial bacteria are thriving, digestion hums along smoothly. When they're disrupted from factors like antibiotics, stress, poor diet, infections, or even environmental toxins — the system can go sideways fast. Think of your gut like a garden: You want lots of diverse, flourishing plants (good bacteria), minimal weeds (bad bacteria), and healthy soil (gut lining) to keep everything growing strong.

How Functional Testing Can Help

If you're dealing with ongoing digestive issues that haven’t improved through foundational changes with diet and lifestyle, it may be time to take a deeper look. The GI-MAP is a comprehensive stool test our team uses regularly with our clients. This stool test looks at:

1. Levels of beneficial bacteria

2. Overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria, parasites, or yeast

3. Markers of inflammation and immune activation

4. Digestive function (enzyme output, fat absorption)

5. Gut barrier integrity

Translation: it gives us a detailed snapshot of what's actually happening in your gut so we can address the root causes — not just manage symptoms.

If you’re ready to finally figure out what your gut has been trying to tell you, our 1:1 Functional C.A.R.E Method™ is designed to help you uncover the root causes and build a plan that actually works.

We’re here when you’re ready to feel good in your gut — and your whole body again.