Oh My Gut-ness! {You Are What You Absorb}

“You are what you eat,” is what you often hear. However, I was told by a hollistic pathogenic doctor I’m working with that it’s actually, “You are what you absorb!”

My only promise to you is that by the end of this article, you’ll be more aware of gut health and how important it actually is for your overall health; body, mind, and spirit.

I met with a professional to help me and was shocked by the results.

For years, I have worked on personal development and followed different nutrition patterns to help me feel better, to help me feel balanced. Daniel Fast, vegan, vegetarian, whole foods only, low carb, intermittent fasting, etc. I would feel great for a bit but some things would still affect me and my feeling of “normal.”

I had kids, 16 months apart, and blamed feeling tired and mood swings on sleep deprivation. I also have PCOS, but nobody really knows what that means or how to deal with it. I ate less gluten, which happened naturally following the Daniel Fast. Overall, I was eating pretty clean and healthy for MOST of the time. It wasn’t 100% of the time, but more like 70-85% of the time.

The chronic symptoms I just couldn’t shake:

• Bloating – This especially happened with potatoes, any meat, and regular pasta. It was so painful sometimes.
• Headaches – Yes, I’d get headaches before getting my period, but I’d also get it after eating red meat of any kind.
• Low energy – Almost all the time. Naps helped a bit, but I still felt tired overall. Sure my kids wake up at 5 a.m. most times, but it didn’t matter if I went to bed early or not.
• Mood swings – Another huge one! Yes, I have two high-spirited kids. However, my mood swings made me feel bipolar and crazy at times. I went to doctor for this and was told it was my PCOS and to eat no gluten, no eggs, and no dairy. No matter what I tried, I always felt off. Happiness to rage, anger to sensitivity, fully-energized to depressed. Not a fun roller coaster to be on. Being consistent with anything was hard all due to my emotions and my mood. Self-motivation and inspiration was tough to uphold. I felt like a failure.
• Acid reflux – It was random. Uncomfortable but bearable.
• Insomia – This was just annoying and frustrating when it happened. I would either have a hard time falling asleep or I would wake up and have a hard time getting back sleep.
• Long period cycles – Not to be TMI, but your cycle tells you A LOT! In short, my hormones are all out of wack.

“You are what you absorb,” is what I was told. Problem? My gut was not absorbing what it needed to.

Why?

I had an infection in my stomach (too much good bacteria) because my system was off in numerous way. This created a low amount of acid in my stomach. The infection affected lining in my gut. Oh my gut-ness! I was a mess.

I also had dysbiosis in my stomach lining, also known as leaky gut syndrome. This happens if you have cells that are supposed to be together, side-by-side, but the inflammation and infection causes spaces between cells and food particles and bacteria (good and bad) to get into your blood stream.

Effects?

Low-acid and infection in my gut prohibited me from absorbing protein, which increased my carb cravings. Oh yes, I had cravings and would binge eat, but did my best to binge on healthier options. I was also pre-diabetic because my body didn’t have the protein it needed to help create enzymes that help with sugar from all the carbs I was eating.

The leaky gut allowed particles and bacteria to get into my blood stream that would trigger my immune system. My body was therefore always fighting something, which affected me in the many ways I mentioned earlier. My body was trying to help with my homeostasis, but my stomach was not helping and it couldn’t. My gut needed extra help that I would have never known had I not gone to get tested to see what was really going on.

Results from Tests:

• Anemic
• Pre-diabetic
• Leaky gut
• Infection
• Low progesterone
• High testosterone
• Low estrogen
• Low cortisol levels (these started well in morning, dropped mid-day, spiked around 11 p.m.-1 a.m. (hence the feeling tired mid-day and insomnia at night)
• Low good cholesterol
• Food not being broken down enough/malabsorption
• Low acid in stomach
• Over active adrenal glands (my body was always acting in the “fight” stage, hence the mood swings, feeling tired, and lack of patience)

Since starting my journey in December, my insomnia has stopped, my headaches are gone (except for day or two before getting my period), bloating is gone completely, I’m slowly being more patient and have much fewer mood swings. I’ve also lost 15 pounds since I started and haven’t had any more heartburn.

My healthier eating habits are finally being reflected in my better absorption ability (since we are what we absorb). It’s really amazing and I’ve really been enjoying this journey. I’ve learned SO MUCH!