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May 6, 2016 Amy Hollenkamp0 Comments

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Being locked in fight or flight is a common theme

Being locked in fight or flight is a common theme with all of my SIBO clients. You can’t beat SIBO if your stress response has yet to be tamed

It’s easy to jump into a SIBO protocol or diet but it’s much hard to work on getting your nervous system back into balance. If you are in doubt about what to do next, I would search for stressors you may have missed

What are stressors I commonly see: undereating, nutrient deficiencies, poor sleep, lack of sunlight, lack of movement, toxic relationships, past trauma, lack of pleasure, poor work/life balance and lack of self care

What are your favorite ways to de-stress!? Please list them in the comments

#sibo #guthealth #ibs #sibodiet

Just another client testimonial to share! I loved

Just another client testimonial to share! I loved working with Karamie as she was super motivated to addressing her root causes and adding foods back in

My goal is always to empower my clients to take back the reigns of their health (not just jump on another protocol or restrict more foods). She was in the drivers seat and did the leg work. I was there to listen and guide her to the strategies that would address her root causes

Usually addressing gut issues is not a linear process. It takes patience, self discovery and experimentation to find what works. My job is to be their to support the process

Need help in your SIBO journey? Check out the link in my bio

#sibo #ibs #sibodiet #lowfodmap #guthealth

I had to pull out the poop emoji costume once agai

I had to pull out the poop emoji costume once again to tell you how dogs can aid your microbiome and gut health. Dogs are basically a must have tool in your arsenal

Chip and I dedicate this short film to all the kids out there begging their parents to get them dogs. You deserve a pooch and this video will give you more ammunition. God speed and good luck 🍀

I also want to thank @chip_ansari for being a good sport for this video. I rewarded him handsomely with a belly full of treats

Tell me how your pooch enhances your gut and overall health in the comments
#guthealth #microbiome #poop #digestivehealth #sibo #ibs

Thiamine or Vitamin B1 is essential for optimal ne

Thiamine or Vitamin B1 is essential for optimal nervous system function, which is crucial for preventing SIBO. You could even argue that a B1 deficiency could be a root cause of SIBO and gut dysfunction in general

Digestion is an autonomic process. Meaning that our brain and nerves automatically are activated when we need to digest food. But, this automation requires thiamine

Digestion shuts down when you don’t get enough thiamine. Low thiamine will decrease motility, HCL, enzymes and bile flow which will increase your risk of SIBO What can make thiamine status even worse is a restrictive SIBO diet that typically cuts many sources of thiamine out of the diet

It is crucial if you have SIBO, to get enough thiamine from your diet or to supplement accordingly! Americans get most of their thiamine from fortified processed grains. But, some other great options are legumes, pork, salmon, flax seeds, peas, brown rice, oats, asparagus and acorn squash

If your diet isn’t rich in these foods, I would consider supplementing or actively increasing thiamine intake

Need help ensuring that your diet is properly nourishing your body? Want to avoid nutrient deficiencies? Check out the link in my bio to learn how I can help #sibo #guthealth #ibs #digestivehealth #digestion #sibodiet #ibsdiet #lowfodmap

The vagus nerve is the bridge that allows communic

The vagus nerve is the bridge that allows communication between the brain and the gut. Studies have show that people with IBS and IBD have low vagal tone

A weak vagus nerve basically means that you are gonna have a harder time to get into rest and digest mode. This low vagal tone results in poor digestion and motility

Nerves are similar to muscles—you have to use it or else you lose it. If your arm is in a cast for 2 months—it’s going to become weak. If you are chronically stressed—your vagus will become weak

Supporting strategies to strengthen the vagus nerve can be super beneficial for your gut health. Most stress reducing activities have vagal toning effects. My favorites are meditation and breath work

What strategies do you employ to strengthen your vagus nerve tone? #sibo #ibs #guthealth #digestion #braingutconnection #gutbrainaxis

Fiber is demonized across the IBS and SIBO space b

Fiber is demonized across the IBS and SIBO space but is so critical for the gut to have sufficient fiber to feed your good bugs and to produce SCFA that nourish your microbiome

You are not going to “heal” or repair your gut by restricting fiber. You need an adequate amount and variety of fibers to build a resilient and strong gut. While restricting fibers short term may help symptoms, you must broaden your diet to truly build a happy gut

If you have been restrictive for awhile, fiber deficiency could make your gut more susceptible to imbalances, pathogens and dysfunction. But, don’t lose hope! You can rebuild your tolerance to fiber again

It may take reintroing fiber rich foods in slowly and supporting any underlying root causes but you can reconnect with fiber again and thrive

I would love to hear your experiences with fiber! Have you had any problems reintroing fiber?

#sibo #ibs #sibodiet #lowfodmap #guthealth

In the SIBO world—fasting between meals is recom

In the SIBO world—fasting between meals is recommended for increasing your cleansing MMC waves in the small intestines. Giving your gut a break can help “take out the trash” so to speak in the small intestines, which prevents SIBO

I actually recommend this to my clients too! But, this approach is only going to be effective if you are meeting your calorie needs. If you are fasting when your body is undernourished, your efforts to support motility and digestion will backfire

If you are undernourished, your body will shut down digestion leading to more dysfunction and imbalances. I always think of fasting between meals as a secondary goal once nutrition foundations have been covered

I would highly recommend optimizing nutrition prior to doing any meal spacing! I would love to hear about your experience with fasting/meal spacing—please drop and comment below #sibo #guthealth #digestivehealth #ibs #ibsdiet #sibodiet

Controversial post alert 🚨! There is this idea

Controversial post alert 🚨! There is this idea that I hear all the time from my SIBO clients—the belief is that SIBO can be starved

This belief is so pervasive in the SIBO space that it often just gets treated as though it has been validated through research and proven true. And I am not the type of person that thinks everything has to be proven via research either but my anecdotal evidence does NOT support this either

There is plenty of research on low FODMAP and how it can potentially reduce symptoms in short term studies, but there is not solid evidence to support that starving your gut of fermentable fibers will lead to SIBO clearance

In fact there is evidence to quite the contrary. Starving the gut of FODMAPs has actually been shown to raise hydrogen sulfide producers. It’s so important to recognize how complex the microbiome is and that it is impossible to starve just your SIBO without having collateral dysbiosis develop from other sketchy microbes growing in the absence of fibers or other dietary restriction

Not to mention the potential nutrient deficiency risk that this can lead to—you need to be nourished for the gut to function properly

Instead of focusing on spending months trying to starve the SIBO—which again is not validated at all. Try to focus on nurturing the microbiome and your body. Focus on the root causes that may be contributing to the SIBO to begin with

End rant. I would love to know your thoughts #sibo #ibs #ibsdiet #guthealth #microbiome

I have some new faces around here so I wanted to r

I have some new faces around here so I wanted to reintroduce myself! Hi—I am Amy! I’m an RD and coach that helps IBS/SIBO sufferers find long term solutions and not just quick fixes

I don’t just want my clients surviving—I want them thriving so that they can live their purpose. You don’t have to just accept chronic gut symptoms—committing to finding root causes is key

Having worked with 100s of SIBO/IBS clients, I can say with confidence that diet restrictions don’t solve anything. They can bandaid symptoms but they fail to address root causes

I know this from personal experience. I went through my own SIBO journey where I wasted time and energy on diet restrictions. These diets actually created more problems for me to solve

That’s why I am so passionate about preventing you from making the same mistakes that I have! Instead of focusing so much on diet restrictions, focus on properly nourishing your body while avoiding only the foods that you are reactive too

Stop trying to starve the SIBO—there is no evidence that this actually works! Anecdotally, I actually see starving the gut of fibers making gut symptoms much worse because you starve your good bugs and deplete your microbial diversity

If you have food fears and don’t know how to broaden up your diet, work with a provider and RD that can help. I’m sorry to say that many functional medicine providers and conventional provides do not give the amount of support required to assure that you are well nourished

Also, know that you are not alone—and you can eat a broad range of foods again. I have personally experienced and worked with people in similar shoes as you—And I have seen my clients find food freedom! It is possible! #sibo #ibs #sibodiet #guthealth #digestivehealth #lowfodmap

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