digestion Archives – Wild Lyons Wellness

Red flags indicating your digestion is out of wack (that are not typical digestive symptoms)

“Laura, my digestion is totally fine!”

As their DUTCH test comes back with high estrogen, high cortisol and terrible detox pathways.

Their blood labs are indicating parasites and inflammation.

Their HTMA is not improving despite a rigorous personalized mineral balancing protocol and proper diet.

Most women in denial end up finding the most relief once they start focusing on gut health.

They start to absorb nutrients and minerals better, their periods and moods get better, their metabolic makers improve, they feel more clear headed and have more energy.

Repeat after me:

Most symptoms are a reflection of poor gut health even if your digestion seems “totally fine.”

Everything comes back to your gut.

BUT

Everything is connected.

Your metabolism runs the show for digestion but poor digestion can slow your metabolism.

Minerals are needed to support all the digestive processes but poor digestion can inhibit mineral absorption.

Poor digestion is seen as a stressor to the body and impacts your adrenals but chronic stress impacts your adrenals which impacts your digestion.

Your mineral status and digestion impact your mood and anxiety but anxiety and low moods can inhibit the absorption of minerals that impacts your digestion.

I know. Your head is spinning.

Bottom line. Your gut is only as healthy as the nourishment you are giving it.

I tend to see ‘gut experts’ recommending super restrictive diets, having people eliminate red meat and dairy because they are “inflammatory” and replace with things like beans and tofu, switch to gluten free alternatives like chickpea pasta, have you load your body with fiber, drink more plain water, all the nuts and seeds and raw vegetables, switch to nut milks and dairy free alternatives, take probiotics…This is a recipe for a digestive disaster.

Eliminating a bunch of nutrient-dense foods that we have been consuming since the dawn of time is unnecessary and won’t solve your problems and you will likely end up in a worse place than where you began.

Once you realize this and stop going down rabbit holes of what to eliminate next for xyz symptom suppression you will gain so much more freedom and clarity.

Ready to join a community of like-minded women ending the war on their bodies and breaking free from diet culture? Ready to finally balance your hormones, understand your body, and become your own health advocate? Ready for unfiltered and uncensored wellness talks? Then you’re in the right place! Click here to learn more + enroll.

A self-paced program designed to help you overcome your uncomfortable digestive symptoms without restrictive diets and stressful protocols so you can enjoy food again and live a happier, healthier life. Click here to learn more + enroll.

The new online trend: “Hot girls have the worst stomach issues” Let’s talk about it…

We have all seen the new trend all over Tik Tok and social media.

#hotgirlshaveIBS #hotgirlshavestomachissues

I appreciate the recognition that people are struggling with digestive issues but this ain’t it.

Did their “hot girl” behaviors get them to this place?

Waking up bright and early to drink your black coffee, get in a fasted HIIT workout followed with a green smoothie with almond butter, dairy free milk and pea protein powder.

Lunch is a kale salad with nuts and seeds and a lean protein source.

Snack is a high fiber protein bar and green juice.

Dinner is a lean protein source with greens and cauliflower rice.

Ya know. Just doing hot girl shit. But actually dying inside.

I have an upset stomach just reading this meal plan and this has unfortunately become the new norm for “healthy” eating for the stereotypical desirable figure.

If you were a bird this sounds great but you are a grown ass woman that requires nutrients from easy to digest sources.

It’s no surprise that 98% of those diagnosed with an eating disorder are diagnosed with a Functional GI Disorder.

I remember I once used my “healthy” restrictive diet to get rid of digestive symptoms as a disguise for my disordered eating, food fear, and weight loss attempts.

Rather than popping pepto and tums 🥴eliminating foods and going on restrictive diets void of nutrients for the sake of your digestive system get to the root of the problem and evaluate what started the digestive issues in the first place.

– poor childhood diet
– under-eating
– over-exercising
– stress and nervous system dysregulation
– sluggish metabolism
– nutrient and mineral deficiencies
– estrogen and iron
– poor sleep
– how you eat + prep foods
– blood sugar regulation
– etc…

In my course Rewild Your Gut, I dive deep into all these topics and give you the tools you need to nourish your digestive system and eliminate those digestive symptoms without eliminating a bunch of foods and in turn wrecking your metabolism, hormones and digestive system further. Get ready to unlearn everything you have learned about digestion.

Your digestive system requires nourishment to thrive. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Before taking a food sensitivity test try this…

Time + time again I have clients come to me with a lot of digestive distress, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, headaches, brain fog, fatigue, skin issues, acne + other various digestive related symptoms.

One of the most common questions I get is, “do you think I need to take a food sensitivity test?” + my answer is pretty much always no.

Food sensitivity tests are absolutely useless unless you are addressing the root of the sensitivity. It’s not the foods fault. It’s your F’d up digestion + sluggish metabolism.

In my opinion, food sensitivity tests just lead to restriction + food fear.

The same pattern always occurs, you run a food sensitivity test + find out you are highly sensitive to dairy (or another food). This then causes you to eliminate the dairy FOREVER because you are too afraid to add it back in. You start using dairy alternatives like nut milks, skipping meals for relief, + restricting foods because your digestion is so wack you can only find relief if you just don’t eat. I know, this cycle all too well, I’ve been there, I was once so afraid of food I ate the same 5 foods for 2 years straight.

What does restricting, skipping meals/ fasting, starving yourself for the sake of your digestion, + swapping superior foods out for inferior alternatives, have in common?

Stress + nutrient depletion.

Like I mentioned before, in times of stress your blood gets diverted away from your digestive system + stress hormones are released since your bodies main concern is survival.

Stressed out body = poor digestion + absorption of nutrients.

You are left in a worse place than before and your metabolism has only gotten more + more sluggish. Sure, maybe you feel better initially eliminating these foods but this is only a bandaid, the root cause is your sluggish metabolism. What do you need to support your metabolism? Lots + lots of nutrients.

Digestion requires a lot of energy + nutrients to do it’s job.

The last thing we need to be doing is skipping meals, eliminating foods + especially replacing them with anti-metabolic foods like nut milks.

Before taking a food sensitivity test + restricting food work on increasing your metabolic rate.

But First, Breakfast

Alright all you matcha drinking, coffee demonizing influencers. I am sure at one point you have been told that coffee is bad for you.

And at another point were told to drink your coffee with some nutrient-void nut juice or black on an empty stomach to boost metabolism.

The controversy about coffee is wild and one of the most frequently asked questions I get.

“Can I drink coffee? Is it good for me?”

I don’t know. Can you?

Well I am happy to report, coffee is good for you. If done right.

Where can coffee drinking go wrong tho?

Coffee is only supportive AFTER a meal. On an empty stomach it will elicit a harmful stress response that then cause a blood sugar shit show and impacts your adrenals, hormones, metabolism and digestion.

Let’s take a look at how this plays out.

You have naturally fasted all night for 10-12 hours.

At this point your body needs fuel. I hear all you fasters. Yes, it does. You are not better than anyone for being able to skip breakfast. Give it some time girlfriend 😉

Fasting in and of itself is stressful and causes your adrenals to pump out stress hormones and cortisol. Your body thinks it’s in a famine, it is scrambling for resources to keep you alive the longer you wait to eat. A drop in blood sugar is the absolute biggest stressor on the body hands down.

Let’s add more fuel to the fire eh?

You now have that morning coffee on an empty stomach. Caffeine also causes cortisol to rise. You are now in a chronic stressed out cortisol risen state, depleting your body of minerals contributing to further stress on your system.

This is when the cascade of effects begin, your blood sugar is impacted, your adrenals are working over-time, your body can’t make hormones and your digestion can’t function because they are not priorities when trying to survive, and your metabolism is wrecked.

You have now set yourself up to be riding the blood sugar rollercoaster all day.

Eating a balanced meal prior to coffee will put out the stressful blood sugar fire and allow your body to view coffee as helpful rather than harmful.

Next time someone hands you a coffee first thing you know better and can now confidently say, “But first, breakfast.”

10 Things I wish women knew about their bodies

I remember when I first started learning about women’s health, nutrition and physiology in an effort to heal myself, I was so utterly and completely fascinated with everything I was learning, clearly this is one of the reasons I do what I do today.
Can you believe we were taught how to make stuffed animals in home ec class or how to play parachute in gym class but never once were taught about our bodies or how to nourish them appropriately?

We shoved chicken nuggets and french fries down our throats at lunch time of if you were feeling healthy you would get the garden salad dripping with PUFA oil. Maybe even a dessert from the vending machine.

We had an hour of sex education that simply was a video showing us how to use some scented toxic tampon or pad.

We were taught nothing about our bodies.

The very vessels we need in order to do life and live deeply and fully. The very things that create life if given the right environment to do so.

Sadly, we were never given the right environment or health education to thrive.

Don’t rely on anyone for your health – the government, the doctors, that pill.

Nobody is going to save you but yourself. Knowledge is power.

Learn everything, never stop learning and be curious.

Only you can heal yourself.