How to live a healthy and happy lifestyle with a gastrointestinal disorder

After years of stomach issues and pain affecting my everyday life, I was finally diagnosed with IBS in my late teens. Since then, I’ve spent a lot of time looking into how my diet, fitness regime and overall lifestyle effects this, using trial and error and research to determine my stressors and create a happier and less painful life for myself.

Thousands of us all around the world live with a gastrointestinal disorder, and yet it’s not really talked about as it’s a sensitive issue. That’s why I’ve created this article, to tell you everything you need to know about the disorders, and give you advice on how to manage your symptoms.

What is a gastrointestinal disorder?

In non-technical language, a gastrointestinal disorder is one that involves the gastrointestinal tract – meaning the stomach, large and small intestines, and the rectum. Our liver, pancreas and digestion play a part too.

Many symptoms are usually associated with this kind of condition, including bloating, gas, diarrhoea, fatigue and abdominal pain. Though everyone can suffer with these symptoms every now and then, someone with a gastrointestinal disorder is more likely to experience them on a regular basis, especially when eating certain foods. 

IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is perhaps one of the most common disorders, which causes inflammation of the large intestine. As it is a chronic condition, IBS is something that will have to be managed long term with the help of a healthy diet and regular exercise. It’s still relatively unknown what causes people to develop IBS, but eating nutritional foods, sleeping well and limiting any stress is a great way to try and prevent it. A disturbance in the communication between the brain and the gastrointestinal tract is what causes the main symptoms, and I will go into detail about how to reconnect this communication through our circadian rhythms later on in the article.

Not to be mistaken for IBS, an IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) is much more serious, and is a lifelong chronic condition that causes inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Colitis syndrome is a common IBD. Colitis is caused by inflammation in the lower and upper gastrointestinal tract, including the colon and rectum, causing abdominal pain and fatigue. The disease affects people for their whole lives, but you can go through weeks or months with mild to no symptoms. This is usually followed by a relapse, which can cause weight loss, bloody stools and diarrhoea. 

Crohn’s disease is also a well-known IBD. This is caused by inflammation of the digestive system, which usually starts in childhood and will stay with the person for their whole lives. The symptoms are similar to that of colitis, with diarrhoea, bloody stools, tiredness and weight loss being the main indicators of a flare-up. 

While there is no cure for any of these conditions, there are so many ways to relieve symptoms and live life as normally as possible. 

How do I know if I have a gastrointestinal disorder?

The main issues to look out for are constant bloating, gas, frequent diarrhoea, blood in your poo, abdominal pain and fatigue. A lot of the time, symptoms are stronger after eating certain foods, but a flare-up can occur at any time. 

If you’re not sure whether or not you have a gastrointestinal disorder, then it’s best to go and see your GP. I always recommend my clients write a food diary for a week or two, including the symptoms you experience after each meal or snack. Even before your trip to the doctors, you’ll get a clearer idea of which foods are triggers for your body. 

Your GP may offer blood tests and stool tests in order to check for infections or inflammation before making a diagnosis. 

How can I live a healthy lifestyle with a gastrointestinal disorder?

One way to work out your stressors and symptoms is by looking at your circadian rhythm. A circadian rhythm is a physiological cycle that processes internally, regulating the sleep-wake cycle. Essentially, circadian rhythms are determined by our habitual behaviour, including our diet, fitness, and any other stresses of the body. 

The trick is to take the time to listen to your gut, and work out if your everyday cycle is effecting your health. Let us look at the average week. From Monday to Friday, your body and mind adhere to a specific schedule. Depending on your job, you’ll wake up at similar times, eat at similar times, exercise at similar times, go to bed at similar times, and so on. You’ll probably even eat nutrition-rich meals. Then it gets to Friday night, and you have a late night with friends, eating pizza and drinking a few beers. You wake up later than usual on the Saturday, and spend your weekend changing your eating and fitness habits. Then the whole process starts again on the Monday.

The only thing is, your body like routine, and likes to stick to it. Therefore, changing up your body clock and your eating times every week wreaks havoc on your body internally. The digestive system only just gets used to your schedule by Thursday, and then it’s back to eating more calories and drinking more than usual for a few consecutive days. It’s hardly surprising that this can cause issues with your digestion, and therefore flare-up your IBS symptoms.

It’s therefore key to try to keep your healthy eating and exercise habits in a constant flow. That doesn’t mean you have to stop having nights out with friends forever, but your stomach will be a lot happier if it wasn’t jolted out of its routine every few days. It’s important to sleep well, eat nutritious food, manage stress and exercise regularly in order to maintain an energetic and healthy lifestyle – but even more so if you’re susceptible to abdominal pain or diarrhoea. 

The brain and gut are connected, so staying relaxed is another great way to ensure your digestive system runs smoothly. Let’s not forget the great results a regular exercise regime can have on your overall health too – it’s an amazing way to reduce stress and give you a dose of endorphins. 

It’s probably not all that surprising to hear that processed foods is one of the main triggers for those living with IBS or similar. Fried, fatty and sugary foods are harder to digest than wholefoods, and with inflammation in your gut already, it’s usually best to avoid these as much as possible. There’s also lots of research to say that dairy products can cause flare-ups – which is why many of us are opting to go dairy-free nowadays. Usually the sugars in dairy (lactose) cause the issues. I also tend to stick to organic foods. Products like bread and meat just aren’t how they used to be in the old days, and many supermarket finds are pumped with chemicals and additives to make them last longer. Enjoying nutrition-rich, organic foods will keep your stomach calm and happy. 

Alcohol, caffeine and fizzy drinks can be a regular culprit too, whereas drinking water regularly helps with any dehydration you may encounter during bad flare-ups or relapses. 

Overall, maintaining a healthy lifestyle through diet, exercise and less stress is a sure-fire way to ensure you live life comfortably and happily with a gastrointestinal disorder. All bodies are different, so I implore you spend a considerate amount of time finding out your own personal stressors, and then using that information to formulate a plan that’s right for you. 

A Guide to Intermittent Fasting

Everyone has heard of intermittent fasting, but the ins and outs are a little less known. Have a read through my beginner’s guide, which lets you know what it is, how to do it, and the benefits of doing so. 

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting is a diet that flows between fasting for a defined period, and then eating balanced meals in between.

 Over time, it’s become one of the most popular diets for both health professionals and the general public, with many studies showing that it helps aid weight loss, improve metabolic health, and also give you more energy. 

If you think about it, we’ve all been practicing fasting already – many of us typically finish eating by 9pm, and then wake up and have breakfast at least 9 hours afterwards – that’s a 9-hour fast without even thinking about it. With some kinds of intermittent fasting, it’s as simple as missing breakfast and extending your fast to lunch! 

Whilst no food is allowed during fasting, drinks are – specifically water, teas and coffee. Green tea and black coffee are great hunger suppressants, just make sure not to add sugar, and keep to only a little bit of milk.

How many hours should I fast for, and how often during the week?

There are a number of options when it comes to intermittent fasting, but the three most popular are 16:8, 5:2, and 24 hour fasts. 

The 16:8 diet is perhaps the easiest to work into your day-to-day life. This entails skipping breakfast, eating your first meal at 12pm, and then eating your last meal at 8pm. 16 hours of fasting, and an 8-hour window to eat – it’s a very simple way to live your day. 

The next is 5:2. This is a modified way to fast, eating your normal healthy intake of calories for five days a week, and then limiting your intake to 500 calories for two days. Again, this is quite an easy way to work intermittent fasting into your weekly routine.

The last is having a 24-hour fast once a week. This would entail eating dinner at 8pm one night, and then fasting until 8pm the following evening. This could be seen as a more extreme way to fast, but there are great ways to keep yourself going when doing this extended fast – which we will go into below. 

What are the benefits of intermittent fasting?

There are so many great benefits to intermittent fasting. Weight loss is a clear one, but there are so many more fantastic health benefits that should be raved about.

Regular fasting helps to increase vital hormones and enzymes to make them work better within our bodies. One of those is the Human Growth Hormone, which helps aid fat loss and muscle gain. It also stimulates hormone-sensitive lipase, which take triglycerides (which are stored in your fat cells) and help release them for energy and to burn extra calories. You’ll also find that the fat burning hormone norepinephrine increases. 

Your levels of insulin drop too, making your stored body fat even easier to get to, whilst gene expression means that your genes change to help prolong your life and protect against disease. Let’s not forget your heart health – intermittent fasting can even reduce cholesterol and lower your inflammatory markers. 

There are some things to think about though. Intermittent fasting isn’t for those with a history of eating disorders, pregnant women, and women also need to rethink fasting if their menstruation changes. 

Is it best to fast on training days or rest days?

It does differ between each kind of intermittent fasting. 

If you’re opting for 16:8, and it becomes part of your daily routine, you could potentially work out on an empty stomach if you work out in the morning. But you will fatigue quicker, and you wouldn’t be able to replenish with protein or carbs before or after your exercise. You could always work out in your 8-hour eating window, too.

As for 5:2 and fasting for 24-hours, you will need to fast on rest days. 500 calories or less in 24 hours is not enough to fuel you. 

What should I eat when I’m not fasting?

You should eat a varied, healthy diet, no matter which style of intermittent fasting you go for. To fast and then eat lots of sugar and saturated fats would detriment the health benefits. 

There’s a few more things to think about if you’re looking to do the 24-hour fast. The evening before, make sure you get into ketosis, which is a metabolic process where your body starts to use stored fats. To do this, you’ll need to eat a meal that’s high in unsaturated fats, and paired with sufficient protein and low carbs. 

Don’t rush into a huge dinner straight after a fast either. Give your body a chance to get used to consuming food again with a warm lemon water to prepare your gut, and then have a small low carb snack half an hour before dinner. 

Do results differ between males and females?

The male and female anatomy is different, so there can be varying results between men and women when it comes to fasting. The main difference is how our hormones react to this kind of diet.

Truth be told, the male body reacts to fasting a lot better than the female body. The best thing to do then, is to look more into how the female body is affected by intermittent fasting. Though this diet is beneficial when done correctly, it can cause hormone imbalances for women, which can cause not only weight gain, but stress, thyroid issues, and in some cases, infertility too.

Other symptoms of hormone imbalances include anxiety, irregular periods, and a decline in energy levels. Men can have these symptoms too, but due to their anatomy it takes much longer for them to come to the surface. 

This isn’t a way to scare women from trying this style of eating, but instead educate them so that they’re looking after themselves – because that’s the main focus here: feeling healthy and happy. It’s worth noting then, that women should alter the intermittent fasting steps I’ve listed above to ensure they’re still getting enough nutrients and food to keep their hormones at a normal level. For instance, you could lessen the hours you fast for, only fast a couple of times a month, or simply just skip one meal if they’re feeling bloated. Also, resist the temptation to over-exercise, especially on fasting days – 500 calories or less is not enough to sustain a solid work out. 

The main thing is to give intermittent fasting and check in with yourself – are your periods normal? Are you feeling stressed or lacking energy? If you have any doubts, speak to your GP.