- Gastroenterologist Dr. Will Bulsiewicz shared the three biggest mistakes people make when it comes to gut health.
- These include restricting their diet and relying on supplements.
- Instead, eat plenty of fiber from a diverse range of plants, he said.
A gastroenterologist has shared the three biggest mistakes people make when trying to take care of their gut health.
Gut health is a hot topic: rates of colorectal cancer are increasing among those under 50, irritable bowel syndrome is thought to affect between 10 and 20 percent of the Western population, and experts fear that a pervasive diet culture is normalizing the problems. stomach.
At the same time, people may have difficulty treating their gut problems because the causes of some of them are unknown. (There is no cure for IBS, for example). So some sufferers turn to restrictive diets and supplements to try to relieve their symptoms.
But such tactics can actually make gut problems worse, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, a gastroenterologist and U.S. medical director of nutrition company ZOE, told Business Insider.
Addressing the following habits can help, he told Business Insider, but if you’re concerned about your gut health, talk to your doctor.
Rely on supplements
In 1994, according to official figures, there were approximately 4,000 dietary supplements available for purchase in the United States. Today, there are as many as 100,000 available – from classic vitamin C pills and fish oil capsules to fiber supplements such as psyllium husk and trendy pre- and probiotics.
“Supplements are beneficial, but do not compete with food. So don’t try to supplement a bad diet,” Bulsiewicz said. “Eat a healthy diet, with lots of fiber and a diversity of plants, then supplement it with supplements.”
He added: “You can’t go from a C-minus to an A-plus gut with supplements alone – diet has to come first. »
BI previously reported that Bulsiewicz no longer regularly prescribed probiotic supplements, instead preferring to recommend fermented foods such as kefir and yogurt to his patients.
This is consistent with the “food first” approach that many dietitians advise their patients: getting nutrients from food and SO supplement things their body is deficient in or that their diet doesn’t provide enough.
-Follow restrictive diets
Bulsiewicz said restrictive fad diets are a “major reason” people suffer from gut issues. Removing food groups means a smaller variety of foods enter the gut, and the microbes that populate our digestive system – known as the gut microbiome – “suffer the consequences,” he said. declared.
There are thousands of different types of microbes in the gut, all fueled by different foods. Bulsiewicz sees them as little people with food preferences and “cliques” of other microbes that they work with.
“If we want all of our microbes to do their job, they all need to be fed. In order to feed all the microbes, you have to create a varied buffet for them,” he said. “A healthy diet for the intestines is therefore an abundant and varied diet.”
He previously shared his method for incorporating as many gut-healthy foods as possible into his diet with BI.
Misinterpretation of bloating
Many people misinterpret bloating as their body rejecting certain foods. But that’s not necessarily true: You could have eaten more of that food than your gut could handle, or most likely, it’s because you don’t have a healthy gut microbiome, Bulsiewicz said.
If you don’t eat a certain food often, the gut microbiome may not be used to it, which could cause bloating when the body struggles to digest it.
“The healthy foods that cause these symptoms are, in fact, the ones you probably need the most” to increase the diversity of the gut microbiome, Bulsiewicz said.
Instead of eliminating healthy foods that cause bloating, start by eating small amounts and gradually increase to larger portions to incorporate them into your diet.
“It’s like going to the gym for your intestines, except you do it with a fork,” he said.
Bulsiewicz previously told BI that you can “maximize your diet” by increasing the amount of fiber, fermented foods, and variety of plants you eat.
