Plant Based Eating with a Sensitive Gut
For all my hot girls (and guys) with stomach issues:
There was a time when I couldn’t eat a majority of plant foods without feeling the negative side effects on my gut. It would always bother me when people with a perfectly happy and healthy gut posted about “gut friendly” foods, because most of them just did not work for me. I couldn’t tolerate any beans or legumes, and cruciferous veggies sent me into an immediate downward spiral. I was also diagnosed with gastritis, esophagitis, colitis, and SIBO, so I also wasn’t able to absorb any of the essential nutrients that plant foods provide. But I’ve always loved these foods, and know how incredible they are for both the body and mind, so I was determined to make them work for me again.
If you’re someone with a sensitive gut or have a known condition like SIBO or IBD, know that there is still a way to make plant based eating work for you. Gut health related marketing is incredibly deceptive (and in turn, profitable), which is why it’s never a good idea to start eating loads of plant foods without giving your body a chance to adjust.
But, we all know the benefits of eating plants, so it’s also never a good idea to discount them entirely. The key is to start small, and with time your body will adjust. By eating these foods in ways that are a bit more supportive to your gut, you’ll find yourself able to digest them much easier.
Here are a few tips to help you shift into more of a plant-based way of eating:
Start small and go slow: If you’re not used to eating predominantly plant based foods, your body will need significant time to adjust to all of the fiber. Instead of going “all in”, start small and slowly build up. For example, if you’re making a big smoothie, instead of adding multiple spoonfuls of various fibrous seeds (flax, chia, hemp, etc.), start with just one. Then, incrementally add more as time goes on.
Remove the shells from beans and legumes: The shells are often more difficult for the body to digest, let alone a sensitive gut. Although it can be time consuming, removing them allows for much easier digestion.
Soak and rinse grains, buy sprouted when possible: Similar to the above, sprouted grains are much easier on the body when it comes to digestion. Soaking grains helps break down some of the harder to digest proteins and neutralizes the phytic acid, allowing the body to better absorb the nutrients.
More cooked, less raw: Raw foods can be very difficult for the body to digest, so opt for more cooked veggies and fruits (like stewed apples) to help speed up digestive fire. Plus, they taste much better this way.
Take digestive enzymes with meals: Enzymes help break down some of the more difficult to digest fibers in plant foods, and allow the body to better absorb the nutrients in the food.
Drink more herbal teas: Teas with herbs such as ginger, lemongrass, turmeric, cinnamon, and more all aid in digestion. In general, warm liquids are better on the gut than cold - similar to food.
Eat slowly and mindfully with gratitude for the food: This one is probably the most important. You can follow all of the above steps and still experience gut issues if you are not eating with mindfulness and intention. Rather than scarfing down your breakfast in the car, wake up a little bit earlier and give yourself time to sit down and enjoy the meal. Taking a few slow, deep breaths before meals works wonders, even more so than digestive enzymes. And lastly, show your food some love. You will not believe the difference in your digestion simply by paying a little bit of gratitude towards the food on your plate. When we eat slowly, mindfully, and with gratitude, we activate the body’s state of “rest and digest”, or the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the only way we are able to properly digest our food.