Photographer: Nicole WindasFor World Digestive Health Day, Co-founder Lauren Windas is sharing a bit about her relationship with her gut and the role of which stress plays a part.
“As a result of battling with M.E / CFS, my energy levels were not the only thing out of whack. No matter what I did, or what food I ate… my gut would be in agony when I woke up most mornings, with the worst bloating and pain imaginable.
I’d always had a sensitive gut but due to chronic illness the situation got a heck of a lot worse. I would log my symptoms against a food diary, following strict elimination diets in order to keep a handle on things and supplement with various neutraceuticals to try and correct the imbalances that were underlying the issues.
It took me a long time to realise, though, that stress was a major component of the problem. Whilst I spent a lot of time racking my brains trying to figure out what food was the problem…. it eventually dawned on me that the missing link was the terrain itself, not just food!
I was eating one of the strictest diets at the time and failing to recognise that stress was a huge culprit; I had such a phobic relationship with food which was inciting anxiety and stress… causing a vicious cycle that meant no matter what I ate, I had digestive symptoms as a result.
The network of neurons in our gut (known as the enteric nervous system) can become hyperaroused due to stress and as a result you will be unable to digest your food properly. That’s why getting a handle of stress is PARAMOUNT to improving your digestion.
Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time nurturing my relationship with food because I believe that you could eat the healthiest diet in the world and you still experience gut issues if you are chronically stressed. The two go hand-in-hand, and so I urge you to pay focus to your mindset and stress levels as a key piece of the jigsaw puzzle that is IBS.”
Head on over to Lauren Windas Instagram page where you can be in for a chance to win a whole 12 week box of Symprove probiotic to help improve your gut health.
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