5 Secrets to Help Athletes Unlock Good Gut Health!

Gut health has recently become a hot topic. But unfortunately with any hot topic, there is bound to be misinformation in the media! Gut health often refers to the overall health of our digestive system with emphasis on our lower half (including: small and large intestines).

Gut health can be complex, and active people may face unique gut health challenges. In recent years, there has been more research on the athlete's gut microbiome and how it may differ from the general population. In addition, research has also been investigating key areas such as exercise induced gastrointestinal symptoms (ie: why endurance athletes may experience bloating, diarrhea etc, and what can be done). Because of the complexities involved, it's natural that you may have some questions:

"Does x supplement help?"

"Should I eat fibre? But I heard fibre will make you bloated..."

"What diet is the best for good gut health?"

"Why am I bloated?"

As a dietitian, those are just a few of the many things hear from clients.

Nutrition is often a huge part of gut health, and if you are not optimizing your nutrition, you will not reach your full potential. It is important to note that other areas can also influence our gut health such as mental health or medication use. So it is important to seek help from a healthcare professional if you are experiencing digestive discomfort.

But for the time being, here are 5 tips to help you unlock good gut health!

Tip #1 - Eat ENOUGH Calories

If you are trying to get leaner or lose weight, cutting calories might be one of the first things that crosses your mind! But, should you cut too many calories?

Calories from food provide our body with energy. By eating a low calorie diet, your body will not obtain as much energy. It is important to note that exercise is not the only thing that uses up energy. Our cells and organs also require energy in order to function - that includes our digestive organs. Even if we are sleeping, all of our bodies organ systems are still hard at work to ensure we are healthy.

So if we cut too many calories, our digestive system will adapt to function with less energy than what may be optimal. As a result, low calorie diets can lead to gas (often foul smelling), bloating or constipation.

Keep in mind, even if you aren't intentionally 'dieting' , if you are highly active, but not prioritizing your nutrition - you may be underfueling and could experience similar symptoms.

Tip #2 - Chew your food!

If you're are busy with work, academics or sports, you might find that you are quickly shoveling food between daily activities. But did you know that the mouth is the first place where our digestion occurs? Our saliva contains amylase which digestive enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates. Mechanical digestion also occurs when our teeth breaks our food into pieces while chewing - mechanically breaking down the food until we swallow.

So if we chew too fast, our food will not be as well digested when we swallow. As a result, other digestive organs will have to put in more work to digest the food to make up for what our mouth wasn't able to do. This can lead to cramping, abdominal pain or bloating.

Even if you are in a rush, take the time to chew your food well before swallowing.

Tip #3 - Make sure your pre-training nutrition is on point

What we eat before training can make a huge difference in our digestive health.

Carbohydrates should be a main component of our pre-training nutrition.

Some common mistakes I see people make include:

• Not prioritizing enough carbs

• Too much protein within a short time window prior

• Too much fat within a short time window prior

• Too much fibre within a short time window prior

• Excessive reliance on supplements or caffeine

I wrote an entire blog post about pre-training nutrition! Learn more about how to optimize it here!

Tip #4 - Use a Food and Symptom Journal

This includes documenting what you eat in a day, along with what (if any) symptoms you experience and when you notice them. This is an effective way to identify if a specific food is contributing to symptoms.

Food intolerance tests, also known as IgG tests are blood tests that claim to be able to identify food intolerances however a large body of evidence proves that they are not effective in identifying intolerances. Click here to see the position statement from the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. So one of the simplest ways to know if a certain food causes you digestive upset is by monitoring your intake and symptoms, and assessing trends.

If you are someone who finds logging your food intake to be a chore, it is important to know that what you eat is SO important! For example, there might be days where you don't enjoy the exercises in your training program, but you still do them because they will benefit you in the long run. Nutrition is the same way, so it is crucial that you prioritize your diet the same way you do with your training.

Tip #5 - Hit your Fibre target

Your protein target isn't the only thing you need to worry about hitting!

Getting enough fibre is also important - dietary fibre is important for both heart and digestive health. Some fibres can also act as a prebiotic, which help feed good gut bacteria. There are two main types of fibres:

Soluble: Absorbs water forming a gel. May help manage constipation and diarrhea.

• Potatoes

• Oats

• Flax seeds

• Chia seeds

• Oranges

• Avocado

Insoluble: Adds more bulk to stool, does not absorb water. Helps manage constipation.

• Corn

• Beans

• Lentils

• Whole grain products

• Cruciferous vegetables (ex: cauliflower, broccoli)

The daily recommended amount of fibre is 25 g/day for adult females, and 38 g/day for adult males. Most Canadians fail to meet half of these targets. If you are currently eating a low fibre diet, it is important to increase your intake gradually, rather than all at once. If your body isn't used to eating more fibre you may experience some cramping or discomfort. For example, this might look like starting to add flaxseeds into smoothies or other meals and then transitioning into swapping out some white flour products with whole grain products.

While your total daily fibre intake should be adequate, as mentioned above - having too much fibre within a short timeframe before training may lead to some digestive upset. So in other words, make sure you continue including high fibre foods throughout your day, but keep it lighter for your pre-training meal.

Knowing these tips is one thing, applying these tips is another. I am here to help you apply the necessary strategies, to help manage your health and ensure your performance and body composition are on pointn

Click this link to book a free discovery call so we can learn more about how we can work together!