Are you experiencing constant bloating, headaches, and fatigue?
Do you start feeling nauseated or feel bad after eating meals?
Have you visited doctors and taken medicines yet the problems don’t seem to subside?
Well, your food can be a trigger that is upsetting your gut health and causing all the discomfort.
Indeed, a healthy gut is not just about digestion, it is deeply connected with the immune system, mental health, and overall wellbeing. And certain food types may not be suitable for your gut. Which ultimately leads to indigestion, feelings of nausea, bloating, etc.
So how do you identify the hidden food triggers?
Here’s a guide to understanding what food works for you and better gut health!
Food sensitivities, Allergies, and Intolerance!
If certain food doesn’t suit our digestion system, we easily declare it with terms like allergy or intolerance. But did you know that there is a big difference between these terms? It is important to differentiate between these terms to understand the impact of certain foods on our body.
Food Sensitivities: When certain food items are absorbed too slowly or their impact on our body is too fast, this is called food sensitivity. They can impact our mood, digestion, skin, etc. For example – you might come across certain food that causes you acne within 24 hours.
Food Allergy: Certain foods can trigger an immune response almost immediately and can be severe. They can impact your skin, eyes, hands, etc in the form of rashes, itching, or stomach pain. Example – Peanuts or shrimp allergy.
Food Intolerance: Certain foods cause digestive issues because your body is unable to break them down. For example – lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, etc.
Hidden food triggers are mostly food sensitivities that are difficult to identify as they don’t show any immediate impact on the body and are absorbed over time.
Identifying hidden food triggers!
Identifying your food triggers can be tricky. It's not just about the fruits or vegetables you consume but also the oils, spices, or certain flavors that can be a trigger. And hence elimination is the best method to identify your food triggers. Here are some ways to practice understanding your food triggers.
Journaling: Make notes of food that you consumed 24 hours before you start feeling bloating, discomfort, stomach pain, etc. Once you start recording your experiences, it's easy to trace back common food patterns and episodes of gut problems to find out which food items have been your trigger.
Eliminate the identified food items: Once identified, eliminate these food items from your diet but keep journaling to find out more food or just understand if the gut health issues reduce. Focus on eliminating gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, eggs, corn, sugar, or processed foods to connect with your gut health issues.
Reintroduce: After you have eliminated the identified food items for a good 4 weeks, reintroduce the food to your diet for 3-5 days to understand if the problem persists. Journal your experiences during these 5 days too.
Evaluate: Analyze your journal to see if any food group, cuisine, or certain food types are triggering symptoms. If a specific food is causing issues, it is most likely a hidden trigger and should be eliminated from your diet.
Incorporate Gut friendly food
Gut health is the buzzword today and for all the right reasons. It takes care of overall health, digestive system, immune system, mental health, and body functioning too. And while some food items can impair your gut health, others help health the gut lining and balance the gut flora. Incorporating gut-friendly food into your diet ensures healing and balance.
Probiotics: Fermented food items like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, etc have beneficial bacteria for your gut
Prebiotics: It is important to feed the good bacteria in your gut and certain food items can be the food for your gut health. This includes bananas, garlic, onions etc.
Fiber-rich foods: Eat a fiber-rich diet that includes whole grains, sprouts, vegetables, and fruits to support healthy digestion and nutrient absorption.
RightLife App: Take care of your gut health!
Health requires a holistic and mindful approach. RightLife App is one of the best fitness apps that helps you understand your health, check your health status, and take proactive action on your health. Understanding the role of gut health in the primitive of health and well-being, RightLife App helps you identify your health concerns through self-health checks and recommends lifestyle and dietary changes to improve your health.
Upon evaluation of gut health problems, the RightLife App suggests lifestyle and dietary changes that can help you reduce common hidden food triggers from your diet and follow a more gut-friendly diet without having to constantly stress over it. The app helps you follow a healthy lifestyle through everyday exercises, dietary information, sleep routine, meditation, and health monitoring right at your fingertips. With so much guidance right into your phone, you can make use of the resources to follow a healthy and active lifestyle and reduce the risk of any underlying health concerns.
If you have been experiencing digestive issues, bloating, gastritis, acid reflux, heavy stomach, nausea, anxiety, etc due to certain food items, your gut health might be the concern you need to address. In this journey of evaluating your hidden food triggers, the RightLife App can be a valuable tool to make dietary changes, journal your food habits, and track your symptoms. Identify your food triggers and improve your gut health!
