You finished your SIBO treatment, so why are you still bloated, reactive, and stuck eating five foods?
In this episode of Love Your Gut, Dr. Heather shares what no one talks about after the “kill phase” of SIBO recovery ends. If you’ve tried antibiotics or antimicrobials, followed a low-FODMAP diet, and still don’t feel like yourself, it’s not because you failed. It’s because true healing happens in Phase 2: the rebuilding phase.
You’ll learn how to make your gut resilient again through food, lifestyle, digestion support, and terrain repair.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why symptoms often return post-SIBO treatment (and why that’s not a failure)
- How to repair your gut lining to reduce food reactivity
- Step-by-step guidance for reintroducing foods safely and strategically
- The truth about North-to-South digestion and what it means for motility
- How simple lifestyle shifts like sunlight, walking, and breathwork change the gut terrain
- The difference between healing and just treating
Resources & Links
- Take the Free "Why am I Bloated?" Quiz and identify what’s driving your symptoms (takes 2 minutes and gives you an action plan!)
- Apply for 1:1 support through gutTogether®
- Connect with Dr. Heather on Instagram
Win a Free HTMA Test + Consult with the gutTogether® team!
We’d love your help spreading the word!
Leave a quick rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, screenshot it, and email it to happygut@drheatherfinley.co with [PODCAST RATING] in the subject line.
You’ll be entered to win a free HTMA package (includes test + 1:1 results session)!
📌 Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss Part 4, where Dr. Heather shares real client recovery stories and what finally made the difference when nothing else had.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Heather Finley (00:03):
Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Heather Finley, registereddietitian and gut health
specialist.
I understand the frustration ofdealing with GI issues because
I've been there and I spent overtwo decades searching for
answers for my own gut issues ofconstipation, bloating, and
stomach pain.
I've dedicated my life tounderstanding and solving my own
(00:24):
gut issues.
And now I'm here to guide you.
On this podcast, I'll help youidentify the true root causes of
your discomfort.
So you can finally ditch yoursymptoms for good.
My goal is to empower you withthe knowledge and tools you need
so that you can love your gutand it will love you right back.
So if you're ready to learn alot, gain a deeper understanding
(00:46):
of your gut and find lastingrelief.
You are in the right place.
Welcome to the love your gutpodcast.
Welcome back to the next episodeof the Love Your Gut podcast.
We are diving into part three ofour SIBO and miniseries, and if
you've made it this far, thankyou.
I hope you're already seeing howmuch more there is to SIBO than
(01:09):
just bad bacteria in the wrongplace.
So just to quickly recap, if youhaven't listened to episode one
or two in this series, so thatwould be episode 74 and 75.
In episode one of this series,we talked about what SIBO
actually is, and moreimportantly, what it actually
isn't.
It's not just random overgrowth,it is symptoms of a deeper
(01:32):
imbalance.
And then in episode two, weunpacked SIBO testing the good,
the bad, what breath test canmiss.
We also talked about how toolslike the GI MAP and HTMA can
offer much more of a completepicture when it comes to your
gut terrain.
Especially when your symptomsdon't line up with your test
results.
So if you haven't listened tothose, I would highly recommend
(01:54):
pausing this, going back,listening to those two episodes,
because today we're diving intoreally probably the most
important piece of a plan, whichis often the most missed.
I'm actually recording thisepisode for a second time.
I recorded it a couple days ago,and to be honest, I just.
(02:15):
Maybe it's the perfectionist inme, but I just, I couldn't stop
thinking about it for like threedays.
I'm like, oh, I wanted to talkabout that.
Oh, I should have said that.
So I just decided to scrap itand start over.
So I hope you love today'sepisode.
Hopefully this is just take two,outta two.
But that's what we're gonna talkabout today is what do you do
(02:35):
once the SIBO protocol isactually done?
Because.
If you've been handedantimicrobial herbs, maybe
you're on Candibactin, Biocidin,oregano oil.
Nano scrub, et cetera, There'sso many or antibiotics.
Maybe you took Xifaxan Flagyl.
So many choices there as well.
(02:56):
Maybe you also followed a superstrict diet, but you might still
feel bloated, you might stillfeel really restricted, and you
might still feel mostimportantly, really frustrated.
So that's what I want to diginto today.
Because maybe you're terrifiedto add foods back in.
Maybe you finished your lastprotocol and thought, wait, why
(03:17):
do I still feel this way?
Or maybe you've been told thatyour SIBO is gone.
Maybe you did a repeat test andit was gone, but your gut still
hasn't caught up yet.
I have been there.
I remember years ago when I sawmy first more functional doctor.
I did a GI map or I think I wasactually a GI FX, I did a GI FX
(03:39):
with her.
I was doing the protocols thatshe was recommending.
I honestly was really unfamiliarwith the process and I actually,
the other day was cleaning outsome files and I found all my
old lab work from like 20 14, 2015, and it was so interesting
looking at it from the lens thatI have now.
(04:00):
And of course I had the mindsetof oh, I wish I would've known
this, or I wish I would've knownthat.
But it was honestly sointeresting to me because we get
so many clients and I just seeso much of myself in them, and
then I'm looking at my testresults going, oh, that's why,
that client reminds me of mebecause our tests actually had
(04:21):
some similar things, or thispiece reminds me of that.
So anyways, that's a tangent,but.
I remember years ago she had putme on this protocol.
It was pretty rough.
I had a lot of die off.
I was so focused on killing thisovergrowth.
At one point I was also takingantifungals.
I was doing like back-to-backprotocols.
I did herbals, like I said,antifungals, you name it.
(04:45):
And I thought that if I justkept doing that or if I hit it
harder, it would finally goaway.
And to be honest, she kind ofinstilled that in me as well.
And now looking back, I realizethat.
Where I went wrong because whenI ran another test, another
stool test, I don't even knowwhat the timeline is here, like
a couple months later, maybe ayear later, I found that my
(05:07):
beneficial bacteria werecompletely wiped out.
In case this is maybe newinformation, you have two to
five pounds of bacteria in yourgut, which is pretty wild and
trillions of them.
And not all of them are bad.
Bacteria are a normal part ofour body.
You have more bacteria than youdo have human cells, so we could
(05:30):
say that you're more bacteriathan you are human episode for
another time.
But what I found was that I hadno bifidobacteria.
My lactobacillus was low.
My akkermansia, which is akeystone strain of bacteria, was
low.
My per nzi was low.
And that's what we commonly seein our clients that have done
repeated SIBO protocols is.
Their beneficial flora is reallydepleted.
(05:51):
So I had basically just bombedmy entire garden.
Like nothing in my garden wasblooming.
I hadn't just killed the weeds,I had killed the flowers as
well.
So no wonder I was reacting tofoods.
I was still constipated.
I was still bloated.
I was still more exhausted thanbefore.
So that was the wake up call forme, that killing SIBO is not
(06:13):
just the first step or killingSIBO is the first step.
What really matters is actuallyhow you rebuild your gut after,
so that the overgrowth doesn'tcome back and your body actually
feels safe again.
So that's what this episode isall about is phase two of
recovery, how to rebuild a gutthat is resilient.
How to eat more than five foodsagain, and how to stop feeling
(06:35):
like you're always just one biteaway from another flare.
So you did the thing, youfinished the SIBO protocol, you
took the herbs, the antibiotics,the antimicrobials, whatever.
You cut out all the FODMAPs.
Maybe you even went fullelemental.
We get our handful of clientsthat have done multiple rounds
of elemental as well, and maybeare still bloated or worse.
(06:55):
Now you're reacting to foods younever reacted to before.
We see this a lot as well.
This is the part that no onewarns you about is killing
overgrowth doesn't automaticallyrestore function to your gut.
In fact, many SIBO treatments,especially when they're paired
with restrictive diets, canactually leave their own damage
behind.
(07:16):
If you think about it, antiantimicrobials are like broad
spectrum weed spray.
They don't just knock out thebad bugs.
They hit everything, especiallyif you do it for too long.
So a long-term low FODMAP diet,it starves the good guys like
bifidobacteria and akkermansia.
These are keystone strains ofbacteria for the mucus layer of
(07:38):
your gut and for the overallhealth of your gut.
These bacteria specifically.
Thrive on prebiotic fibers.
So now you've cleared someovergrowth, but your beneficial
microbes are depleted.
Your gut lining is thin andirritated, and your motility is
still sluggish.
So you might feel less bad, butyou don't feel well, and that's
(07:59):
because your gut is stillhealing from everything that
it's been through, and you mighteven feel worse in some cases.
And we tend to get clients likethat where they're like, okay,
I've treated SIBO six times,three times, whatever, with my
doctor.
This feels like a merry-go-roundthat I can't get off.
So let's talk about what's leftbehind.
Number one is a leaky gutlining.
(08:20):
You've probably heard the termleaky gut.
It's all over the internet.
I'm actually in this Facebookgroup for dieticians and someone
the other day posted about do weactually believe that leaky gut
is a thing?
And I'm like, I can't believewe're still here.
The clinical term for this isintestinal permeability.
You wanna think of yourintestinal lining, like a coffee
filter.
It's supposed to let nutrientsthrough and keep everything else
(08:42):
out, right?
Like you don't want a bunch ofchunky grounds in your coffee.
Same thing with your gut lining.
Inflammation, food restriction,stress, lack of sunlight, poor
mineral status, and evenbacterial imbalances in your gut
can punch holes in that filter.
You can also use the analogy oflike a cheese cloth.
So when that happens.
(09:03):
Things like LPSlipopolysaccharides, which are a
bacterial toxin, leak throughinto your bloodstream and
trigger immune reactions.
So you may not see that on atest, but you'll feel it.
More bloating, brain fog,fatigue, sensitivity to foods.
And so yes, leaky gut is real ifyou wanna have the clinical term
for it.
It's intestinal permeability,and it's incredibly common in
(09:26):
the post SIBO healing phase,especially if your digestion
higher up.
So your stomach acid, your bile,your enzymes, all the things
we've talked about on theprevious episodes were never
addressed.
The second thing that is leftbehind often is stalled
motility.
So the mal, the migrating motorcomplex doesn't just switch back
on after you take antibiotics.
(09:47):
This whole system has to beturned back online and you're
migrating.
Motor complex is kind of likeyour intestinal cleanup crew.
They come in after office hours,they sweep the floors, they take
out the trash.
That's what happens in betweenmeals.
If your minerals are depleted,your vagus nerve is underactive,
you're under a lot of stress.
(10:08):
Your motility will stay slow andslow.
Motility is Sibos best friend.
The last thing that I'll mentionhere, and there's many more, but
these are the top three that Iwanted to mention here on this
episode, is a depletedmicrobiome, which I've talked
about a little bit.
But after multiple rounds ofkilling, it's like you drained
the swamp.
You did not build back theecosystem.
(10:29):
You don't have diverse amountsof bacteria.
You don't have short chain fattyacid production, which is what
happens when your beneficialbacteria eat prebiotic fibers.
They produce short chain fattyacids, which are
anti-inflammatory to the gut, tothe brain.
Therefore, your gut has noresilience.
So when your next stressor hits,maybe you eat something new, you
(10:52):
try to add a food back in, Godforbid you get exposed to some
kind of pathogen.
You go, you're traveling, yourlife gets really stressful,
whatever, your gut just isn'tready.
So if you're still bloated aftertreatment, it doesn't mean your
SIBO always came back.
It could have, it might justmean that your healing was never
finished.
So your gut was cleared, but itwasn't rebuilt, and rebuilding
(11:15):
is exactly what you have to do.
So that you're no longer leaky,fragile, and reactive.
So once the overgrowth is gone,the gut lining is like a house
that just went through a storm.
The roof can be patched, but thedrywall's soaked, the wiring's
off.
The floorboards are squeaky.
You need more than just noleaks.
(11:35):
You need to fully rebuild, andthat's what this phase is all
about, is restoring thestructure.
And the function of your gutlining so you can actually
absorb nutrients.
I think we often forget that wethink of our gut as like how we
have a bowel movement, but it'salso where absorption happens.
So of course if you have GIissues, you, you might have
(11:56):
fatigue or skin issues orthyroid issues or other
autoimmune conditions because itaffects your immune system and
you're overreacting to everybite of food.
So let's dig into leaky gut alittle bit more.
Like I mentioned, it's kind oflike a coffee filter, a fine, my
strainer.
A cheesecloth, whatever you wantto, whatever is gonna be
(12:18):
helpful.
It's supposed to let digestednutrients through while keeping
bacteria, toxins, food particlesout of your bloodstream when
your gut is inflamed.
Maybe from stress, foodsensitivities, medications, even
like birth control can actuallycreate a leaky gut.
There's lots of other ones orantibiotics that mesh starts to
(12:40):
tear the holes, get bigger, junkgets through.
Your immune system is thensaying what is going on here?
And sounds the alarm.
And this is what leads to foodreactions, which is why you
think that food is actually theproblem.
But food is just another symptomof the problem.
But it's not just annoying,right?
(13:00):
It truly keeps you from healingbecause you're scared to eat and
it becomes a really viciouscycle.
So here are a couple tools thatyou wanna consider to rebuild
your gut lining, and this isgoing to be very individual.
I'm just gonna list off a couplethings that we use.
It's not a completelycomprehensive list, so please
don't use this to create yourown treatment plan and hope for
(13:22):
the best.
I would really encourage you towork with someone so that you
can actually figure out what'sgonna be best for you.
Okay.
But number one thing that wewant to do is obviously repair
the damage.
So different amino acids andnutrients can feed gut cells.
L-Glutamine is a really popularone.
This can be really helpful foryour gut lining.
(13:42):
It can help patch up theseholes.
Collagen, it's full of glycineand proline.
You can even get collagenthrough foods.
It doesn't always mean takinganother supplement butyrate.
Sometimes you may need a posto.
Sometimes we will use this tokind of bypass that process that
happens if you truly can'ttolerate a lot of fibers and
you're never getting any shortchain fatty acid production,
(14:05):
Allah, butyrate, we might needto supplement with that or use
butyrate rich foods like grassfed butter and gh.
This is a short chain fatty acidthat nourishes the colon,
supports the tight junctions.
It's also great for postantibiotic damage.
Another one that's reallypopular, which I have an entire
episode on, actually maybe twoepisodes on, is immunoglobulins.
(14:26):
These bind to leftover bacterialtoxins like LPS, so your immune
system doesn't go crazy.
So it's, it not only helpsrepair your gut lining, but it
also is like a gentle binder tohelp remove things that don't
belong.
Spore based probiotics can begreat.
They support microbial diversitywithout overwhelming your gut.
(14:46):
You may be pretty reactive tothese, so you might have to go
slow.
Sometimes when we've used sporeswith people, we have literally
had them open the capsules andlike lick a tiny piece, not even
get to a half a capsule.
As we're slowly introducingthese Omega-3 fatty acids are
great.
They reduce inflammation, theycan calm the immune response,
and then brush broer enzymes.
(15:08):
Think of these as like your gutfinishing tools.
They live on the microvilli.
Of your gut and they help breakdown the last bits of food.
So if your small intestine isdamaged you get fermentation,
you get poor absorption, you getbloating, poor nutrient
absorption.
(15:28):
So you can imagine your gutlining as like tiny carpet
fibers.
Those are the microvilli thathelp absorb nutrients.
So when it's inflamed, it's likesomeone just took off the top of
the carpet.
Ran a lawnmower over it andeverything is just completely
flattened.
So brush border enzymes helpkind of re fluff and restore
(15:48):
those so you can absorb what youeat.
That's where also reducinginflammation is really helpful.
Just to mention a coupleminerals that matter here,
minerals in general always aregonna matter, but you probably
see a lot of chitchat about zinccarnasine.
This is a specific form of zincthat is shown to protect the gut
(16:08):
lining and support healing.
My personal experience andopinion with this is that zinc
carnasine can be really helpful,but it's not necessarily
something that you wanna takeforever because zinc does impact
copper.
Many of our clients have lowzinc on HTMA after chronic
stress, or just years ofdigestive dysfunction, and so
that can be a big player there.
(16:32):
Interrupting this episode reallyquick to tell you about the
training that I am doing inmid-August.
If you are a health practitioneror a registered dietician, I
would absolutely love to haveyou at my two day training, the
gut fix that sticks.
This is a two hour training fortwo days in a row where we are
gonna be diving even more intothis process of.
(16:55):
How to actually heal and fixpeople's digestive symptoms.
So we are still in early birdpricing until August 1st.
So you can save 20 bucks.
And if you are a registereddietician, I am also submitting
it to count for CEUs.
So be sure to check out the linkin the show notes and save your
spot and look forward to seeingyou there.
(17:18):
And then the last piece ofcourse, and probably the most
important is nourishing andgentle foods.
So bone broth, aloe vera,slippery mt.
Steamed zucchini, steamedsquash.
Things are gonna be reallysoothing and easy for your gut
to digest.
These are your gut's, comfortfoods.
We want anti-inflammatory,soothing, easy to digest, start
(17:38):
low, go slow.
Your gut is rebuilding, so youhave to treat it that way.
It doesn't mean that you need tostart adding in all these foods.
On the first day, you can dothis really systematically.
So when your gut lining isrestored, you will absorb your
nutrients better, you'll reactless to food, you will feel less
(18:00):
bloated and foggy.
You will have the foundation tobring back more foods without
fear.
So speaking of food, next Iwanna talk about how to actually
reintroduce foods withoutsending yourself into a flare.
Let's try to not just continueon these restrictive diets that
are only making things worse andno one prepares you for this
(18:23):
part.
Is eating again, actuallybringing food back in.
Isn't that the whole point?
So that you're not on arestrictive diet for the rest of
your life, so that you're notthe person that's like, oh, I
can't eat that, or always theperson that they're having to
make accommodations for.
I spent way too many yearshaving people always ask me.
Oh, can Heather eat that?
(18:44):
And I'm so glad that I don'thave to be that person anymore.
So here's the truth.
Long term food restriction mayhelp symptoms in the short term,
but it causes more issues in thelong term from a nutrient
perspective, from a bacterialdiversity perspective, and even
from a mental healthperspective.
When you avoid foods for toolong, you're not just starving
(19:06):
your beneficial microbes.
You are also creating morestress with potentially what you
think you can and can't eat.
And without those beneficialbacteria, your gut terrain
becomes weak and more reactiveand fragile.
So here's where to start.
If the food reintroductionprocess is confusing, obviously
this is gonna be different foreverybody.
(19:26):
This is why food logging andsymptom tracking is such a huge
part of our VIP program becauseso many of our clients.
Need help actually adding foodsback in.
We don't calorie count, we don'tany of that.
Our clients have the ability togive us an idea of what they're
eating, and every week we givethem feedback on, here's what
(19:49):
you should add, here's how youcan do it.
Hey, I'm noticing this.
Let's make this little change.
And so they never have towonder, and they know that we're
working on adding those thingsback in because ultimately we
know that the greatest predictorof a healthy gut.
Is the variety of food that youcan eat.
It's not a probiotic, it's notanything else.
It's the variety of food thatyou can eat.
(20:10):
So here's where to start.
Number one is begin with lowfermentable training wheels, if
you will.
So cooked foods.
Don't be eating a ton of rawsalads if you can't tolerate
them.
Cooked zucchini, cooked carrots,cooked spinach, kiwi is great.
It's also really helpful formotility.
There's studies that show thattwo kiwis a day help with
(20:32):
constipation.
You can do sprouted oats,sprouted flowers, things that
are easy to digest, and they'regonna be less likely to trigger
a flare.
Then you can progress to maybemoderate fermentors or
polyphenol rich foods,blueberries, pomegranate seeds,
cocoa powder, olives, smallamounts of cooked onions,
(20:55):
asparagus tips.
sprouted grains like sourdoughif tolerated, those can help
refeed the beneficial strainslike bifidobacteria or a
akkermansia that got wiped outor that weren't even there.
We have done kind of our owninternal research, so this is
not a clinically like validatedresearch study, but we have done
(21:16):
this or seen this on testing formany of our clients.
So Akkermansia is one of the.
Keystone strains of bacteriathat I mentioned that we often
see low.
And what we started to notice isyou've probably seen that there
is an AKKERMANSIA probiotic onthe market, and I have nothing
against that probiotic, but wehad several clients that came to
(21:39):
us having taken Akkermansia, theprobiotic, and then we would do
a GI map on them and it was noteven detectable.
And they're like, how is thatpossible?
I've been taking this for 30,60, 90 days.
How is it not even detectable?
So what we did is we reallypushed polyphenol rich foods
with those clients.
(22:00):
So really deep, dark purple,like I said, blueberries,
pomegranate seeds, green tea,cocoa powder, and retested.
And guess what?
The Akkerman Sea was there,which shows that food is just
such an important piece.
You can take Akkermansia, but ifit doesn't have its fuel source,
of course it's not gonna take upresidence in your gut.
(22:21):
The next.
Thing that you wanna think aboutis adding in resistant starch
when you're ready.
So this can be cooked in cooledpotatoes, cooked in cooled rice,
lentils, in small amounts.
These will build butyratelevels.
They that will sootheinflammation.
It will tighten the gut lining.
Typically, resistant starch ispretty well tolerated,
especially if you're like, Icannot tolerate a lot of fiber.
(22:43):
Try a cooked and cooled potato,even if you reheat it.
It still remains, it stillmaintains its resistant starch
properties, so they are notprebiotic, but they act like
one, so that can be a greatthing.
The most important thing to keepin mind when introducing foods
is the 48 hour roll.
(23:05):
You can introduce a new foodevery 48 hours, keep everything
else consistent.
Definitely don't introduce foodson a day that you have like a
huge work deadline or otherstress in your life.
Mild gas or mild bloating is nota failure.
It's like muscle soreness aftera new workout, it means your
microbiome is adapting.
So if you feel pressure, alittle rumble, an increase in
(23:27):
bloating, that's actually normaland that's not necessarily a bad
thing.
So having support as you walkthrough some of those changes
can be really helpful.
If it's painful, it lasts morethan 24 hours.
It impacts your bowelsdrastically.
Then it can be worth slowingdown.
But some symptoms are not alwaysa bad thing.
(23:49):
It might just mean that you'rereally depleted and your gut
needs to get used to toleratingthese things again.
And that is a super importantmindset shift that we have to
work on with almost all of ourclients is not all symptoms are
necessarily bad.
So that's where a nervous systemregulation can play a big role.
Eat in a relaxed state, do acouple 4, 7, 8 breaths before
(24:11):
meals.
Hum or gargle hum.
Happy birthday twice.
That's my favorite tool to givepeople because it will make you
laugh.
It's really easy to remember,and if you have kids, they'll
love it too.
Go on a 10 minute walk post mealto help stimulate motility.
But the calmer your body is, theless reactive your gut will be
because digestion starts beforeyour first bite.
(24:33):
So some optional tools that youcould consider while
reintroducing.
Again, not medical advice.
Always work with a practitioner.
Digestive enzymes.
They can be helpful for harderto break down foods like legumes
or proteins.
You can, there's so many enzymesyou can work with someone to
help you figure out what wouldwork.
Bitters, or even just a littleapple cider vinegar before meals
(24:54):
if you don't have histamineissues to stimulate the stomach
acid and bile flow binders orimmunoglobulins if there's
lingering reactivity.
I love taking immunoglobulins,especially during cold and flu
season.
It's just a great kind of.
I don't know, insurance policy,a little bit against just stuff
that you're exposed to.
So the bottom line isreintroduction is a phase, not a
(25:16):
single day.
It's a practice in patience,curiosity, communication with
your body.
So you have to give patience andgive yourself grace and work
with the process and know thatnot all symptoms are necessarily
bad.
If you've been here for a while,you've probably heard me say
this.
(25:37):
That digestion happens north tosouth.
So from your brain to yourstomach, to your bile and
enzymes all the way to yourcolon, it is a chain reaction.
And if one part of that chainbreaks, everything suffers.
So this is especially importantafter SIBO protocol because most
people finish the kill phase andgo straight back to habits that
(25:57):
stall digestion.
And that's where creatingsustainable lifestyle habits to
support your gut long term arereally helpful.
Maybe you go back to eating toofast, grazing all day, skipping
protein, working through lunch.
Suddenly your symptoms comeback, not because your SIBO
relapsed, but because digestionnever really got rebooted from
the top down.
(26:17):
So let's walk through just aquick refresher on what optimal
digestion looks like and wheresupport is often missing
post-treatment.
So step one is brain andanticipation, right?
Your digestive system startsbefore you even eat.
You sit down, you smell yourfood, you breathe for a moment.
This signals your body to switchfrom stress mode to digest mode.
(26:39):
Next is stomach acid.
So stomach acid is going tosterilize your food.
It's going to break downprotein, trigger bile and enzyme
release.
Post antimicrobial protocols,acid is often low, especially if
you are stressed low in zinc,not eating enough protein.
So you can use bitters, you canchew thoroughly.
Support your minerals whateveryou need to do there.
(27:00):
Next is bile flow.
So bile is your naturalantimicrobial and fat digester.
On the last episode, you heardme talk about my daughter
calling your gallbladder a watergun.
And it's such a good analogybecause it's true.
Every time you eat a meal,especially one with fat, your
gallbladder shoots bile out.
And even if you don't have agallbladder, you still have vial
(27:23):
flow.
It's even more important.
So if your bile is sluggish,food will sit, it will ferment.
It will feed these upper gutbugs as well as the small
intestinal issues that you mighthave.
So again, support tools,bitters, touring,
phosphatidylcholine, oxil.
In some cases you don't wannaskip fats entirely.
(27:44):
You can just space them out,make sure you're chewing them
well et cetera.
Step four is enzyme output.
So your pancreas releasesenzymes to break down proteins,
carbs, fats, but it relies onall the previous steps to get
the signal.
So no acid, no bile, no bile, noenzymes, no enzymes.
Hello, bloating and undigestedfood.
(28:06):
All of these things go together,so make sure you're eating
enough protein.
Ginger can be really helpful.
Digestive enzymes, especially inthe temporary, especially if you
are testing shows that you havelower elastase.
And then step five.
Really the last piece ismotility.
So when food is broken down,well, it easily moves through
the gut.
(28:26):
When it's not, it sits, itferments, it starts this whole
cycle again.
So you can use pro kinetics.
Ginger's a easy cheap one.
There's lots of othermedications and supplements that
support motility that you canwork with your provider on.
But.
Just a quick analogy to kind oftie all of this together.
Digestion is like a luggagecheck at the airport, right?
(28:49):
If you don't tag your bag at thecounter, it won't make it to the
plane, it won't get unloaded,and it ends up spinning around
lost and fermenting and baggageclaim, right?
So your bag at the counters,your brain and your stomach,
your plane is your bile.
It won't get unloaded.
Your enzymes, and then it'sspinning around.
That's your bloating and yoursymptoms that you're having.
(29:10):
The takeaway here is supportingdigestion from the top down
because all the SIBO killing inthe world will not matter if
your digestive chain is stillbroken.
So the next step, I wanna justchat through a couple lifestyle
shifts that will actually helpyour gut to stay strong, because
it's not just about takingsupplements.
Food is a big piece as youheard, and lifestyle is a big
(29:34):
piece as well.
Let's chat through somethingthat surprises people is your
daily habits, your lightexposure, your sleep, your
rhythms, your breath.
Number one is morning light.
This is like a metabolic resetif you get outside within 30
minutes of waking even for fiveto 10 minutes.
This will help set yourcircadian rhythm.
(29:54):
It supports your thyroid health.
So if you have thyroid issues,this is a non-negotiable.
It regulates your hormones andcortisol.
If you struggle with sleep, gooutside in the morning.
I promise you it will help.
It will also improve your gutmotility by sinking your body
clock.
This sounds so elementary, butsometimes the tools we have at
our disposal like sunlight arevery, very undervalued.
(30:18):
So if you're someone who wakesup constipated, you can't sleep,
you're always cold.
This is one habit that you don'twanna skip.
Take your coffee outside,whatever you wanna do.
Try to get outside.
Okay, next step is walking aftermeals.
This is like built-in digestivesupport, a short walk.
It does not have to be a powerwalk.
It could literally be aleisurely stroll can activate
(30:38):
the vagus nerve.
I saw this trend like, oh, Idon't know, a while ago it was
on TikTok.
I think people were calling'emlike fart walks, which is like
kind of funny and crazy.
But it's true.
Like people will go walk aftermeals to help with digestion.
So if you wanna go do that,great.
It activates your vagus nerve,it stimulates bile flow.
(30:59):
It'll help support yourmigrating motor complex, and
it'll just give you some freshair, which is great.
So bonus points if you can do itwithout some headphones.
The next thing is nervous systemtone.
This is the ultimate digestivetrigger and the one where people
often shut down.
So please don't turn thisepisode off right now.
If your body doesn't feel safe,you won't digest.
(31:22):
You cannot digest if you'restuck in fight or flight.
So some simple, simple tools.
Humming, gargling, singing 4, 7,8, breathing.
Joyful movement.
Have a dance party with yourkids.
My kids love dancing to ShaniaTwain.
I know.
So funny.
But they love it, so we do it.
Celine Dion, also a fan favoriteat my house.
(31:45):
So whatever you like, turn iton.
And then connection, whetherthat's with a friend, a pet,
your journal, whoever yourspouse, have connection.
You don't need a 90 minutemeditation, you just need a
moment of calm or a laugh orsomething joyful built into your
day.
And then lastly, blood sugar,balance and sleep.
These are silent game changers.
(32:07):
Poor sleep and blood sugarcrashes are huge drivers of
inflammation and gutdysfunction.
So.
Eat protein when you wake up,try to get 20 to 30 grams to
anchor in your blood sugar forthe day.
This is honestly, if I'm beingfully transparent, this is one
of the habits that's the hardestfor me as a mom, is actually
prioritizing this within adecent amount of time of waking
(32:30):
up.
And so I've had to get creative,especially with a baby that I'm
still nursing.
Don't skip meals.
Your gut needs fuel to heal.
And then create a simple winddown routine at night.
Also, something I struggle withis turning screens off.
I recently found a red lightthat clips to my bed.
I love it.
I'll link it in the show notesin case you're interested.
(32:53):
Bon charge is the brand, but itjust like plugs in and is a
little red light.
So if I wanna read at night thatis a great option without having
the lights on.
Magnesium bath, a calm bodydigests way better than any
supplement ever can.
So.
If you are obsessing about whatsupplements to take, try to zoom
out and ask yourself, am Iresting?
(33:13):
Am I nourishing?
Am I letting my body feel safe?
That's really what createslasting gut resilience.
So let's wrap it up just withsome closing thoughts and just
next steps.
If you have made it throughmultiple SIBO protocols, but you
still feel bloated, reactive,stuck eating the same five
foods, please hear this.
(33:33):
It doesn't mean your treatmentfailed.
It means your healing isn't doneor it wasn't complete because
what comes after the killingphase is just as important, if
not more.
So let's recap what we covered.
Number one, your gut liningneeds to be repaired.
Your food reintroductions haveto happen.
They are necessary.
If we want to build diversity,you have to support digestion
(33:56):
from north to south and thenyour lifestyle.
This is not fluff.
Things like rest, walking,breath work.
These are a way to make your guta very unwelcoming place for
overgrowth, which is what wewant.
So you drain the swamp.
Now we need to rebuild theecosystem.
In part four of this series, I'mgonna be sharing a couple case
(34:19):
studies, especially someinteresting ones about clients
that had been told they hadsibo, didn't actually have sibo,
as well as people who hadtreated it multiple times.
So stay tuned for that.
It is one of the most inspiringepisodes, I think, especially if
you are in a situation whereeven if you don't have sibo, if
you just have recurrent bloatingand constipation and other GI
(34:42):
issues.
So make sure that you aresubscribed to the show.
If you are not subscribed, youwon't get notified about
episodes.
But also being subscribed to theshow also helps other people to
find the show.
Same thing with a rating orreview.
So.
I am going to bump up the,inspiration for a rating and
(35:04):
review because my podcast, to behonest, is probably the
favorite, my favorite thing thatI do, we have tons of free
resources.
We have blogs, we have Instagramposts, we have email
newsletters, we have TikTok.
Sometimes we have all thethings, but I absolutely love
doing this podcast, and so ifyou would help me out and leave
(35:25):
a rating and review.
That is a great way for ApplePodcasts to see, oh, other
people like the show.
So I'm gonna share it with morepeople.
So if you leave a rating andreview and you screenshot it,
you can email it to our supportemail, which I'll put in the
show notes.
It's just Happygut@drheatherfinley.co not com
Co.
(35:45):
And put in the subject linepodcast rating You will be
entered to win a free HTMApackage.
You have lots of chances to win,but go ahead and do that, and I
will be picking a winner.
So that will include you gettingyour own HTMA test as well as a
one-on-one consult with our teamto review the results and action
(36:06):
steps and what you can do.
So thank you so much for beinghere and learning something new
today.
I will see you back next week onpart four of this series.
Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Heather Finley, registereddietitian and gut health
specialist.
I understand the frustration ofdealing with GI issues because
I've been there and I spent overtwo decades searching for
answers for my own gut issues ofconstipation, bloating, and
stomach pain.
I've dedicated my life tounderstanding and solving my own
(00:24):
gut issues.
And now I'm here to guide you.
On this podcast, I'll help youidentify the true root causes of
your discomfort.
So you can finally ditch yoursymptoms for good.
My goal is to empower you withthe knowledge and tools you need
so that you can love your gutand it will love you right back.
So if you're ready to learn alot, gain a deeper understanding
(00:46):
of your gut and find lastingrelief.
You are in the right place.
Welcome to the love your gutpodcast.
Welcome back to the next episodeof the Love Your Gut podcast.
We are diving into part three ofour SIBO and miniseries, and if
you've made it this far, thankyou.
I hope you're already seeing howmuch more there is to SIBO than
(01:09):
just bad bacteria in the wrongplace.
So just to quickly recap, if youhaven't listened to episode one
or two in this series, so thatwould be episode 74 and 75.
In episode one of this series,we talked about what SIBO
actually is, and moreimportantly, what it actually
isn't.
It's not just random overgrowth,it is symptoms of a deeper
(01:32):
imbalance.
And then in episode two, weunpacked SIBO testing the good,
the bad, what breath test canmiss.
We also talked about how toolslike the GI MAP and HTMA can
offer much more of a completepicture when it comes to your
gut terrain.
Especially when your symptomsdon't line up with your test
results.
So if you haven't listened tothose, I would highly recommend
(01:54):
pausing this, going back,listening to those two episodes,
because today we're diving intoreally probably the most
important piece of a plan, whichis often the most missed.
I'm actually recording thisepisode for a second time.
I recorded it a couple days ago,and to be honest, I just.
(02:15):
Maybe it's the perfectionist inme, but I just, I couldn't stop
thinking about it for like threedays.
I'm like, oh, I wanted to talkabout that.
Oh, I should have said that.
So I just decided to scrap itand start over.
So I hope you love today'sepisode.
Hopefully this is just take two,outta two.
But that's what we're gonna talkabout today is what do you do
(02:35):
once the SIBO protocol isactually done?
Because.
If you've been handedantimicrobial herbs, maybe
you're on Candibactin, Biocidin,oregano oil.
Nano scrub, et cetera, There'sso many or antibiotics.
Maybe you took Xifaxan Flagyl.
So many choices there as well.
(02:56):
Maybe you also followed a superstrict diet, but you might still
feel bloated, you might stillfeel really restricted, and you
might still feel mostimportantly, really frustrated.
So that's what I want to diginto today.
Because maybe you're terrifiedto add foods back in.
Maybe you finished your lastprotocol and thought, wait, why
(03:17):
do I still feel this way?
Or maybe you've been told thatyour SIBO is gone.
Maybe you did a repeat test andit was gone, but your gut still
hasn't caught up yet.
I have been there.
I remember years ago when I sawmy first more functional doctor.
I did a GI map or I think I wasactually a GI FX, I did a GI FX
(03:39):
with her.
I was doing the protocols thatshe was recommending.
I honestly was really unfamiliarwith the process and I actually,
the other day was cleaning outsome files and I found all my
old lab work from like 20 14, 2015, and it was so interesting
looking at it from the lens thatI have now.
(04:00):
And of course I had the mindsetof oh, I wish I would've known
this, or I wish I would've knownthat.
But it was honestly sointeresting to me because we get
so many clients and I just seeso much of myself in them, and
then I'm looking at my testresults going, oh, that's why,
that client reminds me of mebecause our tests actually had
(04:21):
some similar things, or thispiece reminds me of that.
So anyways, that's a tangent,but.
I remember years ago she had putme on this protocol.
It was pretty rough.
I had a lot of die off.
I was so focused on killing thisovergrowth.
At one point I was also takingantifungals.
I was doing like back-to-backprotocols.
I did herbals, like I said,antifungals, you name it.
(04:45):
And I thought that if I justkept doing that or if I hit it
harder, it would finally goaway.
And to be honest, she kind ofinstilled that in me as well.
And now looking back, I realizethat.
Where I went wrong because whenI ran another test, another
stool test, I don't even knowwhat the timeline is here, like
a couple months later, maybe ayear later, I found that my
(05:07):
beneficial bacteria werecompletely wiped out.
In case this is maybe newinformation, you have two to
five pounds of bacteria in yourgut, which is pretty wild and
trillions of them.
And not all of them are bad.
Bacteria are a normal part ofour body.
You have more bacteria than youdo have human cells, so we could
(05:30):
say that you're more bacteriathan you are human episode for
another time.
But what I found was that I hadno bifidobacteria.
My lactobacillus was low.
My akkermansia, which is akeystone strain of bacteria, was
low.
My per nzi was low.
And that's what we commonly seein our clients that have done
repeated SIBO protocols is.
Their beneficial flora is reallydepleted.
(05:51):
So I had basically just bombedmy entire garden.
Like nothing in my garden wasblooming.
I hadn't just killed the weeds,I had killed the flowers as
well.
So no wonder I was reacting tofoods.
I was still constipated.
I was still bloated.
I was still more exhausted thanbefore.
So that was the wake up call forme, that killing SIBO is not
(06:13):
just the first step or killingSIBO is the first step.
What really matters is actuallyhow you rebuild your gut after,
so that the overgrowth doesn'tcome back and your body actually
feels safe again.
So that's what this episode isall about is phase two of
recovery, how to rebuild a gutthat is resilient.
How to eat more than five foodsagain, and how to stop feeling
(06:35):
like you're always just one biteaway from another flare.
So you did the thing, youfinished the SIBO protocol, you
took the herbs, the antibiotics,the antimicrobials, whatever.
You cut out all the FODMAPs.
Maybe you even went fullelemental.
We get our handful of clientsthat have done multiple rounds
of elemental as well, and maybeare still bloated or worse.
(06:55):
Now you're reacting to foods younever reacted to before.
We see this a lot as well.
This is the part that no onewarns you about is killing
overgrowth doesn't automaticallyrestore function to your gut.
In fact, many SIBO treatments,especially when they're paired
with restrictive diets, canactually leave their own damage
behind.
(07:16):
If you think about it, antiantimicrobials are like broad
spectrum weed spray.
They don't just knock out thebad bugs.
They hit everything, especiallyif you do it for too long.
So a long-term low FODMAP diet,it starves the good guys like
bifidobacteria and akkermansia.
These are keystone strains ofbacteria for the mucus layer of
(07:38):
your gut and for the overallhealth of your gut.
These bacteria specifically.
Thrive on prebiotic fibers.
So now you've cleared someovergrowth, but your beneficial
microbes are depleted.
Your gut lining is thin andirritated, and your motility is
still sluggish.
So you might feel less bad, butyou don't feel well, and that's
(07:59):
because your gut is stillhealing from everything that
it's been through, and you mighteven feel worse in some cases.
And we tend to get clients likethat where they're like, okay,
I've treated SIBO six times,three times, whatever, with my
doctor.
This feels like a merry-go-roundthat I can't get off.
So let's talk about what's leftbehind.
Number one is a leaky gutlining.
(08:20):
You've probably heard the termleaky gut.
It's all over the internet.
I'm actually in this Facebookgroup for dieticians and someone
the other day posted about do weactually believe that leaky gut
is a thing?
And I'm like, I can't believewe're still here.
The clinical term for this isintestinal permeability.
You wanna think of yourintestinal lining, like a coffee
filter.
It's supposed to let nutrientsthrough and keep everything else
(08:42):
out, right?
Like you don't want a bunch ofchunky grounds in your coffee.
Same thing with your gut lining.
Inflammation, food restriction,stress, lack of sunlight, poor
mineral status, and evenbacterial imbalances in your gut
can punch holes in that filter.
You can also use the analogy oflike a cheese cloth.
So when that happens.
(09:03):
Things like LPSlipopolysaccharides, which are a
bacterial toxin, leak throughinto your bloodstream and
trigger immune reactions.
So you may not see that on atest, but you'll feel it.
More bloating, brain fog,fatigue, sensitivity to foods.
And so yes, leaky gut is real ifyou wanna have the clinical term
for it.
It's intestinal permeability,and it's incredibly common in
(09:26):
the post SIBO healing phase,especially if your digestion
higher up.
So your stomach acid, your bile,your enzymes, all the things
we've talked about on theprevious episodes were never
addressed.
The second thing that is leftbehind often is stalled
motility.
So the mal, the migrating motorcomplex doesn't just switch back
on after you take antibiotics.
(09:47):
This whole system has to beturned back online and you're
migrating.
Motor complex is kind of likeyour intestinal cleanup crew.
They come in after office hours,they sweep the floors, they take
out the trash.
That's what happens in betweenmeals.
If your minerals are depleted,your vagus nerve is underactive,
you're under a lot of stress.
(10:08):
Your motility will stay slow andslow.
Motility is Sibos best friend.
The last thing that I'll mentionhere, and there's many more, but
these are the top three that Iwanted to mention here on this
episode, is a depletedmicrobiome, which I've talked
about a little bit.
But after multiple rounds ofkilling, it's like you drained
the swamp.
You did not build back theecosystem.
(10:29):
You don't have diverse amountsof bacteria.
You don't have short chain fattyacid production, which is what
happens when your beneficialbacteria eat prebiotic fibers.
They produce short chain fattyacids, which are
anti-inflammatory to the gut, tothe brain.
Therefore, your gut has noresilience.
So when your next stressor hits,maybe you eat something new, you
(10:52):
try to add a food back in, Godforbid you get exposed to some
kind of pathogen.
You go, you're traveling, yourlife gets really stressful,
whatever, your gut just isn'tready.
So if you're still bloated aftertreatment, it doesn't mean your
SIBO always came back.
It could have, it might justmean that your healing was never
finished.
So your gut was cleared, but itwasn't rebuilt, and rebuilding
(11:15):
is exactly what you have to do.
So that you're no longer leaky,fragile, and reactive.
So once the overgrowth is gone,the gut lining is like a house
that just went through a storm.
The roof can be patched, but thedrywall's soaked, the wiring's
off.
The floorboards are squeaky.
You need more than just noleaks.
(11:35):
You need to fully rebuild, andthat's what this phase is all
about, is restoring thestructure.
And the function of your gutlining so you can actually
absorb nutrients.
I think we often forget that wethink of our gut as like how we
have a bowel movement, but it'salso where absorption happens.
So of course if you have GIissues, you, you might have
(11:56):
fatigue or skin issues orthyroid issues or other
autoimmune conditions because itaffects your immune system and
you're overreacting to everybite of food.
So let's dig into leaky gut alittle bit more.
Like I mentioned, it's kind oflike a coffee filter, a fine, my
strainer.
A cheesecloth, whatever you wantto, whatever is gonna be
(12:18):
helpful.
It's supposed to let digestednutrients through while keeping
bacteria, toxins, food particlesout of your bloodstream when
your gut is inflamed.
Maybe from stress, foodsensitivities, medications, even
like birth control can actuallycreate a leaky gut.
There's lots of other ones orantibiotics that mesh starts to
(12:40):
tear the holes, get bigger, junkgets through.
Your immune system is thensaying what is going on here?
And sounds the alarm.
And this is what leads to foodreactions, which is why you
think that food is actually theproblem.
But food is just another symptomof the problem.
But it's not just annoying,right?
(13:00):
It truly keeps you from healingbecause you're scared to eat and
it becomes a really viciouscycle.
So here are a couple tools thatyou wanna consider to rebuild
your gut lining, and this isgoing to be very individual.
I'm just gonna list off a couplethings that we use.
It's not a completelycomprehensive list, so please
don't use this to create yourown treatment plan and hope for
(13:22):
the best.
I would really encourage you towork with someone so that you
can actually figure out what'sgonna be best for you.
Okay.
But number one thing that wewant to do is obviously repair
the damage.
So different amino acids andnutrients can feed gut cells.
L-Glutamine is a really popularone.
This can be really helpful foryour gut lining.
(13:42):
It can help patch up theseholes.
Collagen, it's full of glycineand proline.
You can even get collagenthrough foods.
It doesn't always mean takinganother supplement butyrate.
Sometimes you may need a posto.
Sometimes we will use this tokind of bypass that process that
happens if you truly can'ttolerate a lot of fibers and
you're never getting any shortchain fatty acid production,
(14:05):
Allah, butyrate, we might needto supplement with that or use
butyrate rich foods like grassfed butter and gh.
This is a short chain fatty acidthat nourishes the colon,
supports the tight junctions.
It's also great for postantibiotic damage.
Another one that's reallypopular, which I have an entire
episode on, actually maybe twoepisodes on, is immunoglobulins.
(14:26):
These bind to leftover bacterialtoxins like LPS, so your immune
system doesn't go crazy.
So it's, it not only helpsrepair your gut lining, but it
also is like a gentle binder tohelp remove things that don't
belong.
Spore based probiotics can begreat.
They support microbial diversitywithout overwhelming your gut.
(14:46):
You may be pretty reactive tothese, so you might have to go
slow.
Sometimes when we've used sporeswith people, we have literally
had them open the capsules andlike lick a tiny piece, not even
get to a half a capsule.
As we're slowly introducingthese Omega-3 fatty acids are
great.
They reduce inflammation, theycan calm the immune response,
and then brush broer enzymes.
(15:08):
Think of these as like your gutfinishing tools.
They live on the microvilli.
Of your gut and they help breakdown the last bits of food.
So if your small intestine isdamaged you get fermentation,
you get poor absorption, you getbloating, poor nutrient
absorption.
(15:28):
So you can imagine your gutlining as like tiny carpet
fibers.
Those are the microvilli thathelp absorb nutrients.
So when it's inflamed, it's likesomeone just took off the top of
the carpet.
Ran a lawnmower over it andeverything is just completely
flattened.
So brush border enzymes helpkind of re fluff and restore
(15:48):
those so you can absorb what youeat.
That's where also reducinginflammation is really helpful.
Just to mention a coupleminerals that matter here,
minerals in general always aregonna matter, but you probably
see a lot of chitchat about zinccarnasine.
This is a specific form of zincthat is shown to protect the gut
(16:08):
lining and support healing.
My personal experience andopinion with this is that zinc
carnasine can be really helpful,but it's not necessarily
something that you wanna takeforever because zinc does impact
copper.
Many of our clients have lowzinc on HTMA after chronic
stress, or just years ofdigestive dysfunction, and so
that can be a big player there.
(16:32):
Interrupting this episode reallyquick to tell you about the
training that I am doing inmid-August.
If you are a health practitioneror a registered dietician, I
would absolutely love to haveyou at my two day training, the
gut fix that sticks.
This is a two hour training fortwo days in a row where we are
gonna be diving even more intothis process of.
(16:55):
How to actually heal and fixpeople's digestive symptoms.
So we are still in early birdpricing until August 1st.
So you can save 20 bucks.
And if you are a registereddietician, I am also submitting
it to count for CEUs.
So be sure to check out the linkin the show notes and save your
spot and look forward to seeingyou there.
(17:18):
And then the last piece ofcourse, and probably the most
important is nourishing andgentle foods.
So bone broth, aloe vera,slippery mt.
Steamed zucchini, steamedsquash.
Things are gonna be reallysoothing and easy for your gut
to digest.
These are your gut's, comfortfoods.
We want anti-inflammatory,soothing, easy to digest, start
(17:38):
low, go slow.
Your gut is rebuilding, so youhave to treat it that way.
It doesn't mean that you need tostart adding in all these foods.
On the first day, you can dothis really systematically.
So when your gut lining isrestored, you will absorb your
nutrients better, you'll reactless to food, you will feel less
(18:00):
bloated and foggy.
You will have the foundation tobring back more foods without
fear.
So speaking of food, next Iwanna talk about how to actually
reintroduce foods withoutsending yourself into a flare.
Let's try to not just continueon these restrictive diets that
are only making things worse andno one prepares you for this
(18:23):
part.
Is eating again, actuallybringing food back in.
Isn't that the whole point?
So that you're not on arestrictive diet for the rest of
your life, so that you're notthe person that's like, oh, I
can't eat that, or always theperson that they're having to
make accommodations for.
I spent way too many yearshaving people always ask me.
Oh, can Heather eat that?
(18:44):
And I'm so glad that I don'thave to be that person anymore.
So here's the truth.
Long term food restriction mayhelp symptoms in the short term,
but it causes more issues in thelong term from a nutrient
perspective, from a bacterialdiversity perspective, and even
from a mental healthperspective.
When you avoid foods for toolong, you're not just starving
(19:06):
your beneficial microbes.
You are also creating morestress with potentially what you
think you can and can't eat.
And without those beneficialbacteria, your gut terrain
becomes weak and more reactiveand fragile.
So here's where to start.
If the food reintroductionprocess is confusing, obviously
this is gonna be different foreverybody.
(19:26):
This is why food logging andsymptom tracking is such a huge
part of our VIP program becauseso many of our clients.
Need help actually adding foodsback in.
We don't calorie count, we don'tany of that.
Our clients have the ability togive us an idea of what they're
eating, and every week we givethem feedback on, here's what
(19:49):
you should add, here's how youcan do it.
Hey, I'm noticing this.
Let's make this little change.
And so they never have towonder, and they know that we're
working on adding those thingsback in because ultimately we
know that the greatest predictorof a healthy gut.
Is the variety of food that youcan eat.
It's not a probiotic, it's notanything else.
It's the variety of food thatyou can eat.
(20:10):
So here's where to start.
Number one is begin with lowfermentable training wheels, if
you will.
So cooked foods.
Don't be eating a ton of rawsalads if you can't tolerate
them.
Cooked zucchini, cooked carrots,cooked spinach, kiwi is great.
It's also really helpful formotility.
There's studies that show thattwo kiwis a day help with
(20:32):
constipation.
You can do sprouted oats,sprouted flowers, things that
are easy to digest, and they'regonna be less likely to trigger
a flare.
Then you can progress to maybemoderate fermentors or
polyphenol rich foods,blueberries, pomegranate seeds,
cocoa powder, olives, smallamounts of cooked onions,
(20:55):
asparagus tips.
sprouted grains like sourdoughif tolerated, those can help
refeed the beneficial strainslike bifidobacteria or a
akkermansia that got wiped outor that weren't even there.
We have done kind of our owninternal research, so this is
not a clinically like validatedresearch study, but we have done
(21:16):
this or seen this on testing formany of our clients.
So Akkermansia is one of the.
Keystone strains of bacteriathat I mentioned that we often
see low.
And what we started to notice isyou've probably seen that there
is an AKKERMANSIA probiotic onthe market, and I have nothing
against that probiotic, but wehad several clients that came to
(21:39):
us having taken Akkermansia, theprobiotic, and then we would do
a GI map on them and it was noteven detectable.
And they're like, how is thatpossible?
I've been taking this for 30,60, 90 days.
How is it not even detectable?
So what we did is we reallypushed polyphenol rich foods
with those clients.
(22:00):
So really deep, dark purple,like I said, blueberries,
pomegranate seeds, green tea,cocoa powder, and retested.
And guess what?
The Akkerman Sea was there,which shows that food is just
such an important piece.
You can take Akkermansia, but ifit doesn't have its fuel source,
of course it's not gonna take upresidence in your gut.
(22:21):
The next.
Thing that you wanna think aboutis adding in resistant starch
when you're ready.
So this can be cooked in cooledpotatoes, cooked in cooled rice,
lentils, in small amounts.
These will build butyratelevels.
They that will sootheinflammation.
It will tighten the gut lining.
Typically, resistant starch ispretty well tolerated,
especially if you're like, Icannot tolerate a lot of fiber.
(22:43):
Try a cooked and cooled potato,even if you reheat it.
It still remains, it stillmaintains its resistant starch
properties, so they are notprebiotic, but they act like
one, so that can be a greatthing.
The most important thing to keepin mind when introducing foods
is the 48 hour roll.
(23:05):
You can introduce a new foodevery 48 hours, keep everything
else consistent.
Definitely don't introduce foodson a day that you have like a
huge work deadline or otherstress in your life.
Mild gas or mild bloating is nota failure.
It's like muscle soreness aftera new workout, it means your
microbiome is adapting.
So if you feel pressure, alittle rumble, an increase in
(23:27):
bloating, that's actually normaland that's not necessarily a bad
thing.
So having support as you walkthrough some of those changes
can be really helpful.
If it's painful, it lasts morethan 24 hours.
It impacts your bowelsdrastically.
Then it can be worth slowingdown.
But some symptoms are not alwaysa bad thing.
(23:49):
It might just mean that you'rereally depleted and your gut
needs to get used to toleratingthese things again.
And that is a super importantmindset shift that we have to
work on with almost all of ourclients is not all symptoms are
necessarily bad.
So that's where a nervous systemregulation can play a big role.
Eat in a relaxed state, do acouple 4, 7, 8 breaths before
(24:11):
meals.
Hum or gargle hum.
Happy birthday twice.
That's my favorite tool to givepeople because it will make you
laugh.
It's really easy to remember,and if you have kids, they'll
love it too.
Go on a 10 minute walk post mealto help stimulate motility.
But the calmer your body is, theless reactive your gut will be
because digestion starts beforeyour first bite.
(24:33):
So some optional tools that youcould consider while
reintroducing.
Again, not medical advice.
Always work with a practitioner.
Digestive enzymes.
They can be helpful for harderto break down foods like legumes
or proteins.
You can, there's so many enzymesyou can work with someone to
help you figure out what wouldwork.
Bitters, or even just a littleapple cider vinegar before meals
(24:54):
if you don't have histamineissues to stimulate the stomach
acid and bile flow binders orimmunoglobulins if there's
lingering reactivity.
I love taking immunoglobulins,especially during cold and flu
season.
It's just a great kind of.
I don't know, insurance policy,a little bit against just stuff
that you're exposed to.
So the bottom line isreintroduction is a phase, not a
(25:16):
single day.
It's a practice in patience,curiosity, communication with
your body.
So you have to give patience andgive yourself grace and work
with the process and know thatnot all symptoms are necessarily
bad.
If you've been here for a while,you've probably heard me say
this.
(25:37):
That digestion happens north tosouth.
So from your brain to yourstomach, to your bile and
enzymes all the way to yourcolon, it is a chain reaction.
And if one part of that chainbreaks, everything suffers.
So this is especially importantafter SIBO protocol because most
people finish the kill phase andgo straight back to habits that
(25:57):
stall digestion.
And that's where creatingsustainable lifestyle habits to
support your gut long term arereally helpful.
Maybe you go back to eating toofast, grazing all day, skipping
protein, working through lunch.
Suddenly your symptoms comeback, not because your SIBO
relapsed, but because digestionnever really got rebooted from
the top down.
(26:17):
So let's walk through just aquick refresher on what optimal
digestion looks like and wheresupport is often missing
post-treatment.
So step one is brain andanticipation, right?
Your digestive system startsbefore you even eat.
You sit down, you smell yourfood, you breathe for a moment.
This signals your body to switchfrom stress mode to digest mode.
(26:39):
Next is stomach acid.
So stomach acid is going tosterilize your food.
It's going to break downprotein, trigger bile and enzyme
release.
Post antimicrobial protocols,acid is often low, especially if
you are stressed low in zinc,not eating enough protein.
So you can use bitters, you canchew thoroughly.
Support your minerals whateveryou need to do there.
(27:00):
Next is bile flow.
So bile is your naturalantimicrobial and fat digester.
On the last episode, you heardme talk about my daughter
calling your gallbladder a watergun.
And it's such a good analogybecause it's true.
Every time you eat a meal,especially one with fat, your
gallbladder shoots bile out.
And even if you don't have agallbladder, you still have vial
(27:23):
flow.
It's even more important.
So if your bile is sluggish,food will sit, it will ferment.
It will feed these upper gutbugs as well as the small
intestinal issues that you mighthave.
So again, support tools,bitters, touring,
phosphatidylcholine, oxil.
In some cases you don't wannaskip fats entirely.
(27:44):
You can just space them out,make sure you're chewing them
well et cetera.
Step four is enzyme output.
So your pancreas releasesenzymes to break down proteins,
carbs, fats, but it relies onall the previous steps to get
the signal.
So no acid, no bile, no bile, noenzymes, no enzymes.
Hello, bloating and undigestedfood.
(28:06):
All of these things go together,so make sure you're eating
enough protein.
Ginger can be really helpful.
Digestive enzymes, especially inthe temporary, especially if you
are testing shows that you havelower elastase.
And then step five.
Really the last piece ismotility.
So when food is broken down,well, it easily moves through
the gut.
(28:26):
When it's not, it sits, itferments, it starts this whole
cycle again.
So you can use pro kinetics.
Ginger's a easy cheap one.
There's lots of othermedications and supplements that
support motility that you canwork with your provider on.
But.
Just a quick analogy to kind oftie all of this together.
Digestion is like a luggagecheck at the airport, right?
(28:49):
If you don't tag your bag at thecounter, it won't make it to the
plane, it won't get unloaded,and it ends up spinning around
lost and fermenting and baggageclaim, right?
So your bag at the counters,your brain and your stomach,
your plane is your bile.
It won't get unloaded.
Your enzymes, and then it'sspinning around.
That's your bloating and yoursymptoms that you're having.
(29:10):
The takeaway here is supportingdigestion from the top down
because all the SIBO killing inthe world will not matter if
your digestive chain is stillbroken.
So the next step, I wanna justchat through a couple lifestyle
shifts that will actually helpyour gut to stay strong, because
it's not just about takingsupplements.
Food is a big piece as youheard, and lifestyle is a big
(29:34):
piece as well.
Let's chat through somethingthat surprises people is your
daily habits, your lightexposure, your sleep, your
rhythms, your breath.
Number one is morning light.
This is like a metabolic resetif you get outside within 30
minutes of waking even for fiveto 10 minutes.
This will help set yourcircadian rhythm.
(29:54):
It supports your thyroid health.
So if you have thyroid issues,this is a non-negotiable.
It regulates your hormones andcortisol.
If you struggle with sleep, gooutside in the morning.
I promise you it will help.
It will also improve your gutmotility by sinking your body
clock.
This sounds so elementary, butsometimes the tools we have at
our disposal like sunlight arevery, very undervalued.
(30:18):
So if you're someone who wakesup constipated, you can't sleep,
you're always cold.
This is one habit that you don'twanna skip.
Take your coffee outside,whatever you wanna do.
Try to get outside.
Okay, next step is walking aftermeals.
This is like built-in digestivesupport, a short walk.
It does not have to be a powerwalk.
It could literally be aleisurely stroll can activate
(30:38):
the vagus nerve.
I saw this trend like, oh, Idon't know, a while ago it was
on TikTok.
I think people were calling'emlike fart walks, which is like
kind of funny and crazy.
But it's true.
Like people will go walk aftermeals to help with digestion.
So if you wanna go do that,great.
It activates your vagus nerve,it stimulates bile flow.
(30:59):
It'll help support yourmigrating motor complex, and
it'll just give you some freshair, which is great.
So bonus points if you can do itwithout some headphones.
The next thing is nervous systemtone.
This is the ultimate digestivetrigger and the one where people
often shut down.
So please don't turn thisepisode off right now.
If your body doesn't feel safe,you won't digest.
(31:22):
You cannot digest if you'restuck in fight or flight.
So some simple, simple tools.
Humming, gargling, singing 4, 7,8, breathing.
Joyful movement.
Have a dance party with yourkids.
My kids love dancing to ShaniaTwain.
I know.
So funny.
But they love it, so we do it.
Celine Dion, also a fan favoriteat my house.
(31:45):
So whatever you like, turn iton.
And then connection, whetherthat's with a friend, a pet,
your journal, whoever yourspouse, have connection.
You don't need a 90 minutemeditation, you just need a
moment of calm or a laugh orsomething joyful built into your
day.
And then lastly, blood sugar,balance and sleep.
These are silent game changers.
(32:07):
Poor sleep and blood sugarcrashes are huge drivers of
inflammation and gutdysfunction.
So.
Eat protein when you wake up,try to get 20 to 30 grams to
anchor in your blood sugar forthe day.
This is honestly, if I'm beingfully transparent, this is one
of the habits that's the hardestfor me as a mom, is actually
prioritizing this within adecent amount of time of waking
(32:30):
up.
And so I've had to get creative,especially with a baby that I'm
still nursing.
Don't skip meals.
Your gut needs fuel to heal.
And then create a simple winddown routine at night.
Also, something I struggle withis turning screens off.
I recently found a red lightthat clips to my bed.
I love it.
I'll link it in the show notesin case you're interested.
(32:53):
Bon charge is the brand, but itjust like plugs in and is a
little red light.
So if I wanna read at night thatis a great option without having
the lights on.
Magnesium bath, a calm bodydigests way better than any
supplement ever can.
So.
If you are obsessing about whatsupplements to take, try to zoom
out and ask yourself, am Iresting?
(33:13):
Am I nourishing?
Am I letting my body feel safe?
That's really what createslasting gut resilience.
So let's wrap it up just withsome closing thoughts and just
next steps.
If you have made it throughmultiple SIBO protocols, but you
still feel bloated, reactive,stuck eating the same five
foods, please hear this.
(33:33):
It doesn't mean your treatmentfailed.
It means your healing isn't doneor it wasn't complete because
what comes after the killingphase is just as important, if
not more.
So let's recap what we covered.
Number one, your gut liningneeds to be repaired.
Your food reintroductions haveto happen.
They are necessary.
If we want to build diversity,you have to support digestion
(33:56):
from north to south and thenyour lifestyle.
This is not fluff.
Things like rest, walking,breath work.
These are a way to make your guta very unwelcoming place for
overgrowth, which is what wewant.
So you drain the swamp.
Now we need to rebuild theecosystem.
In part four of this series, I'mgonna be sharing a couple case
(34:19):
studies, especially someinteresting ones about clients
that had been told they hadsibo, didn't actually have sibo,
as well as people who hadtreated it multiple times.
So stay tuned for that.
It is one of the most inspiringepisodes, I think, especially if
you are in a situation whereeven if you don't have sibo, if
you just have recurrent bloatingand constipation and other GI
(34:42):
issues.
So make sure that you aresubscribed to the show.
If you are not subscribed, youwon't get notified about
episodes.
But also being subscribed to theshow also helps other people to
find the show.
Same thing with a rating orreview.
So.
I am going to bump up the,inspiration for a rating and
(35:04):
review because my podcast, to behonest, is probably the
favorite, my favorite thing thatI do, we have tons of free
resources.
We have blogs, we have Instagramposts, we have email
newsletters, we have TikTok.
Sometimes we have all thethings, but I absolutely love
doing this podcast, and so ifyou would help me out and leave
(35:25):
a rating and review.
That is a great way for ApplePodcasts to see, oh, other
people like the show.
So I'm gonna share it with morepeople.
So if you leave a rating andreview and you screenshot it,
you can email it to our supportemail, which I'll put in the
show notes.
It's just Happygut@drheatherfinley.co not com
Co.
(35:45):
And put in the subject linepodcast rating You will be
entered to win a free HTMApackage.
You have lots of chances to win,but go ahead and do that, and I
will be picking a winner.
So that will include you gettingyour own HTMA test as well as a
one-on-one consult with our teamto review the results and action
(36:06):
steps and what you can do.
So thank you so much for beinghere and learning something new
today.
I will see you back next week onpart four of this series.
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