I talk about gut health a LOT... So you might be wondering just how healthy yours is. Especially because it has such a big impact on almost every aspect of our overall health, including our immune system, allergies and sensitivities, autoimmunity and even our weight. And while we can do proper functional lab tests to identify conditions like SIBO, Leaky Gut, dysbiosis and infections like parasites, candida and bad bacteria, there are a few DIY Gut Health Tests you can do at home to get an idea of the state of your gut health and see if there are clues about whether you need proper testing.

I don’t eat dairy. I don’t hate dairy either. It just doesn’t agree with me. But that wasn’t always the case. Six years ago I was drinking milk for breakfast, eating yoghurt for a morning snack and munching my way through multiple serves of cheese every day. But, I was also chronically constipated, had horrible skin and a constantly running nose.

A Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) sucks. They are uncomfortable, painful and make it hard to keep up with everyday life. BUT, they are beatable and the good news is you can successfully get rid of a UTI without the gut-destroying antibiotics I once thought were my only option. And, I am going to share with you my approach to UTI treatment without antibiotics that actually works. It's an all natural protocol that I use with myself and my clients with great results.

The term ‘Adrenal Fatigue’ might have been thrown around a lot lately but that doesn’t mean the actual condition isn’t very real and very debilitating. While IBS-type symptoms let you know that your digestive system isn’t happy, the symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue make you feel like you are falling off a cliff. You are tired, completely worn out and can’t retain your usual energy levels, no matter what you do. Through my own journey, and those of my clients, with both Adrenal Fatigue and IBS, I’ve learnt a lot about the often overlooked connection between these two misunderstood conditions.

Have you ever followed a healing diet like Paleo, SCD, GAPS or low-FODMAP to control your IBS symptoms? You might have felt great for a while, and then found that your gut symptoms came creeping back. And you felt like a complete failure because these diets are supposed to control IBS, right!?! What if I told you that no matter how perfectly you stick to that diet it isn’t going to work on its own if a hidden gut infection is the root cause of your IBS.

While using antibiotics is never ideal, there can be times when they are absolutely essential. Like getting a UTI on day 2 of a 7 day boat cruise around the Galapagos! But don’t worry, if this is you, all hope is not lost. It’s likely to take time and little bit of effort, but there are proven things you can do both during and after antibiotic treatment to reduce the damage, avoid IBS flare-ups and follow-on conditions that come with having your gut destroyed by antibiotics.

It was a Tuesday afternoon and I should have been at work.  Instead I was on the couch, again, in the fetal position feeling fatigued and crampy. The biggest question on my mind, “Why me? I’m trying so hard to do everything right!” I had started to rid my gut of a bunch of parasites and bad bacteria, and I was eating exceptionally healthy and hitting the gym (hard) 5-6 times a week. But gut healing just wasn’t happening and I’d added a ridiculous 10 kg’s and two stretchy-pants sizes in less than two months on my strict regime.

I know, I know, the term ‘leaky gut’ sounds like something that happens after a dodgy vindaloo. But it’s just shorthand for what we call ‘intestinal hyper-permeability’, a hidden condition that is affecting millions of people and is responsible for a massive list of health conditions ranging from the less extreme bloating and gas, to eczema and skin rashes, to full-blown autoimmune conditions.

I’ve been bugged by this for a while...  So I decided it was time to do a little research for us all. What on Earth is this Human Microbiome and what does it have to do with our gut health? 

Yesterday I was chatting away to one of my soul-sisters at the gym who has recently been experiencing lots of highly embarrassing, poorly timed bloating and gas after meals.  After talking through her typical daily meals, it struck me that there were two food combining principles that I have been following for a few years now which greatly improved my digestion and helped me to believe that I could beat the bloat.