Tummy Troubles? Ban These 6 “Gut Goblins”

By Dr. Scott Olson, ND Posted August 27, 2022

Dear Living Well Daily Reader,

We don’t like to talk about it. But the truth is EVERYONE has stomach problems from time to time.

You know what I’m talking about. Those days you can’t stay off the throne. Or the ones when you can’t seem to go no matter how hard you try. Or perhaps worst of all – the days when everything you eat turns into pain and gas.

Whatever the scenario, your gut is out of balance, and you’re miserable.

If the symptoms only pop up every once in a while, it’s no big deal. Maybe you enjoyed yourself a little too much at the neighborhood BBQ or you simply are under a lot of stress.

But when your tummy troubles become chronic there could be another hidden cause.

Certain foods could be secretly triggering your gut problems. Because while everyone’s digestive system is a bit different, some frequent-flyer culprits are responsible for a ton of tummy troubles.

Following are the top six “Gut Goblins” you should consider banning from your diet.

1. Fried Foods:

There are MANY problems with fried foods. Most are cooked in vegetable oils, including peanut, sunflower, canola, and corn. Vegetable oils damage the gut lining and send inflammation soaring throughout the body.

Fried foods also take a massive toll on your microbiome or the bacterial balance in your gut. This hurts your gut and overall health.

Plus, fried foods are a common trigger for heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

2. Alcohol:

You likely know that alcohol is produced by yeast. But chances are you don’t know why.

Yeasts produce alcohol to kill bacteria so that they can grow without competition. So, when you take that shot of booze, you’re literally attacking your microbiome.

Alcohol is also toxic to the lining of the digestive tract leading to leaky-gut disorder.

3. Sugar and Sugary Drinks:

Sugar increases inflammation and encourages certain unwelcome microorganisms to grow in the gut. One of the most sugar-crazed among them is yeast.

A yeast overgrowth in your gut can cause digestive troubles, including diarrhea, constipation, and bloating. Plus, yeast can trigger flare-ups of existing gastrointestinal diseases.

Eating too much sugar… or carbohydrates which convert into sugar… and having yeast overgrowth simultaneously could cause your body to “brew” alcohol in your gut or intestines. And that alcohol can have the same adverse effects as alcohol you drink (see Gut Goblin number two above).

4. Artificial Sweeteners:

Eating foods with artificial sweeteners in them has been linked to bloating, stomach pain, gas, and diarrhea. This is likely due to the chemical sweeteners disrupting the microbiome. Are you sensing a pattern here?

5. Ultra-Processed Foods:

Highly processed foods hurt your gut because they typically contain many of the other Gut Goblins in this list. Those include:

• artificial sweeteners
• sugars
• vegetable oils

But their assault doesn’t end there. Processed foods also contain harmful flavor enhancers, colorings, and other additives, making them a recipe for gut unhappiness.

6. Foods You’re Sensitive To:

Food sensitivities are a common cause of tummy troubles. They can knock your digestion out of balance for weeks after eating them.

But many folks are unaware of their sensitivities. The most common culprits are dairy, grains, citrus, and nuts.

You can use a simple elimination diet to test which foods you’re sensitive to. Remove one of the food categories from your diet for two weeks and watch for improvements. If there are none, that food is in the clear.

By now, I bet you’ve spotted another pattern here. Most often, the foods that harm your gut are highly processed and concentrated.

Eating foods as they’re grown… instead of manufactured junk… could be the key to curing your own chronic tummy troubles.

P.S. Diet is just one thing that could be harming your gut. These six common drugs could be ramping up your tummy troubles, too.

Sources:

The gut microbiome of healthy long-living people. Aging (Albany NY). 2019 Jan 15;11(2):289-290. doi: 10.18632/aging.101771. PMID: 30648974; PMCID: PMC6366966.

Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND

Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.

View More By Dr. Scott Olson, ND