Cori (00:00):
Welcome to the Redefining Strength Podcast, everything you need to succeed on your health and fitness journey, even the stuff you don't want to hear. I've talked about gratitude in a lot of areas, but your gut is a new one. But we should be grateful for our gut and we want our gut to be grateful for us as well, which means feeding it the right things and making it feel fabulous because that results in so many amazing changes and us reaching so many different goals. I'm excited to be joined by the fabulous Michelle today to talk about our grateful gut and why we need to take care of it and how we can. So thank you, Michelle for joining me today.

Michelle (00:37):
Thank you for having me. I'm super excited about this topic because it's complex but not complex. It almost is so simple to fix, but so often we, again, it's one of those things we just get into our heads about. So hopefully this will kind of allow some de-stress and give you the opportunity to even feel like you have more control when it comes to your gut and even potentially some issues that you may have.

Cori (01:05):
So first off, I've got to ask why should we even be grateful for our gut? I know some of the answer, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on that.

Michelle (01:14):
Great question. So the biggest thing is is it's a giant feedback loop. There is, you've probably heard of the gut-brain access. Your gut does have a huge part of your mood. So the more we actually are giving it what it needs and what we are wanting to provide it, the better it's going to pay off for your mood. And then if your mood's good, guess what? It's easier to make those decisions to actually eat well and move well and do all those things so you get into a positive feedback loop. Now that also means you can get into a negative feedback loop. So it is something that we really want to make sure that we are really paying attention to because your gut, your digestive system, everything that's involved in that one, you have it from the time you were born, you'll have it until you pass.

(02:05):
It's something we want to take care of, but it has so many things that are involved. It is what is going to break down your food, what's going to provide your body and the nutrients to truly not just function, but optimally function. And we talk about physical health, we talk about gains in the gym. We talk about making sure that you're eating well to provide for your goals, but we don't necessarily always dive into the nitty gritty of, Hey, your gut is involved in your immune health, your gut is involved in your mood. Your gut is going to be the driving force of what nutrients you're absorbing and helping get that to where it needs to go so that we can get those gains. We can pry your body for fat loss. It's a key component that's holding everything together.

Cori (02:55):
I would say it really sounds like it's the connector of everything that we want in terms of better health, better fat loss results, better mood. So I mean we've got to be grateful for it for sure. Now around the time that we're often most grateful, Thanksgiving, the holidays, spending time with family and friends, it's also the time I feel like our gut can take the biggest hit because we aren't necessarily necessarily fueling the best we'll say during this time. So how can we be conscious of this? What signs can we recognize that maybe our gut health needs a little assist?

Michelle (03:29):
So blood's take into account really what's going around around the holidays because one of the things is oftentimes we look at the food and it's like, yeah, you know what? We're probably going to have a little bit more sugar around this time of year, maybe a little more alcohol around this time of year. And that's something that we always talk about. Owning your balance, having that in moderation. That's going to be most likely part of your holiday to some extent, but it is how are we going to pay attention and giving those little boost to your gut to even off-balance that. But some of the things that we don't necessarily recognize because we always blame the holiday food, is the travel the stress? Are we trying to quickly eat a meal before we get to our gate or quickly eat a meal and jump in the car so we can finish our road trip to get to where we're going?

(04:19):
Those also all are going to affect your gut, the stress around the holiday. We love family, family's awesome, we want those human connections. But to be honest, there's also going to often be some level of stress and if you're one of those few that don't have stress around family, that's amazing, but it's something that it's realistic. Oftentimes there is that little stress when you have a whole household. All of those can affect the way you digest your foods and even how you are going to absorb your foods. There's actually been a couple of even research on this where they've even taken a group and they just challenged them to calm themselves right before they sit down to eat or think of some grateful components or a few things of what they're grateful for before they eat and it actually calms down the parasympathetic nervous system gets them out of a fight or flight mode and they actually digest better. So those are some things that we want to take into account and even employ more, especially during the season when there are a little bit more add-ons, a little bit more barriers to kind of have a happy healthy gut.

Cori (05:34):
So I definitely want to dive into more tips and that's incredibly interesting and even more reason to sort of pause to appreciate your food. But if someone were like, well, I'm not fully sure, and generally I think we do sort of recognize that there might be some symptoms that are going on that our gut is telling us it's not so grateful for what we're doing, but what can we really assess or what symptoms might we be seeing that might say, Hey, we need to make some changes. What can people be noticing?

Michelle (06:05):
Yeah, bloating is going to be a huge one. I think that's most people can kind of tell you, always hear the comment I got to get my stretchy pants on for the holidays or make sure I'm unbuttoning those genes. That's going to be a big one if you're finding that's becoming more consistent. Oftentimes, again, travel just in general, we tend to feel a little extra heavy or a little bit off sometimes. It really is just a feeling of being off. Again, your mood's going to be a big part of this, so if you were just feeling a little less than yourself, and again everyone when we're traveling, you kind of get thrown off your routine, but it is still a signal that if you're feeling a little bit off, your GI is probably going to be feeling a little bit off and then this is also going to come into effect.

(06:50):
I mean there's some obvious things like if you're having extra gas or extra belching, not always a bad thing. Your body's supposed to produce some gases when it digests foods, but if it's becoming more, that's often a sign that we are dealing with some extra things. If you are traveling by airplane, just the cabin pressure change is also going to have an effect on your GI system. I often recommend people that tend to really travel and are changing from elevation levels to actually request that they get peppermint tea on the plane because that can even help settle it. But some things that you may not pay attention to, you probably do, but no one talks about it is going to be your bowel movements if you are not regular or if it has changed, that is going to be a huge part of give you a big sign of kind of what's to come and the Bristol stool chart something if you don't know what it is, look it up because that's going to be a great way. I think we actually have one we can even link, but that is a great way to even tell where are you at? Are you within your normal? And if you're not within your normal, you can even tell that way What is in your digestion food or what is going on with your digestion as far as what's actually not being absorbed?

Cori (08:06):
So what you're saying, Michelle, is we need to pay attention to our poop. I had to say it, I'm sorry I had to say it, but also when you think about traveling on a plane after the holidays, I'm like, oh gosh, traveling on a plane alone impacts my mood and now I have to worry about my gut health from the plane too, which will also impact my mood. It's a double whammy. So pay attention to your gut health because you want to improve your mood because traveling on a plane will not ever probably do that. Now talking about how we can actually improve our gut health or the little habits that we can tweak during the holidays to sure gut some gratitude. Sorry, I don't know why I'm so amazed by that, but I am tip number one.

Michelle (08:44):
Let's get started there. So I'm going to talk about more like we're going to talk about some food stuff, but I'm going to talk about things you can do physically to actually help. So one is actually take some breaths before you bite. Oftentimes just allowing that again can put your body into a level of calm, so you're going to have some improved digestion. When you eat rushed, your digestion is going to be impacted by that. So being able to allow yourself to get into a calm space while you're doing that, that's going to be what it's going to improve it.

Cori (09:19):
And I actually think it's really key that you brought up that these are physical things and not just foods because it can seem really stressful. We've often gone to fiber prebiotics, probiotics, all those different things, eat the rainbow, and during the holidays it can sometimes feel like some of those things, well, A, that's what causes the issues, but those things become harder and so then we don't do anything. So even knowing there are little things that you can do even in a party where you're potentially going to consume alcohol, that's really helpful. So I love that these are all different physical habits that we can do to help improve our gut health.

Michelle (09:51):
Awesome. And off of that mindset too, right, because we want to change our mindset. So to get into that physical mindset of it, this is where it's important to eat mindfully, and that means kind of allowing your body to recognize the senses. Now, if you've ever gone through a mindful process and you've ever done that, it's kind of a long process. You smell the food, you look at the food, you touch the item, you put it on your tongue, you don't chew, you feel how it fill in your mouth and then you slowly allow your body to chew it and actually process it. That's a lot if you were to do that for every single bite. So to do that more realistically, I encourage I go just in your first bite, I don't expect you to necessarily engage every single one of those steps, but if you just notice, okay, I'm going to take just a second, I'm going to look at this food, is it appealing?

(10:48):
I'm going to notice what aroma it's putting off, and then you slowly chew, even if it's just like for the first bite, I'm going to take 10 shoes. If you've ever tried to take 10 chew of a food item, I'll be honest, I eat fast. So trying to keep something in my mouth for 10 chew, I'm like, alright, now it's not even pilling. So slowing down, maybe it's five to 10 chew before you swallow, but just something. So you are allowing your body to be physically aware that you are providing it nutrients and even if it's a fun food, but you're providing it energy, that alone is going get you in the right mindset and allow your body, again, it's all about we're going to slow down, we're going to recognize where we're at and we're going to appreciate the moment and what we're doing here. I mean part of the holidays, the best part of the holidays is the food at least for

Cori (11:42):
Yeah, well, I totally agree, but also that mindfulness can help us really stay true to our goals and the plan that we had. Even where you can get sort of that win-win situation where it's not just chewing and slowing down with actually eating the food, but even in selecting the food, we can use that pause. You can circle the table if there's a buffet or food out and say, let me look at all the options and really determine what I want. Or if you've even laid out a plan beforehand where you are going to try and hit specific macro numbers or what else? Okay, do I want to stick with this plan or am I going to consciously deviate? Because again, sometimes there will be those deviations, but the more you assess what you actually want and why you're actually doing it, the better you're going to feel. And then it's also going to pay off for your gut and you get that little pause. So it's not bad to do the rounds. Give yourself that time to really assess as well when you're then being mindful eating it, I think too, that also then lends itself not only to better gut health, but better appreciation for what you've done and the balance you're trying to strike to then not feel like you should be guilty or feel guilty or overcorrect afterwards as well.

Michelle (12:48):
Absolutely, and that's a huge part of this too, is so often people are like, oh, I really overdid it that day. Well, I'm going to do a double workout or not eat so much the next day and that's going to end up backfiring and you're going to get in this worst cycle because believe it or not, one of the things that's nice for your gut is to actually consistently have work to do. If you go from I'm eating and I'm going to eat this big amount to I'm eating nothing, you're setting yourself up for more bloating, poor bowel movements. It's not going to be pretty on the other side of that. So we just want to make sure that we are being consistent. So it doesn't matter what you did one day, the next day you're just back on track. We're not trying to punish our body for what we did the day before.

Cori (13:34):
On top of that too, I think it comes back to being at the event where we don't pause to assess, right? Well, we can also eat kind of mindlessly a little bit where you're talking to people and I don't know about you, but I feel like sometimes I'm stuffing my face as I'm talking to somebody and I don't even realize that I've eaten the entire plate because I'm spending time talking to people, which I don't want to not talk to people. That's part of why you're there, not just the food, although a lot the food, but it's also giving yourself that space to be a little bit more mindful. But that can be a challenge. How can someone sort of navigate both?

Michelle (14:06):
So I love that you said that because as you were talking I was like, oh, I'm kind of the opposite. Sometimes I use my eating so I don't have to talk to people, but it is you want to try and work on minimizing those distractions and just talking to people that is a distraction and it's a good distraction. We all need human connection. That's a whole other thing that we could even get into and how that actually helps the digestion. But this is where it's key is that connection actually improves digestion, but eating mindlessly while you're trying to have that connection does not. So the best thing you can do in that regard is the simple things of take a bite, put it down between choose the simple. If you're at a party and you're walking around with a plate and it's finger food, drop it.

(14:56):
If you're sitting and you have a fork, you're placing your fork just simply down between bites. That alone can help you stay in the moment and help you realize that you are eating. Because I mean we probably all have done this once where you sit down and you have a bag of chips or a bag of popcorn and you're watching a movie and you go to reach in and all of a sudden it's empty, not even realizing you finished it. So this is just to kind of help again, slow that down, keep you in the moment and help you recognize how much you're actually fueling and how you're feeling physically. Are you feeling satisfied? Are you still hungry?

Cori (15:32):
So what you're telling me is not to talk with my mouth full of food while I'm trying to do both at the same time. Okay, I can do that. Now on a less silly note, going back to something serious, you touched on this already a little bit too, but the practice of being more grateful as we're actually eating that gratitude practice can be so key for our gut. Can you go into the research that you've seen with that a little bit more?

Michelle (15:56):
Yes. So just going back again to how your mood actually is connected to your digestive system. When you are you're eating in that flight or fight mode, oftentimes this actually doesn't allow blood flow to your digestive tract. So when you're doing that, if you're not having proper blood flow, that also means nutrients aren't going to be absorbed and delivered. So now all of a sudden we have poor blood flow that's not going to get food from the digestive tract to where it needs to go. Not to mention again, you can have issues with water dumping and things like that that are going to be affecting your digestive sub tract and your bowels from moving water to the wrong places at the wrong time. So those are going to be key things. Those are probably the biggest things that are really going to affect everything. And then of course what's going on up here is going to tell your digestive tract like, Hey, we shouldn't be worried about absorbing nutrients right now because we're stressed.

(16:58):
We're in a flight mode. We need to get ready to run. That's what your body's primed for is are we fighting or are we fighting? And if you're starting to feel that way within your nervous system because of stress, high anxiety, whatever it is, whether that's regarding your traveling or your family is bringing that on, you want to make sure that you are still staying connected so that we can kind of off balance that. And that's where pausing, being grateful, being able to regulate your mood a little bit is actually going to make it so your body's like, Hey, we're fine, we're good. We can actually take the time to break down the nutrients fully and absorb this and put this where it needs to go. So that is going to be such a huge component, your access, that's just that continuous communication pathway and it really just plays a huge role on your mood, digestive system, your emotions and your gratitude. So funny enough, the more you practice gratitude, the more gratitude you're going to fill, the more you're going to improve this. And again, we're on that positive feedback loop,

Cori (18:12):
Love it, being grateful for our gut and our gut will show us that it's grateful too. But now circling back to, I know I mentioned at the beginning of talking about some of these different tips to help us and them being physical tips that we can do no matter what, when the food quality isn't there, that's not an excuse to not still want to pay attention to our food quality, get our body the nutrition it needs because it is going to feel better. We're going to even enjoy the holiday season a little bit more, come out of it feeling better going into January. What are some foods we should be focusing on or those nutritional components we should be focusing on as well to take care of our gut during this time?

Michelle (18:48):
Okay, so I know you guys all are expecting me to say fiber and yes, I want you to pay attention to fiber and if you know me, you know I'm going to bloop in water some way, but to really make sure your fiber is being effective, you also need to make sure you are staying properly hydrated, which when you are traveling, a huge thing I see first thing that goes is I'm not drinking as much water because I dunno where I'm going to find the restroom. Please drink, please look ahead, keep an eye out for the restrooms. So that's not an issue If you're on the plane, there is going to be one. I know no one really always wants to use that one, but it is there not an excuse not to stay properly hydrated, especially when you're on an airplane because you actually get more dehydrated because the air is drier.

(19:33):
So hydration, we're focusing on the fiber if you haven't already gotten there, that does mean that for women we do want to have at least 25 grams of fiber. Now I will say with the clients that I work with, I actually find that specifically my menopausal clients respond way better with between 30 and 35 grams of fiber. So I would even encourage a little bit more fiber and reaching there. Now for you overeager people, that doesn't mean if you've been averaging 12, we're going to jump up to 30 tomorrow because that's not how we do it. Slowly get there, but just be aware of fiber during the holidays as well. It is something that we also tend to easily forget about. Now, a few things that you may not have heard when it comes to digestive or digesting and improving your gut, but a big one would be making sure that you have an emphasis on polyphenols, which is a plant compound and it's going to help feed that good gut bacteria.

(20:36):
Yes, we want to make sure we're feeding the good gut bacteria because that's going to keep everything happy. Some great options for that would be berries, chocolate, specifically dark chocolate. We're looking at 85% or above to really make sure we're getting the most benefits from the polyphenols. Green tea is going to be another great option. Red grapes, coffee and moderation. Those are all going to help kind of make sure that we're feeding the gut bacteria, but specifically supporting that diversity within the gut. One of the things I see is sometimes people be like, I'm doing really well. I eat a lot of this. I'm like, that is awesome, but you have more than just one strain of bacteria and that is typically feeding that specific strain. So we do want to encourage some diversity when it comes to what type you're kind of getting. So that means we are eating some grapes, we are eating some dark chocolate kind of mixing it up.

(21:31):
One thing that specifically now that the weather's changing and most women do need this is vitamin D. As the sun goes down we need vitamin D, but if I'm being honest, most of us need vitamin D even when the sun is out because our body doesn't actually absorb as much anymore because we don't actually even have that receptor as much in our skin barrier. So vitamin D is going to be a huge thing to make sure that you are supplementing with specifically as the weather changes, changes, and that actually supports the gut barrier integrity. So we want to make sure that we have a good gut barrier so we can have healthy microbiome health and that immune function. Again, it's holiday time, you guys are traveling most of the time you're probably going to get sick. So if you want to make sure that we're also biting that off, that is going to be a good option for you as well as making sure that your vitamin D is up. Yes, there are a few food sources, but truthfully this is one of the few things where I'm going to save the supplementation is going to be the king here.

Cori (22:37):
Hey, supplement, you get a little extra water when you're taking the supplement and then you cruise the buffet or the appetizer table and you'll probably find a few of those different fruits and vegetables out there. You're going to be hitting your gut with some good stuff then.

Michelle (22:51):
Absolutely. And one of the other things that if you're here, we're probably going to tell you the benefits of it, and that's going to be collagen and protein. Again, this all comes to the gut lining. Your gut lining is constantly being resurface redone and we want to make sure we're providing it what it needs to be able to do that. So that is going to be huge. So this can be if you're looking at collagen and you're wanting to go more the food route, this is where we're looking more at bone broth, but of course you can get collagen peptides, lean meats, legumes, all those awesome protein sources are going to also help assist with that.

Cori (23:27):
And hitting that protein, again will keep you on track, keep you feeling full. It could be that balance that you need to enjoy the holidays, include that pumpkin pie you like, but also still work towards your goals so that you don't feel like you're starting over in January. So kind of win-win. Now, one food I was surprised that I think you're going to touch on next is fermented foods because that does not seem incredibly easy to get while attending holiday parties and such.

Michelle (23:55):
That is something that is going to be a little bit trickier because oftentimes fermented foods, we're looking at those yogurts, we're looking at the kimchi, we're looking at the kombucha. But one thing that is often served, not always, and if you're tending to wanting to bring something, this would be something I would suggest would be the sourdough bread. To be honest. It's a big craze right now if you brought it, most people are going to eat it, enjoy it. But what most people don't recognize is sourdough bread is a fermented food product. So that is something that I would encourage people to kind of touch on. And the other thing is if you're traveling, you can always find some type of fermented food product, a drink. So a lot of times, I mean to be honest, there's lots of sodas out there that now have this not my favorite to recommend because usually it's in amounts that aren't amazing, but you can still usually find kombucha and it's going to be better than nothing. So if you find a product that has some of those fermented foods in it within the soda, absolutely you can use it. Not going to be the best. But again, we're looking at better, not the best option,

Cori (25:10):
But even sometimes considering the meals around the events that we have and utilizing those to the max, because I think sometimes we say, oh, I have this party who cares about the rest of the day? But that's actually how you can strike a better balance. So maybe you think, okay, I'm going to get fermented foods, add these other meals, I'm going to have my kombucha earlier in the day. Or if you aren't enjoying a cocktail and you don't want to drink, it could be something that you bring to the party to have that good beverage that you're enjoying while everybody else is having their cocktail to strike your balance. So there's always little ways we can work things in as well.

Michelle (25:41):
And often that's really where most of the time I'm like, look at your breakfast. Most of your events are going to be later in the day, so can we add keefer? Can we add a yogurt? Can we add avocado, sourdough toast? There's lots of little things that you can look at that morning to help as well.

Cori (25:59):
And I love that you brought up sourdough because I think too often we hear I can't have bread or I can't include carbs when someone's starting to make changes towards weight loss. And there could be a lot balanced in based on what you want to include, but that also allows you to strike that balance and potentially not feel like that person on a diet at a holiday party because you're bringing something that you're also going to enjoy that doesn't look like that traditional diet food. And there can be something very freeing in that to have your balance. But no, you're also working towards your goals.

Michelle (26:33):
Yes, absolutely. That's kind of the challenge here. And one thing I didn't say is we often look at, oh, this is what we need to cut out. Like, oh, we know alcohol and sugar isn't going to help. That's not realistic for this time of year. What we want to focus on is what can we add, how can we add it? How can we be creative? And actually, as you pointed out, how can we build our day so it has more opportunities to get these items to fit in.

Cori (27:01):
So off of that last few closing tips, things to avoid, things we should be careful of or focus on during the holidays to help make sure that we're taking care of our gut.

Michelle (27:12):
These are a little random, but some things that I often talk to people about is it, especially if you're feeling extra bloated, avoid straws. When you gulp in straws, you're often swallowing more air and that's not going to help anything. The same goes to the more air you swallow, the worse it can be. And that actually imp applies to almost any food. I oftentimes get people who are like, well, I'm traveling so I'm going to get this salad. But if you're rushing to eat that salad and you're doing lots of big tube oftentimes are also swallowing extra air. So when we're talking about being mindful, mindful of how big are your bite? Are you getting lots of air with each tube that or with each bite you're taking in, being kind of aware of that. This is where I usually recommend people even swapping gum ferment for the same thing, the swallowing that extra hair and ginger peppermint, if you can add it either in your protein source or you can add it as a tea on the side, that's also going to help settle the swimming and help with digestion as well.

Cori (28:21):
Well, I love all these tips. I think there's a lot that we can do and you eat an elephant one bite at a time, so you can also do all of them, right? It's finding the one or two that might make the biggest difference for you or that you feel like really is sustainable so that you can feel your most fabulous through the holiday season. Going into the New York feeling really good. Michelle, closing thoughts? Sort of a wrap up of where to start. If someone's like, okay, this was a lot, but I want to take care of my gut this holiday season and I want to feel my best.

Michelle (28:47):
I mean, I think like you said, you pick one or two things that you're going to focus on. I honestly would focus on how are you practicing gratitude before your meal? How are you having just that one moment, even if it's like 10 seconds before you start to eat, to help calm your body and think in the right mindset to enjoy your food and your body to absorb it though really even just having that knowledge of, hey, if I eat calm to make it better. Usually just keeping the that in mind, you'll see an improvement so you don't have to overhaul everything majorly, just allow yourself that five, ten second pause before you start going.

Cori (29:29):
I love it. Perfect for the holiday season, a great way to even help with stress and make sure that you're making decisions that are based on your balance and the lifestyle balance you want to strike with your goals right now, and also the habits that really fill your cup. Thank you, Michelle, for joining me. Fabulous tips. Have a great rest of your week guys.

*Note: This transcript is autogenerated there may be some unintended errors.