Is Your Gut Lacking This After Gastric Sleeve & Bypass? Episode 065

Is your gut lacking this after gastric sleeve & bypass?

Lacking beneficial gut bacteria can cause issues with your metabolism, digestion, inflammation and overall health. Tune in to learn more about the importance of beneficial gut bacteria.

Check out the Audio transcript.

Welcome! Gut health importance

Dawn (00:00):

Hello and welcome to the gastric health show. My name is Dawn Boxell. And I am excited to share this new topic on gut health. I’m just pressing the pause button on constipation. I have a few interviews I’m lining up with different professionals to discuss some very specifics about constipation. But in the meantime, I really want to help you with your gut health. I think this is such an important area that is under appreciated. It is something that maybe your bariatric team hasn’t really even mentioned much about it. This is something that I learned years ago and really made this an emphasis in helping my patients really implement ways to protect their gut health ways to improve their gut health and ways to correct it. So that’s what we’re gonna dig into and I’m going to break this down hopefully in a way that really makes sense to you and gives you some options to implement and gives you some strategies to consider.

Dawn (01:19):

But today’s title is, is your gut lacking this after gastric sleeve in bypass surgeries? Studies are showing that bariatric surgery shifts bacteria in your gut after surgery pretty rapidly in some instances, and they do show positive results and negative results with this shift. They also know that gastric bypass patients have different shifts with bacteria than gastric sleeve patients. This field is still young, it’s still growing and it is emerging with daily results and daily studies that can help give us insight. But I will say I am encouraged because we are starting to seek some consistency. We’re seeing several studies showing the same results or very similar results. That gives us great information that gives us great guidance in how to help you either restore or you know, just balance it out better or get it into a better place after bariatric surgery. That’s what we’re gonna dig into because they…the positive and the negative with bariatric surgery that I think is going to continue to evolve. We’ll learn more

Beneficial gut bacteria

Dawn (02:58):

And more as time goes. But what they do know is that they do see a shift in Firmicuties and Bacteroidetes after both the gastric sleeve and the gastric bypass surgeries. And it does shift very rapidly. So you will learn in a, in a minute, I will get into what those are and, and why they’re so important very soon, but they do know already that those shift quickly after bariatric surgery. So beneficial gut microbes, what are they? Our whole body has trillions of microbes that are we’re unaware of, and these are things like bacteria, yeast, fungi they are all over everything. We have different microbiomes throughout our body. But our small intestines and our large intestines is an area that they are prominent in. And they are responsible for many jobs, many important jobs that control our health and our health outcomes.

Dawn (04:02):

So not having adequate beneficial gut microbes will impact your, your success with weight loss, surgery and impact your health after weight loss surgery. And there are some studies that show how the diversity after bariatric surgery with this gut microbes increases. So you have more variety. You have you know, more of the same types of bacteria in lots of options. Think of it as like colors, you have multiple colors available with each different type of species. So they know that with bariatric surgery, that diversity shifts and changes in a positive light, but they also know that it doesn’t rescue it fully. So it doesn’t change all of it. It just improves it. So that’s where it’s up to you to make sure that you are doing your part in protecting those gut microbes and improving that environment. And and really just finding balance in your life, cause you will soon learn that you’re, it’s kind of a whole body approach that is required to address these gut microbes.

Role of gut bacteria

Dawn (05:29):

Their jobs are, they extract nutrition and calories from the foods that we eat, they maintain a gut barrier. What does that mean? Inside your intestines, we have this mucus layer and these beneficial bacterias sit on top of this mucus layer and they are the ones fighting your bacterial battle. They are fighting off any type of overgrowth of any bacteria, yeast, or fungi. They are making sure that nothing takes over that they remain harmoniously balanced. That’s their goal. They want that gut barrier strong and kind of like an army. They want that army strong so that it’s fighting off C-diff and pneumonia and MRSA. And COVID all of those things that, that you want these gut microbes working for you so that.. They maintain that barrier. They produce vitamins. Vitamins K and some of the B vitamins, which is like B-1 thiamin, folate and biotin.

Dawn (06:49):

Gut bacteria produce those. They also protect against an overgrowth of pathogens or really a colonization. Protecting you from any one of these taking over and getting out of control. They also maintain your immune system. Playing a role in your immunity and how frequently you’re getting sick and they actually support your metabolism and play a role in your metabolic health. I am going to give you a few examples, although I don’t think it’s necessary that you “know” these, I think it’s necessary that you’re familiar with these names because you are going to look at probiotics. This area, like I said, is emerging and growing. You are going to be hearing more about beneficial bacteria and understanding the difference. It’s well known that too much E coli or an E coli you know, in your water is bad and makes you sick.

Beneficial gut bacteria

Dawn (08:03):

That’s where that kind of takes over. You’re familiar with some of those. I want you to be familiar with the beneficial ones as well. These are things like bacteroidetes fragillus, bifido bacterium, lactobacillus, enterococcus, Clostridium, ecshericia and enterobacter. So those are all in that whole grouping, the whole umbrella of beneficial bacteria. Those are a few of them and those are ones that can help us and do these jobs of maintaining our health. So to date, there is no medication that we could go pick up or your doctor could prescribe for us to boost these beneficial microbes. There is a fecal transplant, but to date, the only way you can use that, that I’m aware of is with C-diff infections that do not respond to antibiotics. So great results with fecal transplants, but I think we need more time.

Dawn (09:11):

They’re gonna require more studies and evidence before it’s going to be available for lots of options. So right now your only option to really boost or get adequate amounts or make sure or maintain adequate beneficial microbes, bacteria, yeast, fungi. All of those are the microbes is diet, lifestyle, supplements, and probiotics. Those are your first line defense of helping you. So that’s, we’re gonna get to those in a little bit. But I want to go a little bit further, so you understand why this firmicutes and bacteroidetes was even studied in bariatric patients and why it matters. So bacteria are broken down into classifications and I’ll make sure in our notes, we have this image that is available in from one of the studies. It’s just a great visual that really breaks all of these down into the categories so that you really see the big picture of what I’m saying.

Two gut bacteria phyla are the majority

Dawn (10:24):

But it’s broken into phyla then classes, then orders, families, genres, species, and then you would add a strain if you were doing a probiotic would be after the species. So here’s what I want you to understand. 90% of your gut microbes are in two phyla. So this is kind of the beginning area, the beginning category. And then it gets broken down into those smaller ones. The two main phyla are firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. So that’s why it’s something that’s been studied in bariatric patients time and time again, because we know that this firmicutes and bacteroidetes ratio is important to our health. If that ratio is off, you are guaranteed to have problems with your health. So it’s, it’s such an important piece that Firmicuties and bacteroidetes though, you need to understand that these are something that we want you to learn and hear and be familiar with.

Gut bacteria after bariatric surgery

Dawn (11:37):

So in the big umbrella firmicutes and bacteroidetes in the beneficial gut microbes categories, but again, like I’ve said, it’s all about balance. You can’t have high amounts of even these good ones because it, it disturbs the balance. So just more of one is not better. So you have to be cautious and you have to use wisdom and pay attention to what you’re experiencing. Because more is not better when it comes to some of these microbes. So now the, the firmicutes and bacteroidetes ratio it’s usually represented with an F/B ratio. It, like I said, is a measure of health. They know that if you have a high amount of firmicutes when you have obesity, so if you are obese, you probably don’t even need a test. You will likely have high levels of firmicutes. And that is one study.

Dawn (12:49):

They have done several times in the bariatric community. They’ll do a pre-surgery and postsurgery, and they find that that flips. So after surgery, you will decrease that elevated firmicutes, and it will be more balanced with the bacteroidetes. So neither one will be elevated. It will just be balanced. That’s what they see after bariatric surgery. If you have a high amount of the bacteroidetes, usually you’re gonna have issues with inflammatory bowel disease. Think of things like Crohn’s and colitis those type of infl.. Inflammatory bowel disease. We also know that firmicutes is the one that is in charge of your metabolism. So it is the one that’s going to regulate your, your metabolic system. And then bacteroidetes is more in charge of your immune system. So when those are off, they’re not going to be able to do their jobs very well.

Firmicutes facts

Dawn (13:50):

Some facts about firmicutes they are the ones that extract more calories. So makes sense since they’re in charge of the metabolism, they extract more calories and they increase fat storage. They are signaling those calories that they’re extracting more of to be stored away for a later date. They also impair insulin sensitivity. That’s where you may notice that your weight will be more in the midsection and you’re storing it in your your belly and that’s where you may have that, you know, your waistline expands. And then it also increases inflammation. Firmicutes when out of balance is not helpful for us. We want that to be in a better, better place. Some reasons why would someone have an elevated firmicutes to bacteroidetes ratio? What causes that one cause is low stomach acid.

What alters gut bacteria

Dawn (15:00):

So think of things like taking your PPIs and proton pump inhibitors those medications that suppress your stomach acid are..would contribute to that. If you’re on them long-term, no short-term I don’t care if you do it short-term. Although I do believe there are better options. And that will come at a later date. I definitely will have better options to share with you. But if you need a PPI, you take the PPI. If you don’t need to stay on this long-term, don’t you don’t want to stay on the PPI’s long term. Suppressing stomach acid is not helping you. That is your first area. Your stomach acid is the first area that kills bacteria. So that pH of your stomach acid is similar to battery acid. So it has the ability to kill off those bacteria first line exposure.

Dawn (16:07):

So if you have adequate stomach acid and that pH is low enough and not too elevated, then you’re going to have better results with your firmicutes to bacteroidetes ratio. Also if you’re having a maldigestion and what does that mean? That means if you’re not producing enough enzymes. So pancreatic enzymes, bile. Those type of enzymes that help us break apart fats make us.. Help us digest all of our vegetables and digest the carbohydrates and proteins. So if you are not digesting food well, you, again, you are setting yourself up to have this firmicutes and bacteroidetes ratio elevated or in a wrong balance. You also, if you’re following a low fiber diet or consuming maybe you consume some fiber and it’s maybe subpar, maybe not awful, but you, you eat some fiber. But you consume a lot of the refined carbohydrates and junk foods regularly then that also you’re creating that environment.

How your diet impacts gut health

Dawn (17:18):

You, you have to remember the foods you eat or the foods that your bacteria are eating. So if your bacteria are getting fed lots of sugar, then those yeast and fungi are going to grow. You have fed them more and you have not fed the good microbes of adequately. Which those require fibers that we will discuss in a little bit. So that’s why it matters the foods you choose. And I’ll say this again, I’m sure, but I am never, I never believe in perfection. So don’t misunderstand me when I recommend to avoid sugars and artificial sweeteners and junk food. I think there’s a time and a place, but I think you have to be real with who you are and maybe your genetics and maybe your health history and your ability to manage that. If you can’t manage having a handful or a few bites or a serving of something without it triggering you to consume large volumes that’s when you have to make different choices you’re not going to be able to maintain that long term.

Gut dysbiosis

Dawn (18:48):

If you’re just doing that rollercoaster ride, you stop, you start, you stop, you start and you go on big binges for weeks at a time. That is not helping you. So there are people that need to say no to certain foods because their genetics or their health history drives those desires and needs more than they have the ability to manage. So that’s my, soap.. my Soapbox for today. But then the last one, you know, causes of this Firmicuties bacteroidetes ratio to get out of balance is dysbiosis and dysbiosis is part of what we’re talking about. This is where you have kind of an three options. You have lack of good bacteria, which is the topic of today. Or you have an elevation of bad bacteria, or you have a an overgrowth in the wrong area, and that would be like a bacterial overgrowth or SIBO.

Dawn (19:49):

Dysbiosis, if you have the other SIBO or too many bad bacteria, then that would also cause that firmicutes and bacteroidetes ratio to be off. Some signs that you are lacking in beneficial bacteria. You have an overgrowth of opportunistic bacteria, that’s the bad guys. You have an overgrowth of the bad guys. And you have some vitamin deficiencies and that could be in these B vitamins or K. It can also be in other areas, some of the fat solubles because you’re not digesting food well but big picture, you’re gonna have some vitamin and mineral deficiencies. You’re frequently sick. You seem to have catch every cold and flu that comes your way. There’s an, you have an increase in autoimmune disease. So maybe you’re being diagnosed with different autoimmune disorders. Joint pain, digestive issues, skin issues like eczema, psoriasis, acne. Cravings, you have an increase in cravings, especially for like carbs and sugary things.

Gut bacteria & metabolism connection

Dawn (21:05):

That is definitely a driver for lacking beneficial microbes. Your metabolism changes. So maybe you’re gaining weight you’re packing on pounds, especially in the midsection. And then you are now having food intolerances, sensitivities, or allergies and you are just reacting to lots of foods that you eat. And now you’re struggling with just a handful of foods that you can choose from on a daily basis. So those are signs that your body is lacking in overall good bacteria. Now, what are some signs that you have an increase in your firmicutes to bacteroidetes ratio? So we, like we said, this is a measure of health. Having an out balance is a bad thing. So that’s why it can help you make choices. You, if you have a high firmicutes to bacteroidetes ratio, you would have midsection weight gain, you would have joint pain, you would have increased cravings, increased appetite and digestive issues.

Dawn (22:21):

So very similar. And that’s because you’re the umbrella is encompassing all of it. But when you isolate the firmicutes to bacteroidetes, you can kind of hone out it’s more of the metabolic things and cravings and appetite, and those are going to be impacted. So one thing that you have to understand is having one does not mean you have the other, so what do I mean by that? If you have a low amount of beneficial bacteria that does not mean that you have an elevation of firmicutes to bacteroidetes, so it’s not one, or if you have one, you have the other you literally can have normal ratio of firmicutes to bacteriodetes and just be low in beneficial bacteria. And you literally just need to boost those up. So that one, maybe they’re at detectable levels or you just need a lot more of another where you’ve gotta get it into you know, some really better reference ranges before those opportunistic bacteria take over.

Understanding firmicutes & bacteroidetes ratio

Dawn (23:39):

So you can see they’re the same, but different they’re in the same classification, the same areas, the same umbrella, but yet they’re different. They give us different information and give us similar signs and symptoms. But they both have significance. So not only do you have to understand these differences, something else that’s helpful is to know that you don’t treat them the same. So if, if someone has low beneficial bacteria, but they don’t have an elevated firmicutes to bacteroidetes ratio, I’m going use different strategies and different probiotics. For example, if you have low beneficial bacteria overall you would want a high potency lac.. Probiotic. You need a high potency probiotic that has these types of species. And you can have a variety of different strains of these, but lactobacillus bifidobacterium and the Basillus subtills.

Dawn (24:56):

Those species would be important to be included in your probiotic. If you have low beneficial bacteria. Our ultimate gut restore probiotic is a great option for this cause you want high potency. So you want 50 to a hundred billion CFUs of those species. And that’s what our ultimate gut restore is 50 billion. So you could do one to two of those a day and that would really help improve this whole beneficial bacteria environment. If you had an elevation in the firmicutes to bacteroidetes ratio you would want a high potency probiotic as well. And this would be in the categories of the bifido bacterium and the Sacchromyces boulardii. And you would want to avoid the lactobacillus and the Bacillus subtillus. Cause technically if you, if you have those species, the lactobacillus and the Bacillus they actually increase the firmicutes more.

Choosing the right probiotics for the job

Dawn (26:14):

So that’s going to elevate that firmicutes ratio. It’s not going to help it. So that’s why you have to separate them. That’s why you have to understand the differences. That’s why you have to see that, although they are included in the same grouping, they are treated differently and you can’t just use the same type of products for every person in every situation. You can guess and you can trial and error. There’s nothing wrong with that. But knowing more details about you personally, it really does make it easier. So what do you do if you think, Hey, I probably don’t have enough beneficial bacteria and I probably do need to boost it or I need to get those levels up or I need to change some things. So that I protect it because I’m noticing some of these things, some of these symptoms I’m noticing those symptoms myself.

Gut bacteria testing

Dawn (27:23):

So I need to do something about it. So one thing that is an easy answer is testing. You could easily do stool testing. I use a stool test… G.. GI map and this test is awesome. It is FDA approved and it detects the DNA of several things. So parasites, bacteria, fungi, it also detects the DNA of H. pylori, which is what lowers or suppresses stomach acid more. A bacteria that lives in your stomach. That most bariatric programs test with a breast test breath test before surgery. It can also identify worms and expose gut inflammation. Also exposing low enzyme production, fat malabsorption, and also identifies the firmicutes to bacteroidetes ratio. This GI map test is awesome and I love using it on patients who have been struggling. They’ve been struggling for a long time and they’ve really not gotten results in any other way.

Dawn (28:43):

This is a very personalized test that gives you very detailed instructions that you can apply and utilize to improve what’s happening in your gut. So I know not everyone needs a test nor do I recommend a test for every single person. So this is where you have to decide if you’ve been struggling with your symptoms for months maybe creeping into years. You need a test. If you are just starting to have symptoms and difficulties or problems. Then I would DIY it. I would definitely try some things on your own and see if you can’t correct it. And if you feel worse when you do them, then maybe we need to test if you don’t notice improvements, then maybe then you need to test. So again, I think it’s, it’s very individual. I think each person really has to ask themselves how bad do you feel?

Are you ready to change?

Dawn (30:03):

And do I, am I ready? Am I ready to make these changes? Cause just doing a stool test is not.. Going.. Without the desire to implement different diet, lifestyle, supplements and strategies. It’s unlikely to work. So just knowing that information and not ever applying any of the strategies is not very helpful. It’s not going to give you the results that you’re expecting. And just knowing them, isn’t going to make them go away. So you have to be bought in to do this. You need, if you’re going to do a stool test, you need to be ready to make these changes. So again, that’s why I say a stool test is not for everyone. Are they super helpful? No, absolutely. I find them SUPER helpful and can really help guide us to understand how to improve it quickly.

How to improve gut bacteria levels

Dawn (31:04):

So if you.. One, you don’t feel like you’re ready for a test or you’re not sure that you really need a test but just want to implement some new things that could maybe improve what symptoms you have going on. Let’s break these down for you. So some of the best things you can do for your gut health to improve your beneficial gut microbes are increase your vegetables, increase your fibers you know, 25, 35 grams of fiber a day, a good mix, a good variety all important. Make sure those are a priority every single day. And with bariatric surgery, you get full fast. So you have to be intentional and you have to make smoothies sometimes. You have to blend different vegetables into sauces and creams and things to help you get it all in. I mean, you’re just limited your stomach capacity.

Dawn (32:12):

Doesn’t have the ability to eat cups and cups of vegetables and fibers. You get way too full and you wouldn’t get all your protein in. So again, I think you gotta find that balance, but definitely more vegetables and definitely more fibers. Increase polyphenols and polyphenols actually help boost the growth of bacteria like the lactobacillus and the bifido bacterium, polyphenos increase those. So these are foods like berries, so that can be raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, any of those berries cocoa. So if you’re making muffins use cocoa powder dark chocolate, 70% or higher is considered dark chocolate. And you want the, the sugars to be low. But the PolyPhen polyphenols are going to be significant in dark chocolate. So the health benefits you get for the growth of those lactobacillus and bifido bacterium species are worth it.

Best diet changes for gut bacteria

Dawn (33:17):

So if you love chocolate, migrate yourself to dark chocolate and you’ll be great. Hazelnuts, plums soy flour is another one that has high levels of polyphenols. And you could make muffins with that. That would be an option cherries like the dark red cherries. Those would be a great option. Green tea is another one. Think of you know, beets, any of those really dark purples, so blueberries and, you know, purples and blues and reds, those dark deep colors have polyphenols in them. And think of those as your gut micro microbiome boosters. Those are going to help boost your beneficial bacteria Removing sugars and refined carbohydrates eat lots of whole grains, just remove the refined grains and that’s those package process snacks that I was talking about earlier. And then the sugar that again, that degrades that gut barrier we know that sugar has that ability to really shift that protection and cause problems.

Dawn (34:37):

And then be careful with artificial sweeteners. I kind of mentioned this earlier, but artificial sweeteners, I’m not a huge fan of if you follow me long enough, you already know this. I’ve interviewed Dr. Erica LaVella on this topic on artificial sweeteners. She’s a bariatric surgeon outta Oregon, and we’ve had this discussion on artificial sweeteners and how it shifts your gut microbiome. So if you are trying to improve your gut microbes, the last thing you wanna do is to be consuming large volumes of artificial sweetener. Again, go to this philosophy of not perfection. So I don’t mean never. I just mean you can’t drink a gallon of fluid a day and have every ounce of it with artificial sweeteners. It just does not work for your health. So use wisdom. Sugars, artificial sweeteners, not your friend long-term high-volume use. But high fiber things are great.

Food & digestion

Dawn (35:41):

Whole grains are great fermented food. So these are things like sauerkraut. That’s in the cooler section, not on the shelves or by the deli in the bag or container. These are fermented, these have living bacteria in them. And that is a great addition. So those are gonna give more bacteria, good bacteria, but not everybody tolerates them. So if that’s you, if you try some sauerkraut or you try some kimchi or you try a kombucha and you’re like, oh my gosh, I felt worse. I had worse digestive issues. That is a red flag. And you might wanna check out my posts on FODMAPs and SIBO or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Those two would be all about the fermentation and would also be something to consider that you may need to work through. Also nervous system dysregulation. So if you are stressed all the time, your nervous system is not it’s an it’s out of balance.

Dawn (36:52):

And so that’s where gut microbes. They react to that. They react to our stress. So if we chronically feel stressed, guess what we have issues with lactobacillus Bifidobacteria strains. There’s also one that you can that is identified on the GI map test stool test. That is SIgA. It tells us kind of your immune system. It’s kind of our gauge or our way to evaluate how your immune system is reacting to what you have going on. Is it amped up? Is it low? It doesn’t have enough available to support and protect you. You know, that helps us, you know, make decisions, but stress lowers all of those. The more stress you have the more problems you could have with keeping and maintaining beneficial gut microbes. Take a high CFU or colony forming unit probiotic.

Best probiotics for boosting gut bacteria

Dawn (38:07):

So 50 to a 100 billion one to two times a day. Our ultimate gut restore probiotic is awesome for this. I love it because the, the prebiotic that’s in it is a, a FODMAP friendly one. So if you have digestive issues and you react to FODMAP foods again, check out my posts on FODMAPs, if you are unfamiliar with that. But the, the prebiotic in it is friendly for those people who are super sensitive and fibers really upset your whole digestive system. So I really like the ultimate gut restore, just the whole package of it because it’s high dose, it is a strong in the bifido and the lactobacillus, and it really just provides you a good, well rounded therapeutic dose of a probiotic, which is why I have them. I don’t care if you buy from me or not.

Dawn (39:04):

That is not the purpose of why I offer them. I offer them because these types of probiotics are not available over the counter. These are not available to just anyone. You can’t just buy these, these are only through licensed practitioners who are trained to use these products. That’s why I offer them. I want them available so that you have the ability to improve your situation. Whatever that may be, I want you to be able to do it. A high CFU probiotic in the lactobacillus and the bifido bacteria strains and then also taking a Sacchromyces boulardii. This is a healthy yeast, but there’s so much evidence. And that is one, this is a new product for u. Sacchromyces boulardii, it is awesome. And 500 milligrams a day. We can also go up to 3000.

Importance of a beneficial yeast

Dawn (40:03):

It is something that I love to use. I can use it with constipation. I can use it with diarrhea. You just have to decide the person. But it has a lot of beneficial boosts that it offers. It can promote growth of your whole gut barrier kind of does improves your gut barrier. And it just really imp.. Improves your immune function. And it just has a wide range of benefits that is helpful. So combining those two together really sets you apart. Really provide you with kind of the ammunition. Kind of like allows you to, to really show up with some heavy hitters. This is like, you’ve done some IV antibiotics. That’s what I mean. And you’re doing some heavy hitters when you’re putting these together, you’re doing, you know, a hundred billion CFUs of a good therapeutic dose of a probiotic combined with the Sacchromyces boulardii that will get you far.

Dawn (41:16):

So you combine those together and man, they, they can really do wonders for your gut microbiome. And then promote short chain fatty acid production. These are, I’ve talked about these as well. These are things like butyrate. Butyrate is our friend and we want to have adequate amount being produced, and these are produced from our gut bacteria from that fermentation. So as the fibers that our small intestines cannot digest get passed into the colon, the bacteria in the colon ferment and make these short chain fatty acids. Adding a lot of value to your health. Also improving your gut barrier function. Not only do short chain fatty acids, do you know all these benefits for increasing your good beneficial bacteria? It also increases your stool bulk. So if you’re having some diarrhea or if you have constipation those are ways to help improve that.

Importance of fiber

Dawn (42:26):

You can do that with insoluble and soluble fibers. And I just did a discussion on this or a video and podcast and email on this as well. Check those out on the fibers and that was the on the FODMAP. If you just search up FODMAP you will find all the insoluble, insoluble and resistant starch topics highlighted. But those are foods you can get the insoluble insoluble fibers from beans and Psyllium husk and oats. So so think of maybe making some muffins out of ground-up oats that is a great way to get those fibers in easily. And you can have those for breakfast in the morning or as a snack. That’d be great ways to add the fiber that can boost your fight that can in, you know, increase your beneficial bacteria in the long run.

Dawn (43:28):

I hope I have given you, I know this was a long one, but I hope I have given you options. So if you’ve been struggling for a long time, I really want you to consider testing. Not everybody offers a GI map stool test. I have done additional training in this. Actually, lots of training in this to understand and utilize this test for patients. It is something that is super valuable if you need it, if you are stuck and you really don’t know how to feel better and everything you’ve tried either makes you feel worse or does nothing. I think testing needs to be considered. And then if you’re, if you’re like, I’m not there yet, I don’t feel like I need the testing. Then really start working on boosting these areas here that

Speaker 3 (44:30):

Can help you put the odds in your favor. You can totally change your whole gut microbiome. By boosting all those beneficial gut microbes diet, lifestyle, supplements, and probiotics, hands down. Changes that environment all by yourself. You can do that right in your own home. If you need help, definitely reach out. I’m always here to coach you through it. If you feel overwhelmed and you’re like, oh my gosh, how do I implement all of these? It sounds like too much. I have, I have the ability to put it all together for you to keep it simple and not make you feel too overwhelmed. Hopefully. And then also the testing, if you feel like, Hey, I’m there, I need the testing, then just reach out. And that is a great option to consider if you are struggling. So I hope that’s helped. I hope you have some good strategies to implement and we’ll talk to you soon, byebye.

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