Healing IBS Through Your Nervous System as a Dietitian

[00:00:00] Hey there, and welcome to Heal with Grace.
[00:00:03] I'm your host, Grace Secker, and I'm a holistic licensed therapist and nervous system coach
[00:00:08] who believes that the chronic and often unseen symptoms you're living with are a sign of
[00:00:12] something deeper going on.
[00:00:14] A sign that your nervous system needs attention.
[00:00:17] In each episode, I'll share the science behind the most common chronic health disorders
[00:00:21] plus holistic health tips using mental, physical, and spiritual practices.
[00:00:26] You'll hear what I've learned in my journey and the true stories from our trusted guests
[00:00:30] so you can feel less alone in your experience and give yourself grace no matter what you're
[00:00:34] going through.
[00:00:36] So without further ado, settle in and get cozy.
[00:00:38] It's time to Heal with Grace.
[00:00:42] Hello, and welcome back to Heal with Grace.
[00:00:44] I am here with Crystal Austin.
[00:00:46] She is a dietitian and nutritionist who works with people with irritable bowel syndrome
[00:00:51] or IBS.
[00:00:53] She has an online nutrition practice where she works with clients worldwide to help
[00:00:56] them find relief from their symptoms, pinpoint their unique triggers, and improve gut health.
[00:01:01] And I'm really excited to have her today.
[00:01:04] We've collaborated before, so I'm going to pause there and just have her introduce herself.
[00:01:08] I gave you a little tidbit, but hi, Crystal.
[00:01:11] How are you?
[00:01:12] Hi, Grace.
[00:01:13] Thank you.
[00:01:14] Thanks so much for the introduction and having me on today.
[00:01:17] Yeah, you're welcome.
[00:01:18] I'm really excited because this, I mean, this is a very common condition for a lot
[00:01:22] of people in the nervous system realm and trying to understand it and really just kind
[00:01:27] of health world, right?
[00:01:29] So yeah.
[00:01:30] Yeah, definitely.
[00:01:31] Look, I see people day in, day out with IBS and the nervous system is one of those massive
[00:01:36] puzzle pieces that we need to address, which as you mentioned, we've collaborated
[00:01:40] before.
[00:01:41] I've had Grace inside my own program to help my clients as well because the nervous
[00:01:45] system is such an important piece.
[00:01:47] Yeah.
[00:01:48] So tell us a little bit about you and what led you to become a dietician for IBS specifically.
[00:01:54] Yeah.
[00:01:55] So it all stemmed from my own journey through IBS, not intentionally.
[00:02:00] So I was studying to be a dietician and my IBS was happening at the same time and
[00:02:04] I didn't really put you into it together, but over the years it ended up coming
[00:02:08] together, which was nice.
[00:02:10] So I personally have struggled with IBS symptoms since I was about 16 years old
[00:02:15] and I spent a long time, you know, suffering in silence, not seeking help.
[00:02:20] When I did seek help, I felt quite dismissed by my medical team.
[00:02:23] So it pushed her back further.
[00:02:25] And then in my years of being a dietician, I kind of had that light bulb
[00:02:30] moment of, oh, this is what I've been experiencing and this is what I can do about
[00:02:34] it.
[00:02:35] And then I started working with more clients in the field and just developed
[00:02:38] this big passion around it because through nutrition and lifestyle, we can make
[00:02:41] such huge improvements in symptoms and quality of life.
[00:02:45] And I was able to see that.
[00:02:46] I was able to help clients really change their life.
[00:02:49] And that was just so amazing as a practitioner, but also I had that
[00:02:53] background of my own IBS journey.
[00:02:55] So it basically led me to develop my full business and online programs
[00:02:59] around IBS.
[00:03:00] And that's kind of where I'm up to now.
[00:03:03] Wonderful.
[00:03:04] Yeah.
[00:03:05] I know that when people develop some type of program or specifics
[00:03:10] around something, it's usually because they've struggled themselves,
[00:03:13] which probably makes you better at what you do.
[00:03:15] Right.
[00:03:16] So yeah, I liked it.
[00:03:18] I think it definitely gives you an edge in the sense of you
[00:03:21] understand what people are going through.
[00:03:23] And it's particularly something like IBS or any kind of chronic illness,
[00:03:28] right, when it's not or hidden illness, when it's not really obvious
[00:03:31] symptoms, it's a lot of internal symptoms.
[00:03:34] And when someone doesn't experience those symptoms like maybe your
[00:03:37] doctor or another health professional, it's really hard for them to
[00:03:40] understand how debilitating, how severe that can be because they've never
[00:03:44] experienced that and they can't see it.
[00:03:46] They can't see it on the test.
[00:03:47] They can't see it.
[00:03:48] So to them, it's really hard to actually understand that.
[00:03:51] Like when you've been through it, it's so different because you're like,
[00:03:54] oh, no, I get that.
[00:03:55] I used to feel like that.
[00:03:56] And you've also seen the other side.
[00:03:58] So you're able to be like off a hope, but also say, you know,
[00:04:01] it does get better and there are things you can do about it.
[00:04:05] And you understand the nuances that are probably happened on a day to day
[00:04:10] basis, right?
[00:04:10] Not just like the big ways that it can impact you, but just all the
[00:04:14] little ways that add up to, yeah.
[00:04:16] Yeah, for sure.
[00:04:17] Can you tell us what is IBS exactly for people that are questioning
[00:04:22] whether they may have it or not?
[00:04:25] Yeah, of course.
[00:04:25] So IBS or irritable bowel syndrome.
[00:04:28] It's a functional gut disorder or it's a disorder of the gut
[00:04:31] brain access.
[00:04:32] So basically what happened, what IBS is.
[00:04:35] It's a, it's a diagnosis for a group of symptoms.
[00:04:38] The symptoms are a change in bowel habits.
[00:04:41] So either constipation or diarrhea or a combination of both.
[00:04:46] And alongside that, we see either pain or discomfort.
[00:04:49] So I've done little pain.
[00:04:50] Typically people feel that lower.
[00:04:53] It can be a general discomfort.
[00:04:54] It can be cramping pain, stabbing pain.
[00:04:57] Like everyone describes that pain at different levels.
[00:05:00] Alongside that, the often other gut symptoms.
[00:05:04] So things like bloating, gas, distention as well.
[00:05:08] Really that like a lot of lower gut symptoms is, is typically
[00:05:11] what we see with IBS.
[00:05:13] The tricky thing with IBS is that it doesn't come up on blood
[00:05:17] tests, doesn't come up in a colonoscopy.
[00:05:19] So it's not something you'll always get formal diagnosis from.
[00:05:23] Often how it work is you'll go see your doctor and say, Hey,
[00:05:26] I've been struggling with these symptoms.
[00:05:27] You know, what is it?
[00:05:28] What can I do?
[00:05:29] They may run some tests that may look like a blood test or
[00:05:32] a stool test, sometimes a colonoscopy.
[00:05:34] And then it'll come back clear.
[00:05:35] And they say, Oh, no, it could be IBS or try the low
[00:05:39] FODMAP diet, or it's just stress.
[00:05:41] Like it's usually quite confusing because there's not always this clear.
[00:05:45] Like you have IBS, here is what you can do about it.
[00:05:48] This is a real condition.
[00:05:49] It makes you kind of questioning, like, Oh, is this all in my head?
[00:05:52] Or what can I actually do about it?
[00:05:53] Is something missing?
[00:05:55] So, and I just went on a bit of a tangent there.
[00:05:57] But yeah, that's essentially what IBS is.
[00:06:00] It's this collective group of symptoms.
[00:06:01] It's not it's functional in the sense it's there's the good or the gut
[00:06:06] isn't functioning how it should, but it's not necessarily showing up on a blood test.
[00:06:10] Yeah, which makes it so confusing.
[00:06:12] Like you're saying, it's confusing to know if that's exactly right.
[00:06:15] Or even if you do have these group of symptoms.
[00:06:18] OK, well, then what does that mean?
[00:06:20] If there is any, you know, formal exact way to understand it
[00:06:24] or know that that's what you have.
[00:06:26] So I'd imagine that could bring more stress on top of it.
[00:06:30] Yeah, definitely.
[00:06:31] And like when you've been suffering with symptoms for so long
[00:06:34] and something I commonly see is people do suffer for a long time
[00:06:37] before they even seek help.
[00:06:39] So it's like you build up to this moment to finally see your doctor
[00:06:42] and get this diagnosis and then they're like, Oh, no, nothing's wrong.
[00:06:45] And you're like, Well, no, that doesn't make sense.
[00:06:47] Like, I don't believe you because, A, how can you say that?
[00:06:50] When when there is so many symptoms impacting my day to day life?
[00:06:53] But I mean, IBS is real.
[00:06:55] It's a very real condition and there's lots of things we can do about it.
[00:06:59] So just because the tests are clear doesn't mean it's not real.
[00:07:02] So then what do you see?
[00:07:05] You said in the beginning that, you know, nutrition and lifestyle
[00:07:08] changes can really make a big impact.
[00:07:11] Where would you start when someone recognizes?
[00:07:13] OK, this is probably what I have.
[00:07:16] Or maybe they've been told that.
[00:07:18] Where would you start?
[00:07:20] Yeah, I would definitely start by working with someone.
[00:07:22] So either a dietician or a psychologist that's experienced in IBS.
[00:07:27] It's often a niche area.
[00:07:29] So just like you want someone who has experience to give you the best results,
[00:07:33] in my opinion, not by advice at all.
[00:07:35] It doesn't have to be me.
[00:07:36] There's lots of amazing practitioners out there.
[00:07:38] But yeah, ideally you want someone to support you through this process
[00:07:41] because there's a lot of different strategies that can help.
[00:07:45] And we need to find one that works for your body.
[00:07:47] In terms of how I work as a dietician, you know, I often start
[00:07:50] with what I call the foundations when looking at things like your meal
[00:07:54] routine, so you're eating regularly, eating enough.
[00:07:57] Are you eating mindfully?
[00:07:58] Like chewing is a really important part of digestion.
[00:08:01] So we're focusing on those meal routines.
[00:08:03] We're looking at things like fiber and hydration to make sure that
[00:08:07] you're supporting your body with the right nutrients to actually get things moving.
[00:08:11] I often look at things like your bowel routines and your morning routine.
[00:08:14] So are you actually sitting on the toilet?
[00:08:17] Are you allowing time for your bowel to open?
[00:08:19] Are you that's more if you've got constipation dominance?
[00:08:22] And you know, because the bowel is like any anything
[00:08:25] like it needs time to work.
[00:08:27] And if you are someone that is skipping breakfast, rushing out the door,
[00:08:30] eating on the go, you know, all those kind of habits,
[00:08:33] they're all going to be impacting your digestion to do its job
[00:08:36] and your bowel to function.
[00:08:37] So that's where I often start with my clients and look at those
[00:08:40] foundations in the diet from there.
[00:08:42] We then look at what else is going on.
[00:08:44] So then I, you know, will talk about its stress, a major piece in your life.
[00:08:47] Do you notice symptoms increase around stress?
[00:08:50] And that's where you're self-grave.
[00:08:52] You know, we've got that learning module inside my program now
[00:08:54] to help clients from that point of view as well.
[00:08:58] Other things we may look at is the low FODMAP diet.
[00:09:01] So the low FODMAP diet can help to reduce symptoms.
[00:09:04] I find it quite effective for quick relief when someone's been struggling
[00:09:08] for a long time, we're reducing these high fermentable foods
[00:09:11] out of the diet, which helps to reduce pressure in in the gut
[00:09:16] and reduce symptoms from that angle.
[00:09:17] But yeah, low FODMAP is one of the puzzle pieces,
[00:09:20] but definitely not necessarily the only one or the one for everyone.
[00:09:25] Yeah. Can you speak to that a little bit?
[00:09:27] Because it seems like people understand or think that, OK,
[00:09:31] yeah, diet is obviously going to be the thing that fixes it, right?
[00:09:34] Or you might think that because food abounds, right, digestion.
[00:09:39] But why is that only a piece of it?
[00:09:40] And does it mean you have to be on it long term?
[00:09:44] Yeah. So why it's only a piece of it?
[00:09:47] Because, look, symptoms are very related to your nervous system
[00:09:52] and the way your gut and your brain are communicating.
[00:09:55] So one of the theories or one of the things we understand around IBS
[00:10:00] is that there is some miscommunication thought to be happening
[00:10:02] between the gut and the brain.
[00:10:04] So while there's nothing coming up on a colonoscopy,
[00:10:08] that there's physical damage inside there,
[00:10:10] there's something happening with the function.
[00:10:12] And this is thought to be directed to way the gut
[00:10:15] and the brain are communicating.
[00:10:17] So when you're eating a meal or you are trying to produce
[00:10:20] a bowel movement, you know, your body is trying to do its job
[00:10:23] and those signals are getting sent back up to the brain
[00:10:26] and the brain is like, oh, something's wrong here.
[00:10:28] And then it sends back other signals.
[00:10:30] So it might send back pain.
[00:10:31] It might send back diarrhea and urgency and increased motility.
[00:10:35] You know, it's changing the function of the gut
[00:10:38] based on the way the gut and the brain are communicating.
[00:10:41] So, yes, we can support diet to address that and reduce symptoms.
[00:10:46] But at the same time, we really need to address
[00:10:49] why it's happening in the first place,
[00:10:50] which for a lot of people is that gut-brain connection.
[00:10:54] So you really are describing the nervous system of the brain, right?
[00:10:57] And of course, I have to say, I hope I'm not butchering this
[00:11:01] because that's that's definitely your kind of around there.
[00:11:04] But yeah, like, I think that how I like to work,
[00:11:07] it's nervous system and it's diet
[00:11:09] and it's how do we combine both of these to get the best results
[00:11:12] so that you're improving your symptoms
[00:11:15] that also improving things long term.
[00:11:17] So it's not just about restriction and cutting out foods.
[00:11:21] No, I think you said it beautifully.
[00:11:23] People get confused of, OK, well, is it diet or nervous system?
[00:11:26] Or is my dysregulated nervous system causing sensitivities to food?
[00:11:30] Which I do talk about a lot because it is true.
[00:11:34] But again, it doesn't mean it's all or nothing or one or the other.
[00:11:37] And so I think it's helpful to understand the full picture
[00:11:39] of how they go together.
[00:11:41] Because, yeah, I mean, specifically our gut
[00:11:44] is called the second brain for a reason, right?
[00:11:46] It's the second brain or first brain.
[00:11:48] We have to retrain it basically to stop sending
[00:11:51] danger signals to the gut.
[00:11:52] So then when we're talking about the food piece,
[00:11:56] because again, I understand they're both important.
[00:11:58] Can you speak to I know you've you've talked before
[00:12:00] about food sensitivities tests.
[00:12:03] Can you speak to whether that's helpful or not
[00:12:05] or kind of how you see that in the IDS journey?
[00:12:07] Yeah. Yeah, look, I'll give you a short answer and a long answer.
[00:12:12] Short answer is food sensitivity tests are rubbish.
[00:12:17] Please save your money, save your time, save your stress.
[00:12:20] The long answer to that is that, you know, food
[00:12:22] sensitivity tests, you may see these at the times online.
[00:12:26] They usually like an IGG sensitivity.
[00:12:29] I can't even remember the names of them
[00:12:30] because I just don't recommend them.
[00:12:32] But, yeah, basically what they do is they promise to take
[00:12:35] like a blood sample, a hair sample, a saliva sample,
[00:12:38] and then they send you back this list of foods
[00:12:40] that you're all, you know, sensitive to or meant to be
[00:12:43] sensitive to. And what they're measuring is the IGG antibodies
[00:12:47] in your blood, in your system.
[00:12:50] And they say, OK, if you've got high levels of bees,
[00:12:53] it means you're sensitive to these foods.
[00:12:55] Basically science has proven that that's not true.
[00:12:58] This is not a marker of intolerance.
[00:13:00] If anything, these the IGG levels may be a marker of tolerance
[00:13:05] and it also may be a memory antibody.
[00:13:07] So it means, oh, you've actually just eaten these foods
[00:13:09] in the past, and that's why they show up on these tests.
[00:13:12] What ends up happening is you get this really long list of foods
[00:13:15] that can be anywhere from two foods to 100 foods
[00:13:18] that it says you're sensitive to.
[00:13:20] And often then you are meant to, you know, cut these foods out.
[00:13:23] It's not science-based.
[00:13:24] You end up on this really restrictive diet.
[00:13:27] Your symptoms, you know, you may they may improve
[00:13:29] because you've actually have cut some of the up.
[00:13:31] That's helpful, but it's just way too many foods
[00:13:33] and not the right way to go about it.
[00:13:35] Or it doesn't help at all.
[00:13:36] And you end up on a restrictive diet, feeling more confused,
[00:13:38] more lost than ever and then scared to actually add these foods back in.
[00:13:42] So the biggest things that I see here is not improvements in symptoms,
[00:13:46] but also food fear.
[00:13:47] So I really, really strongly don't recommend these tests
[00:13:50] and they're expensive.
[00:13:51] They're like, they can be like eight hundred dollars
[00:13:53] just for one of these tests.
[00:13:54] So please be wary of them if you're not sure, you know,
[00:13:58] reach out to myself, reach out to Grace,
[00:13:59] and we can talk you through it and talk about other strategies
[00:14:02] you can use so you don't have to resort to them.
[00:14:05] I will share a little bit that I feel the exact same
[00:14:08] way because I've done that.
[00:14:10] I've done the food sensitivities tests and not from an IBS perspective,
[00:14:13] but well, a little bit of gut issues.
[00:14:15] But I was having a lot of histamine reactions.
[00:14:17] And so I did the food sensitivities and it showed up with all these foods.
[00:14:21] And yeah, it created so much fear around them
[00:14:24] that then it just expanded into, you know,
[00:14:26] tripling the amount of foods that I was reacting to.
[00:14:28] And it just went on from there because our brains
[00:14:31] all of a sudden see these foods as bad.
[00:14:34] And every time we come in contact with them, your brain is going to go,
[00:14:37] nope, that's a bad thing. So it's going to react.
[00:14:40] And so you're just reinforcing that fear, pain or fear symptoms cycle.
[00:14:45] So for sure.
[00:14:46] And and we I mean, we have really real studies
[00:14:49] that show that correlation as well.
[00:14:51] When you there's some studies that have been done specifically around gluten.
[00:14:54] This gluten is one food that, you know, a lot of people often cut out
[00:14:57] and become fearful of.
[00:14:58] And there are studies of, you know, when they give someone a food
[00:15:02] and they say it's gluten, even though it's not gluten, they say,
[00:15:05] oh, yeah, here's a gluten and then they react.
[00:15:07] Or they give them a food that contains gluten.
[00:15:09] They say it's not gluten and then they don't react because it is like this.
[00:15:13] It's that brain gut connection.
[00:15:15] And you can believe and convince yourself that you're going to react.
[00:15:18] Or, you know, you because you think you're going to react.
[00:15:20] Your body goes into that panic mode and you do become like a sensitive
[00:15:24] and you do react to that food.
[00:15:26] So I think nurturing your relationship with food and reducing food fear
[00:15:30] is so so important because you don't want to, like you said,
[00:15:34] add actually more sensitivities into the picture.
[00:15:37] Due to that stress response.
[00:15:39] Yeah, I work with quite a few people with eating disorders.
[00:15:44] I was that was my primary, especially before chronic illness was eating
[00:15:47] disorders and there's a lot of IBS in the eating disorder community.
[00:15:51] Makes a lot of sense, right?
[00:15:52] I mean, fear around food, so much meaning behind food that
[00:15:57] then you just create all these fears in your brain that starts reacting.
[00:16:01] And I see it years later, even though even through recovery,
[00:16:05] eating disorders, then if they didn't have it before,
[00:16:07] then it kind of starts developing into IBS.
[00:16:10] And so really understanding that gut brain connection and working on soothing
[00:16:14] I think is super important.
[00:16:16] Yeah, for sure.
[00:16:17] And we know that the gut brain connection goes both ways as well.
[00:16:20] So your gut symptoms can impact your mental health and your mood
[00:16:24] and your mood and your mental health can impact your gut sometimes.
[00:16:27] So it goes both ways.
[00:16:29] And it's just something to be wary of, particularly if you are
[00:16:32] starting to experience symptoms and you're looking for a solution,
[00:16:35] you know, we want to actually help you get get it right from the start.
[00:16:38] So don't go deep down these tracks and end up having to really take
[00:16:42] years back tracking to get back to actually a good place.
[00:16:45] Yeah, OK.
[00:16:47] So when you started being a dietitian and working with IBS
[00:16:52] and really focusing on food, a FODMAP diet,
[00:16:55] how long before you started recognizing that nervous system was a component?
[00:16:59] Or did you know from the beginning?
[00:17:00] Yeah. Yeah, yeah, good question.
[00:17:03] So no, I was quite naive and because I mean, as a dietitian
[00:17:07] through university, we're not toward a whole lot around IBS or the nervous system.
[00:17:12] When I was going through training, I probably just wasn't as much
[00:17:15] understanding around it in general.
[00:17:16] Like, I think this is something that's becoming more recognized
[00:17:19] over the last few years and more publicly recognized.
[00:17:22] So when I first started practicing, I was very focused on the low FODMAP diet
[00:17:27] and very quickly, it was simply in a couple of months of my practice,
[00:17:30] I was like, something's not right here, like something's missing.
[00:17:33] I was seeing that either it wasn't resolving symptoms.
[00:17:37] People were increasing, Poojki is getting more stressed and I was like,
[00:17:40] no, no, something's not like I need to do better.
[00:17:43] I want to help these people and not make things worse.
[00:17:46] So like within a couple of months, I was really starting to understand it
[00:17:49] more and do do more research, get more guests, experts.
[00:17:53] And I got clinical mentoring straight away with the dietitian
[00:17:56] who's experienced in eating disorders and gut health as well
[00:17:59] and was able to shift my practice to be more supported from different angles.
[00:18:03] So then what helped you personally work with your nervous system?
[00:18:08] How did you start to bring in certain practices or maybe it was lifestyle changes?
[00:18:13] Can you give us an idea or examples, maybe what that looked like?
[00:18:18] Yeah, of course.
[00:18:18] So for myself, I supported my nervous system without knowing.
[00:18:24] I think it wasn't this intentional thing of like, oh, my nervous system
[00:18:28] is triggering my symptoms.
[00:18:29] I need to go make changes.
[00:18:30] It was more like I was working in a stressful job that I was miserable in.
[00:18:34] I was working long hours and working in an office and I was not sleeping well
[00:18:39] and I was partying on weekends and all of these things that works
[00:18:43] supporting my body or my nervous system.
[00:18:45] And when I started making changes to all of that, so working from home
[00:18:51] and changing jobs and not partying and getting good night's sleep
[00:18:55] and getting a movement, like getting a good exercise regime,
[00:18:58] all of these lifestyle changes made the biggest difference in my symptoms
[00:19:03] long term to a point.
[00:19:04] Now I don't have daily symptoms.
[00:19:06] I rarely ever have flares, you know, everything's in a really good place
[00:19:09] now with no food restriction.
[00:19:11] So originally I had done the low-fat diet 10 years ago
[00:19:15] and that had at the time really transformed my symptoms.
[00:19:18] It really made me feel better.
[00:19:19] But now I don't have to follow that because I've actually addressed
[00:19:23] the nervous system and lifestyle changes and my bowel routine
[00:19:27] and all those other factors.
[00:19:28] So I would say, yes, in terms of I made lots of lifestyle changes.
[00:19:33] I have done a little bit of gut chemotherapy through the NERBA app.
[00:19:36] And that was helpful as well.
[00:19:38] I have also worked with psychologists personally just around mental health
[00:19:41] multiple times over the years.
[00:19:42] And that's always been really helpful.
[00:19:44] I also chosen to go on anxiety medication and that was quite pivotal
[00:19:49] for myself as well.
[00:19:50] So there's lots of little factors that I've paced together over the years.
[00:19:54] I'm actually really glad you mentioned that,
[00:19:56] that the idea of kind of overall lifestyle changes
[00:20:00] is regulating your nervous system.
[00:20:02] People don't always recognize that they want the tangible tools
[00:20:05] that they can do to the body on a day-to-day basis, which are helpful.
[00:20:09] But so much of it really does come from everyday stress.
[00:20:13] How are you living?
[00:20:14] How are you sleeping?
[00:20:15] Who are you around?
[00:20:16] What kind of environments are you in?
[00:20:18] Truly impacts our mind and our bodies,
[00:20:21] as well as definitely mental and emotional health.
[00:20:24] So it is kind of an all approach.
[00:20:26] And sometimes that could be overwhelming for people,
[00:20:29] but we just have to start, you know, where you are and meet you where you are
[00:20:32] and look at what are the pieces of your life that aren't really supporting you.
[00:20:37] So, yeah, it can happen that way.
[00:20:40] Yeah, exactly. It doesn't have to be.
[00:20:42] It wasn't like I woke up one day and changed every single little thing
[00:20:45] in my life the next day.
[00:20:46] It was, you know, I made small, progressive changes over time
[00:20:49] to better support me.
[00:20:50] And it's that you can't just go and quit, you know,
[00:20:52] not everyone can just go quit their job and the same thing.
[00:20:55] You know, I put a lot of practice in place to get me to that place.
[00:20:58] So no, it's yeah, it's more progressive changes
[00:21:00] and just having that reflection and planning to be like, OK,
[00:21:05] well, this isn't really serving me.
[00:21:07] Is it something I can change right now?
[00:21:08] Is it something I can work towards changing?
[00:21:10] How can I support my body right now with what's available?
[00:21:13] You know, it's always about trying to make it practical
[00:21:16] and realistic for yourself.
[00:21:18] Yeah. So then with IBS, there really is not only because it truly,
[00:21:23] I mean, it's your gut, right?
[00:21:24] So gut brain connection is so huge.
[00:21:27] But when we're talking about diet, lifestyle,
[00:21:30] mental, emotional health, I mean, the gut takes all that on,
[00:21:34] sends it to the brain and the brain also obviously talks back to the gut,
[00:21:37] right? So when someone's been sitting with this
[00:21:40] or like trying to figure out if this is what they're working on
[00:21:43] and maybe they're going through diet changes,
[00:21:46] what would you tell them if they're just on the beginning of their journey?
[00:21:52] If you're just at the beginning.
[00:21:55] Know that.
[00:21:57] It is possible like it is possible to feel better
[00:22:01] and it doesn't have to be, you know, taking all the foods out
[00:22:05] that you love and following this really difficult pathway.
[00:22:09] I think finding someone that you relate to
[00:22:12] and that you can work with to personalise a plan to your body
[00:22:15] so that you can put the right steps in from the start.
[00:22:18] I really, really don't recommend trying to do this on your own
[00:22:21] because so many or almost all the time just end up
[00:22:25] trying things here and there and trying to figure it out.
[00:22:28] And you see your waste years and years trying to do it.
[00:22:31] So all the time almost every person that comes to me, it's like,
[00:22:33] oh, you know, I've had symptoms for five years and I've tried XYZ
[00:22:37] and nothing works for me.
[00:22:39] And now I'm scared of food and now I'm really struggling with this.
[00:22:43] And now this symptom has started and it's like, well, yeah, like I'm just
[00:22:47] I'm here to help.
[00:22:47] But at the same time, if you're at the beginning, like you can
[00:22:51] you don't have to get to this really, really bad place to seek help,
[00:22:54] like seek help now so that you can get on top of it early.
[00:22:58] I have a couple of clients.
[00:22:59] Actually, it's interesting, since I asked you to be on the podcast,
[00:23:02] I have about two that I've made a lot of progress just in general
[00:23:05] in their life, mental emotional health that are now starting to
[00:23:08] experience IVS symptoms, or maybe they have for a while, but it's getting
[00:23:12] worse to where now they're wanting to address it.
[00:23:15] So I'm definitely sending them this episode, but it does seem like
[00:23:20] they're like, OK, well, I'll just change my diet.
[00:23:22] I need to learn how to manage the FODMAP diet.
[00:23:25] And they are seeing some progress with that.
[00:23:27] Definitely are just making a few changes, but it's really stressful
[00:23:31] for them to make these like food changes because they don't know
[00:23:35] what it is. They're trying to learn about it.
[00:23:36] It seems like this really big feat to learn this new diet
[00:23:41] and it's just stressing them out even more.
[00:23:43] So that's more I guess there's not necessarily a question in this,
[00:23:46] but more of a confirmation from you that, OK, if that's the case,
[00:23:49] yes, you really do need support because it's one, it's not just the diet.
[00:23:53] Right. And two, it's really helpful to have that support.
[00:23:56] It's you don't have to be alone in this when it's already
[00:23:59] probably pretty isolating.
[00:24:02] Yeah, definitely.
[00:24:03] I think the changing your diet is hard.
[00:24:05] And for some reason, we think that it's something that
[00:24:10] will be easy or that we can just like figure it out on our own.
[00:24:13] And I think part of that the problem is that the low FODMAP diet
[00:24:16] just kind of gets thrown out there is like, oh, try the low FODMAP diet
[00:24:19] or just Google it when in reality it's a complex process.
[00:24:23] And having a personalized plan and the right resources and help
[00:24:26] will just make it a lot quicker and make it a lot easier.
[00:24:29] So in, you know, for example, the low FODMAP elimination
[00:24:32] is only two to six weeks.
[00:24:33] It's a really short term elimination and you shouldn't be spending
[00:24:37] any longer than that.
[00:24:38] Like, I see people get results within two weeks
[00:24:40] and then we're able to move straight into the next phase
[00:24:42] where a lot of people that do it on their own spend months and years
[00:24:45] just stuck in that elimination phase rather than even moving on.
[00:24:48] So, yeah, I think, you know, getting help
[00:24:51] in whatever avenue is always going to be a great step.
[00:24:55] That's really important to understand.
[00:24:57] I didn't even know that the amount of time
[00:24:58] that you should probably be on the elimination
[00:25:00] and then incorporating back because, yeah,
[00:25:02] I don't think people recognize that.
[00:25:03] I think they see it as, you know, I don't know, a six-month process
[00:25:07] or a life process, whatever that means to them on the diet.
[00:25:11] So that's a new time limit.
[00:25:14] Definitely.
[00:25:15] Like the low FODMAP diet is a short term protocol.
[00:25:17] It's not a lifestyle change.
[00:25:19] It's not this thing that you have to follow forever.
[00:25:21] It's designed to identify if you have food triggers
[00:25:24] and you'll figure that out very quickly in that first phase
[00:25:27] if it's working or if it's not when followed.
[00:25:29] You know, fairly consistently, it doesn't even have to be perfect.
[00:25:32] So, yeah, two to six weeks is the initial elimination.
[00:25:35] The food challenges in the second phase takes a little bit longer,
[00:25:38] but it's that, you know, that first couple of weeks will tell you a lot.
[00:25:42] OK, OK.
[00:25:43] So then can you speak to when you when you work with people
[00:25:48] and they're, you know, doing this for the first two to six weeks,
[00:25:50] the low FODMAP and they're working through
[00:25:53] especially what you have them work through as well as the nervous system,
[00:25:56] the brain, when they get stuck
[00:25:58] or when they have a flare, maybe there's multiple pieces.
[00:26:01] But can you tell what causes flares?
[00:26:05] Like what's the, you know, what happens when they get stuck
[00:26:08] when they might see progress, but then flare happens
[00:26:10] and they feel like all is lost.
[00:26:12] What happens there? Yeah.
[00:26:14] Yeah, yeah, good question.
[00:26:15] Look, it depends on what stage you are in your IBS journey.
[00:26:18] When you're at the start, things are inconsistent.
[00:26:21] Symptoms are happening quite frequently.
[00:26:23] It's really hard to pinpoint where that flare is coming from.
[00:26:26] So my best advice is, you know, rest, look after your body
[00:26:29] and know that ups and downs are normal.
[00:26:32] Later down the track and what almost every client reports me
[00:26:36] after the program is they say, OK, well, A, my symptoms are really good
[00:26:40] each day, sometimes small flares happen and every time they do,
[00:26:43] I'm able to identify where it's come from and how to navigate that
[00:26:46] so that it doesn't have so much of an impact.
[00:26:48] So I would say that, yeah, if you're further down,
[00:26:51] once you understand your triggers, you've got a good foundation
[00:26:53] lifestyle strategies in place.
[00:26:55] Yes, it's a lot easier to identify where the flares come from.
[00:26:58] Sometimes they're food, sometimes they're things like alcohol.
[00:27:03] So you may have been like, oh, yeah, look, I did drink a whole bowl
[00:27:05] of wine last night, I woke up feeling a bit girly today
[00:27:07] and stomach, you know, I've been to the toilet a couple of times.
[00:27:10] It's OK. I get that.
[00:27:11] That happens when I drink alcohol or other times my clients,
[00:27:14] I do encourage to take that full, you know, lifestyle look where we go.
[00:27:18] OK, well, how's your stress being?
[00:27:19] Have you been sleeping?
[00:27:20] Have you moved your body today?
[00:27:22] You know, looking at all those different puzzle pieces,
[00:27:24] instead of just thinking constantly, what have I done wrong?
[00:27:28] It's more like, OK, let's take a full reflection of everything happening
[00:27:31] or and similar to like the guys at the end of the journey
[00:27:34] or towards the end of the end when they've got all those puzzle pieces together.
[00:27:38] It's all these I know that like I can just talk to myself.
[00:27:42] So for example, myself, I know that constipation is a big factor for me.
[00:27:46] So managing constipation reduces my other symptoms like bloating, gas and pain.
[00:27:51] So I know that I have to I have to dedicate some time in the morning
[00:27:55] to relax and sit on the toilet to have breakfast, to move my body.
[00:27:59] You know, sleep is in corner for that stress is in corner for that.
[00:28:02] So one of my first things like, oh, how's my toilet in me?
[00:28:05] Like have I been going consistently?
[00:28:07] Have I been moving my body?
[00:28:08] You know, those kind of factors come in place.
[00:28:10] So that's my biggest piece of advice when it comes to flares.
[00:28:13] It's don't automatically blame food or think what have I done wrong
[00:28:17] and, you know, stress yourself into a worst flare.
[00:28:19] Instead, like just take that time to do the full reflection
[00:28:23] and then more just think moving forward.
[00:28:25] How can you care for your body rather than punish your body?
[00:28:29] I love that that call out on don't go to yourself.
[00:28:33] It's not, you know, like you're doing this to you
[00:28:35] because part of this journey is learning how to help yourself, right?
[00:28:40] Which is really important.
[00:28:41] But it doesn't mean if you have a flare, then you did something wrong
[00:28:44] or, you know, you lost control or something like that.
[00:28:47] Because it happens a lot.
[00:28:48] We feel like we're doing something wrong, but it's, you know,
[00:28:51] it's not that truly not that simple.
[00:28:54] The body is not that simple.
[00:28:55] There's multiple factors.
[00:28:57] So I like that call out.
[00:29:00] Yeah, for sure.
[00:29:01] It's not and none of this is simple or straightforward
[00:29:03] and you're not supposed to be able to navigate it, figure it out on your own.
[00:29:06] Like that's why we have, you know,
[00:29:07] specialty areas to actually help you through it
[00:29:10] because it is tricky and it's can be pretty debilitating.
[00:29:13] Yeah, for sure. OK.
[00:29:16] So you mentioned a lot of lifestyle changes around nervous system regulation.
[00:29:20] Can you speak to a few things that you're doing now that you're really enjoying
[00:29:23] that's just kind of helping the foundation of you and your nervous system?
[00:29:28] Yeah, sure. I'm a big sleeper.
[00:29:30] So my sleep routine is one of my priorities.
[00:29:34] So, I mean, I go to bed early.
[00:29:36] I'm always in bed by 9 p.m.
[00:29:38] I'm often up early, so I'm usually up at like 5 or 6 p.m.
[00:29:41] So prioritizing that and having consistency of that
[00:29:45] even over the weekend.
[00:29:46] So I try not to even on weekend step really late or mess with that too much.
[00:29:51] Managing my meal routines, I always find helpful.
[00:29:54] So having some, you know, doing my grocery shop and having meals prepared
[00:29:57] and having it easy to access, I find it's really helpful to manage stress
[00:30:01] and also just to support my digestion and my nutrition during the week
[00:30:05] when stress does happen.
[00:30:07] It's like, well, I'm not going to skip meals and I'm not going up
[00:30:09] to take out, which I know is not going to serve my symptoms.
[00:30:12] Having that preparation in place.
[00:30:15] And then the third one, as basic as it sounds, it's exercise.
[00:30:19] I've got a really great local gym that I've always been someone
[00:30:22] that prefers like a community feel gym, so it's like a small community gym.
[00:30:26] And I find that that helps with mental health and social aspect.
[00:30:31] And then obviously getting the exercise in.
[00:30:33] But I would say the exercise is even secondary to the social side of things for me.
[00:30:38] That's particularly working from home and working solo.
[00:30:40] Like I need that that that piece and puzzle to get out of the house every day.
[00:30:44] And that helps with my mental health and my nervous system.
[00:30:48] Yeah, definitely.
[00:30:49] That's social peace, social component, truly impacts our mental emotional health.
[00:30:53] So especially working home, I get that.
[00:30:56] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, definitely.
[00:30:58] I've got my dog, but sometimes even someone that talks back.
[00:31:03] Yeah, definitely, definitely.
[00:31:05] OK, so I always like to ask this question towards the end.
[00:31:10] I'm going to kind of ask this around nervous system,
[00:31:12] but is there anything else that you're loving right now and you're well
[00:31:16] on this journey, anything just like a hobby or, I don't know, something that you're loving?
[00:31:21] Yeah, good question.
[00:31:23] I've really been focusing on changing my the way I socialize
[00:31:28] and the way I find enjoyment in life, I guess, in my earlier 20s.
[00:31:33] You know, I was going out more and drinking more and doing those kind of things.
[00:31:37] And I've really stopped all of that and really switched to
[00:31:42] creating a nice community and friendship groups that do other things.
[00:31:46] So I live by the beach.
[00:31:47] So we've got bikes and we ride to the beach and like I love going out for a meal
[00:31:51] or, you know, just doing more outdoorsy things.
[00:31:54] So still able to satisfy that social craving that you have
[00:31:58] without having to sabotage yourself at the same time.
[00:32:02] That's great.
[00:32:03] I'm actually doing the same thing, but I wouldn't have named it as much
[00:32:07] since I moved to a place that has lots of nature.
[00:32:09] I'm connecting with new friends by going for a hike or walk or whatever it is.
[00:32:13] Right. And that feels really good.
[00:32:16] I'm the same. I go to bed early, wake up early and that is that is sacred to me.
[00:32:20] I don't mess with it.
[00:32:23] Yeah, same. Like that's that's my number one.
[00:32:26] Definitely. OK, cool.
[00:32:28] Thank you, Crystal.
[00:32:29] Is there anything else you'd like people to know about their IBS journey as we close?
[00:32:34] Just that you're not alone, like IBS affects up to one in five people.
[00:32:38] It's huge. So we may not talk about it much or you may not talk about it
[00:32:43] with the people around you, but the whole community of us out there.
[00:32:45] So you're definitely not alone in it.
[00:32:48] And there are lots of things that you can do that will add to your life,
[00:32:51] not actually make it worse.
[00:32:54] Wonderful. And where can people find you?
[00:32:57] Yeah. So Instagram is my my number one.
[00:32:59] So you can find me at IBS Bodmap Dietitian on Instagram.
[00:33:04] Or my website is www.crystalostoneutrition.com.
[00:33:09] I send me a DM over on Instagram.
[00:33:10] I'm always happy to connect and have a conversation.
[00:33:13] And if you are looking for that one to one help, then I certainly can help as well.
[00:33:17] Amazing. Thank you.
[00:33:18] And we'll of course have all our information linked below.
[00:33:21] Thank you, Crystal. Appreciate you coming on.
[00:33:24] Thanks, Grace.
[00:33:26] If this podcast means something to you, it would mean so much to me
[00:33:29] if you could do these couple things.
[00:33:31] One, go to the Heal with Grace Show page wherever you listen
[00:33:35] and tap the plus sign or click on the follow button
[00:33:37] so you don't miss an episode.
[00:33:39] It helps both of us out.
[00:33:40] While you're there, if you could give a five star review
[00:33:43] so that this podcast can reach more people, it would mean so much to me
[00:33:48] so I can continue sharing episodes that help you as well as others.
[00:33:52] Thanks for listening and I hope this brings you hope on your journey.