Do You Struggle With Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

Do You Struggle With Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS)? Today I wanted to take some time to address a topic that is very important to bring awareness to. I speak about constipation quite often here on the blog and my social media channels, but recently a Beauty wrote to me and asked if I could speak further about the opposite of constipation, diarrhea and Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS)!

This is an equally important issue to talk about. I want you to always feel your best, which includes balancing your gut and cleaning out your system! You may be feeling frustrated right now, but don’t worry. Your body is an amazing vessel and you can help heal yourself from the inside out!

I have written about this topic before in detail on the blog but I felt it was important to talk with you today and speak about some commonly asked questions and concerns.

What is IBS?

Let’s start simple…Irritable Bowel Syndrome (commonly called IBS) is a huge issue for women especially…and from what I have seen, is something that many people feel uncomfortable talking about. Talking about gas, diarrhea and abdominal pain normally isn’t the first on our list when it comes to topics we typically feel comfortable sharing with friends, coworkers, or even family members.

But fear not, Beauty! You are in a safe space here with me as well as in our Beauty Detox Foods Community on Facebook.

Those who have IBS typically have one or more of these major symptoms:

• Gassiness
• Bloating
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal pain

Yes, that’s right- it’s a tricky issue because it can go either way, between constipation or diarrhea. I have worked with a lot of clients and people that have loose stools and diarrhea and varying levels of irritable bowel syndrome. This is a big issue and another sign of imbalance in your body! When you are experiencing these symptoms, it simply means that your body digestion is compromised and you may be chronically dehydrated, or may not be absorbing the nutrition from your food that you really need, or your flora is imbalanced in your gut, or there is some other chronic issue that needs to be rebalanced.

IBS can effect anyone at any age, though 60 to 75 percent of sufferers are women (most often between 30 and 50 years old), and about 20 percent are adults in North America and the United Kingdom.

The good news: IBS is not a life-threatening condition and is treatable

There are several ways to improve your digestion and restore balance in your body. I am going to share with you below some information that can help direct you in starting to heal your gut from the inside out!

SBO Probiotics

One of the best ways to replace harmful bacteria in your gut is by crowding it out with good intestinal bacteria. I recommend taking my SBO Probiotics as the best natural solution for eliminating bloating, puffiness and getting a healthier, flatter stomach.

No matter what condition you are going through, by improving your digestive health, you can almost be guaranteed that you will also increase your health and beauty in some way and help you get into more a stable place. Re-balancing your levels of friendly bacteria via consumption of regularly consuming broad spectrum SBO’s is the single best way to restore digestive health.

It’s something that has helped me and many of my clients tremendously- as well as worked to decrease bloat and normalize bowel movements.

Cut Out Dairy

I have advocated for the removal of dairy for many years and speak about it extensively in The Beauty Detox Solution. Our bodies were not designed to digest dairy and due to that, when we consume it, it can lead to a plethora of health issues.

When it comes to IBS, dairy is a big thing to look out for as well as some other food triggers such as gluten. By adding mindfulness into your diet, you can start to identify if there’s certain foods that are allergenic for you that are causing triggers. Dairy is something that Dr. Hiromi Shinya,a famous Japanese doctor, has talked about often. He has talked about how when people would have yogurt, they would think it is helping their digestion, but in reality, it was causing a type of diarrhea because their bodies weren’t digesting it well.

Be Sure To Stay Hydrated

Why do we need water anyway? Your body needs water because it helps regulate body temperature, is necessary for waste removal and it protects your joints and organs. Most of the tissues under your skin are moist or surrounded with some type of fluid. It helps transport nutrients, and oxygen to cells and tissues throughout your body.

That being said every time you sweat, urinate and even take a breath, you lose water, so you have to drink water to make sure your body has enough. If you don’t, you can become dehydrated.

It is important for us to stay hydrated as we’re restoring balance in our body. In the case of IBS coconut water is really important because you want to make sure those electrolytes stay in the right place. Chronic diarrhea forces your body to miss out on vital nutrient absorption, as well as electrolyte balance and of course general hydration. Also focus on Glowing Green Smoothies, raw salads (unless they make you bloated, in which case you should stick to mostly steamed or cooked veggies for now, which may be easier on your digestion), lots of herbal tea, and not eating a diet overly high in protein, as protein requires a lot of water to be digested.

Don’t feel bad if you don’t like the taste of water, I have a solution! You can easily dress up the flavor of plain water by adding lime or lemon slices, or almost any type of fresh, soft cut fruit, like oranges, sliced grapes or my personal fav- sweet grapefruit. Herbs and other seasonings are nice too, like mint leaves, sliced ginger or fresh rosemary.

What Your Poop & Pee Are Telling You!

That’s right…I am talking about poop again :) ! The shape, size, smell and shade are all important in helping determine if your gut is healthy and your digestion is optimal!

Check out the infographic below for more details!

Remember Beauty, our bodies are really resilient and they can repair and rejuvenate when we give them the right foods! We are able to increase our chances for success when we give our body the right foods, probiotics, environment, and we cut out things like excessive stress, unclean water and too much meat and dairy!

Be hopeful and don’t forget to check out the other resources I have shared here on the blog. Detoxing is an ongoing process, and you need to keep up with these modalities on an ongoing basis, to keep your healthiest and most beautiful.

I share more in-depth information here on how you can begin to treat your IBS here.

Have a beautiful day, no matter where you may be! And please remember to make the best choices you can to take good care of yourself.

With love and gratitude,

Kimberly