What I Eat for My Gut Health
Key takeaways:
Stacey Asis faced gut health problems, including bloating and stomach pain, for years.
She began to experiment with dietary solutions in hopes of addressing her stomach issues.
Stacey says a mix of diet and lifestyle changes got her gut health in check.
Stacey Asis first experienced gut health concerns like bloating, pain, and excessive belching after meals in high school. Then, her symptoms worsened in college and as she progressed into her 20s, sometimes interrupting time with friends and family.
“I would need to sit down or lay down or go home,” says Stacey, a 27-year-old digital creator in Huntington Beach, California.
She often ended her days feeling overstuffed, regardless of how much she’d eaten. In the mornings, she regularly felt fatigued. Some days, it took a herculean effort just to roll out of bed. She also noticed changes in her skin in the form of acne. But her main concern was what was going on in her stomach.
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“I actually went to the emergency room one time because I had a stomach ache that was so bad — the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my stomach,” Stacey says. “And they couldn’t find anything wrong with me.”
Tackling her gut health
Several years ago, Stacey visited a gastroenterologist, who could not pinpoint any underlying problems. She considered hiring a functional medicine provider — someone who focuses on addressing the underlying causes of disease rather than just treating symptoms — but she couldn’t afford the cost.
Stacey knew the health of her digestive system, or gastrointestinal tract, where a mix of bacteria helps to support the immune system, was important to tackle. (The gut microbiome — which is involved in many key functions, including breaking down toxins and making energy — can be associated with health conditions ranging from heart disease to depression.) So she started researching ways to tweak her diet in hopes of improving her gut health on her own.
“I was, like, ‘OK, I’m just gonna figure this out myself. I’m going to clean up my diet and see what happens, because I don’t know what else to do right now,’” she recalls thinking.
An elimination diet helped her identify her triggers
A range of factors — including stress, antibiotics, age, illness, and diet — can affect gut health. Stacey decided to focus on what she was eating. Her strategy was to enact a strict elimination diet. She hoped it would help her identify foods that could be contributing to her gut problems.
“The elimination diet is basically intentionally removing foods that you think might trigger you, and then eventually reintroducing them into your diet to see if you feel any sort of reaction to them,” she says.
Here’s what Stacey cut out for a month:
Gluten
Dairy
Alcohol
Caffeine
Refined sugar
Seed oils
Soy
It was a big change for someone who hadn’t previously followed any kind of diet. Stacey documented her progress for her social media followers on TikTok, relating how the process took a lot of work and that there was no magic fix. As she told her followers, it took research, commitment, and lifestyle changes.
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In addition to eliminating foods, Stacey also incorporated new things into her diet, such as supplements. These are the supplements she added:
Fish oil for its healthy fat and anti-inflammatory benefits
Magnesium to support digestive health
Probiotics to boost her immune system and keep her gut healthy
“I was really motivated to figure this out,” Stacey says.
By the end of the month, her gut problems had significantly improved. “I would still get bloating a little bit like here and there. But it wasn’t nearly to the extent that I had felt it prior,” she says. “And I think for the first time, I would go a day without having as much bloating.”
What she learned from her elimination diet
After trying the elimination diet and noticing how her body reacted when she reintroduced certain foods, Stacey concluded she would continue to avoid gluten and dairy. She also decided to limit sugar, seed oils, and caffeine going forward.
These days, Stacey’s diet features:
Coffee alternatives such as hot water with lemon and ginger
Protein-packed smoothies
Anti-inflammatory foods, such a leafy greens and chickpeas
Meals packed with nutrients, fiber, and high-quality protein, like sweet potatoes and salmon
Treats like sugar-free chocolate-covered dates in moderation
Next on the agenda: Reducing stress
Stacey also worked to reduce stress, which can be another factor in gut troubles. She began taking time in the morning to meditate — “usually just 5 minutes of silence and breathing to really relax my nervous system,” she says. And she started walking her dogs outside before jumping into calls or texts. She also stopped watching TV during meals to eat more consciously.
“For years, I prided myself on being a workaholic,” Stacey says. “The first thing I did was establish a firm morning and nighttime routine, which included meditation and journaling.”
Creating a nutrient-rich diet
When it comes to her diet, Stacey’s overarching strategy is to include whole foods that offer a variety of nutrients in every meal.
“So carb, fat, protein, fiber — I try really hard to make sure all of those nutrients are incorporated into the meal,” she says.
And she works in foods known to promote a healthy gut biome, such as fermented kimchi and probiotic coconut yogurt. Since she’s a pescatarian — meaning, she eats fish but not other meats — she also eats plenty of legumes for protein and fiber.
Here’s a typical day’s menu for Stacey.
Breakfast
For breakfast, Stacey first takes a probiotic supplement. Then, she might make sweet potato toast with avocado and eggs. She favors matcha, made from green tea, instead of coffee. Occasionally, she’ll have a latte with almond milk instead, but only after she gets food in her stomach.
Lunch
For lunch, Stacey might eat homemade soup or white bean chili.
Dinner
For dinner, Stacey favors dishes like salmon with rice, cucumber, and mango. And while she limits sugar, she might celebrate a good day with a little “sweet treat,” she says.
As for wine or cocktails? “I rarely drink,” she says, explaining that she’ll drink on special occasions but is sure to avoid cocktails made with sugary mixers.
Stacey has found that meal prepping and making dishes that she loves are key to maintaining her diet. That’s required her to learn to cook new recipes — which she shares on social media — and eat fewer restaurant meals.
“I always look at the week ahead and think about what recipes I want to eat,” she says, adding that she’s come to enjoy the process. “I recommend picking one day in the week and make a recipe that is good for the refrigerator [and] you can have more than once a week.”
She’s also learned to have a fridge stocked with ingredients to quickly make healthy meals with. That helps her avoid the temptation to order out. “That's the best way to stick to whatever kind of healthy eating you want to do,” she says.
Diet changes have lead to gut health improvements
Over time, Stacey’s new diet has finally helped her put years of severe bloating and stomach pain behind her. And it’s had other benefits.
“Now, I have so much energy when I wake up in the morning,” Stacey says. “It’s like a full tank of gas every single morning.”
Stacey’s new diet has also saved her money on dining and ordering out. While she still occasionally eats at restaurants with friends, she is now more apt to invite people to her home and cook for them. “I don’t even have any delivery apps on my phone at all anymore,” she says.
But it’s not just about what she eats. Stacey says maintaining her efforts to reduce stress has also been key to lasting gut health improvements. As part of reducing her stress, she prioritizes low-impact workouts over high-intensity training, as well as meditation and mindful eating.
“I can feel it when I’m stressed out eating a meal, I will almost instantly get bloated,” she says.
One thing she has learned, Stacey says, is that improving gut health through diet and lifestyle changes requires a focus on individuality and a willingness to experiment. While she posts content about her own diet on social media, she notes that that’s just her experience and that everyone’s gut microbiome is unique.
“People can take a very black-and-white stance toward certain foods or certain practices,” she says. “We just need to remember that everyone is different. And just because someone is saying, ‘Don’t eat this, this is bad for you,’ doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s actually bad for you, too.”
Stacey’s advice is: “Do your own research and experiment for yourself to see how that feels in your body, because everyone is different.”
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