In this episode, Nicola and Florence interview Erin Kenney, a former HA patient who is also a Registered Dietitian, specializing in gut health and sports nutrition.
Erin starts by explaining why she became a RD and what the difference is between RDs and nutritionists (who may have very little training). She explains how her recovery informed her work, and why she doesn't believe that elimination diets should be the first point of call when people complain of digestive issues.
Erin also explained the immediate effect of dieting on one's microbiome's diversity and health. Short term, dieting can cause slow motility: constipation and bloating, as well as acid reflux, low appetite, gut dysbiosis. Within 24 hours, dieting can affect the composition of gut bacteria. Long term (1 to 2 months), dieting can cause atrophy of the GI muscles. When people are under fueling, that muscle needs energy to be repaired. When people don’t have robust, healthy muscles in their GI tract, they can experience constipation, gastroparesis (slow movement in GI tract), food sensitivities.
Find more research, shared by Erin, backing this up:
- Weight gain in anorexia nervosa does not ameliorate the faecal microbiota, branched chain fatty acid profiles and gastrointestinal complaints
- The Intestinal Microbiota in Acute Anorexia Nervosa and During Renourishment: Relationship to Depression, Anxiety, and Eating Disorder Psychopathology
- Gut microbiota and body composition in anorexia nervosa inpatients in comparison to athletes, overweight, obese, and normal weight controls
- Gut Dysbiosis in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa
Erin also helps us understand how to distinguish real food intolerances from sensitivities caused by chronic under fueling, as well as how to test and treat SIBO without restrictive dieting behaviors.
Erin shares simple advice to enhance digestion while being all in, including the fact that relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation or therapy, which have be proven to be even more effective than the low FODMAP diet!
Relaxation tools: Yoga with Adrienne can be a good resource for digestion support. If you don't find guided meditation helpful, try mindfulness practices. Here is an intro video about what is mindfulness as well as this article about 11 practices that are not meditation.
Find Erin Kenney (she also has a podcast and a blog that are great!) via www.nutritionrewired.com
To find support in your HA recovery:
Get the "No Period. Now What?" book at noperiod.info/book.
To make an appointment with Dr Rinaldi and get individual support to get your period back or improve your fertility, please go to noperiod.info/appointments
To make an appointment with Florence Gillet and get help with the body and mind changes happening in recovery please visit www.beyondbodyimage.com