Gut & Digestive Health Nutrition

You may experience bloating after meals, indigestion or heartburn, abdominal discomfort, constipation, diarrhoea or changes in your usual bowel habits. Perhaps certain foods trigger symptoms, you feel uncomfortably full after eating, or your digestion feels unpredictable.

Sometimes there is a diagnosed condition affecting digestive health, such as coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In other cases, you may have been told that your symptoms are consistent with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or investigations may have ruled out other underlying conditions but uncomfortable digestive symptoms remain.

Looking at the bigger picture

Digestive health is about much more than simply what you eat.

How you eat, when you eat, your daily routine, stress levels, sleep, physical activity and even the environment in which you eat can all influence digestive symptoms.

This is why my approach looks at your diet and lifestyle together.

For example, someone may initially assume that a particular food is causing their bloating. But when we look more closely, we may discover that symptoms are worse when meals are rushed, eaten irregularly or during particularly stressful periods.

There isn't always one obvious answer. Part of my role is to do some detective work with you, looking for patterns and potential contributors and helping you become a better observer of how your own body responds.

Sometimes this involves a bit of trial and error. Still, the aim is to make changes in a structured and personalised way rather than unnecessarily removing multiple foods from your diet.

The gut-brain connection and stress

The gut and brain communicate constantly through what is known as the gut-brain axis. This complex relationship involves the nervous system, immune system, hormones and signals originating in the gut.

This helps explain why digestive health isn't just about food. Stress can influence gut motility, sensitivity and digestive symptoms through the close communication between the brain, nervous system and digestive tract.

One simple way of thinking about this is to imagine our ancestors being chased by a wild animal. In that moment, escaping danger would have been the body's priority, not sitting down and comfortably digesting a meal.

Our modern-day stresses may be very different, but periods of anxiety, pressure and overwhelm can still affect digestive symptoms.

This is why I consider not only what you eat, but also how and when you eat, your stress levels, eating environment, sleep and daily routines.

ADHD, neurodivergence and hypermobility

Because I also specialise in ADHD and neurodivergence in women, the gut-brain connection is particularly relevant to my work.

In practice, I often work with neurodivergent women who also experience digestive symptoms. Research has identified associations between ADHD and gastrointestinal conditions, including IBS, although this is still an evolving area and does not mean that ADHD directly causes digestive problems.

Another overlap I increasingly see in my practice is joint hypermobility. Research has found associations between neurodivergence, including ADHD, and hypermobility-related conditions. Digestive symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, reflux and altered bowel habits are also commonly reported in people with hypermobility spectrum disorders and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS).

The reasons for these overlaps are likely to be complex and are still being investigated. However, they reinforce the importance of looking at the whole person, rather than viewing digestive symptoms, ADHD, stress, and other aspects of health in complete isolation.

Hormones and digestive health

Women's digestive symptoms can also change throughout different stages of life.

Some hormonal and gynaecological conditions can be associated with digestive symptoms. For example, constipation can occur with an underactive thyroid, while women with endometriosis may also experience gastrointestinal symptoms.

Digestive symptoms such as bloating and changes in bowel habits are also reported during the perimenopausal and menopausal years. Hormonal changes may influence digestive function and symptoms, although research into these relationships is ongoing.

This overlap is particularly relevant to my practice because women's and hormonal health is one of my main areas of specialism.

Rather than assuming that hormones are responsible for someone's digestive symptoms, I consider them as one potential part of a much bigger picture.

My approach to supporting your digestive health

Digestive support should not automatically mean an expensive gut test, a long supplement protocol or a highly restrictive diet.

We start with you.

I look at your symptoms, medical history, diet, eating patterns, lifestyle, stress, sleep and any diagnoses or medications that may be relevant. From there, we can identify realistic areas to work on and monitor how your symptoms respond.

Sometimes simply becoming a better observer of your symptoms and eating patterns can provide useful information. We might look at whether symptoms occur after particular foods or meals, at particular times of day, during stressful periods or alongside changes in sleep, hormones or routine.

In some circumstances, additional testing may be useful. In many others, however, we can learn a great deal by carefully reviewing your existing diet, lifestyle, and symptom patterns first.

Similarly, therapeutic approaches such as a low-FODMAP diet may be appropriate for some people with IBS, but they aren't something everyone experiencing bloating or digestive symptoms needs to follow. Unnecessary long-term restriction is not my starting point.

The aim is to find an approach that is personalised, practical and sustainable.

When should digestive symptoms be investigated?

Many clients who come to me with longstanding digestive symptoms have already discussed them with their GP and undergone appropriate investigations.

If you haven't, we can consider whether your symptoms warrant medical assessment before focusing on nutritional support.

Digestive symptoms can have many different explanations. If your symptoms or medical history suggest further investigation may be appropriate, I will recommend discussing this with your GP rather than trying to address everything through nutrition.

Where appropriate, and with your permission, I am always happy to liaise with your GP or other healthcare professionals involved in your care.

My role isn't to diagnose digestive disease. It is to help you explore the factors that may be influencing your digestive health and provide personalised, practical nutritional and lifestyle support alongside appropriate medical care.