Nutritionist Resource member Marie Jarvis joins Happiful’s podcast to talk about IBS, symptom tracking and why talking about poo is good for you

Nutritional Therapist and Health Coach Marie Jarvis is well placed to talk about Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) after suffering with it since she was a teenager. From chronic constipation to sudden urges and social anxiety caused by unpredictable symptoms, Marie has endured it all.

However, as she shares on I am. I have, she also knows first-hand that there is light at the end of the tunnel and many ways to seek relief from IBS.

Getting Help

  • The first and best thing you can do is start a food and symptoms diary. That will help you to understand how your body is working and maybe even interacting with certain types of food.

  • Please remember that not all IBS is rooted in food, it can be issues like low stomach acid and poor digestion of food. But, by having a symptoms diary, you might be able to spot a pattern.

  • Write down anything that isn't 'normal' for you, maybe bowel movements, change in mood, anything that's going on.

  • The next step will be speaking to your doctor for further investigation. If you've already done some analysis with your diary, that's potentially going to help them to rule out various issues more quickly.

  • If you want to go deeper into condition management upon being diagnosed with IBS, this could be a good time to seek the advice of a Nutritional Therapist.

What to expect from working with a Nutritional Therapist

  • I take an individual approach and ask people to complete an extensive questionnaire before they come along. In this, I gather a lot of information including any medication they might be on and family history of health issues.

  • I ask clients to do a three-day food and lifestyle diary, so that gives me a picture of what they're eating and when they're eating it. This will also help me form a picture around moods and sleep. I'm able to start looking at this and think about the possible contributing factors in their IBS.

  • We usually, not always, start with balancing blood sugars. This is really important in order to then start addressing issues with the gut.

  • I personally work on a 4 R's programme. We remove food and lifestyle practices that could be contributing to the gut problem, then replace stomach acid and digestive enzymes that may be lacking in the gut, re-inoculate your gut with a healthy balance of bacteria and finally repair the damage IBS may have caused.

  • The aim is to get people to the point where they can live a 'normal' life again. They don't have to live with IBS symptoms.

It's good to talk...about poo

  • I can learn so much about someone's health just by them telling me about the consistency, the colour, how frequently they're going or how frequently they're not going. Talking about poo, really helps!

And remember!

  • You don't have to live with IBS, there are answers to it and there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Listen to Marie’s full episode of I am. I have
Find out more about Marie Jarvis.

To find the right therapist for your needs visit Nutritionist Resource.