How many people do you know dealing with gut issues like IBS, reflux, bloating, or who need to sprint to the loo after a meal?
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms yourself, or someone close to you is, you’re not alone, and you’re certainly not weak. You’re simply running a high-level biological system on low-quality fuel.
The truth is your gut is a powerhouse. It contains a vast neural network (often called the second brain) that works nonstop to turn food into energy, hormones, neurotransmitters, and muscle-building nutrients.
When that system is supported properly, digestion feels calm and predictable. But when it’s constantly irritated, your whole body pays the price.
Why A Species-appropriate Diet Matters
Humans evolved as apex predators and opportunistic scavengers, with stomach acid that stayed fiercely acidic for one purpose: to digest animal foods effectively. While our microbiome can adapt to many dietary patterns, the fundamental design of the human digestive tract hasn’t changed.
That’s why I recommend a species-appropriate approach to eating:
- Animal-based foods as the foundation
- Fermented foods as intelligent additions
- Minimal industrial inputs
We don’t fix digestion by adding powders, fibres, or ultra-processed fake “health foods”. We fix it by not feeding the gut foods it never evolved to tolerate.
Research consistently shows the digestive and metabolic advantages of animal-based diets. Their capacity to improve nutrient absorption and digestive efficiency compared to diets heavy in plant defence chemicals and lectins.
Lindberg (2016) describes the digestive advantages of a carnivorous template, especially around absorption and gut workload.
Buchinger & Ceballos (2017) highlight the microbiome stability and gut-health benefits seen with animal-based eating patterns, compared to plant-dominant diets that commonly aggravate digestion.
On a population level, higher intake of quality animal foods correlates with lower mortality from major chronic diseases, reinforcing the protective role of animal protein and fat in human health (Micha et al., 2017).
The Industrial Spray Problem (and why your gut feels it)
Glyphosate-based herbicides are used widely on staple crops, and that usage has risen sharply over the last few decades.
Benbrook (2016) documents this global surge and the resulting presence of glyphosate residues in everyday foods.
Why does that matter for digestion?
Because your gut lining and microbiome are sensitive ecosystems. Constant exposure to chemical residues is a modern pressure your body has never had to navigate. Even regulatory reviewers acknowledge the ongoing debate around glyphosate’s impact on human health (Monsanto Company, 2019).
And glyphosate doesn’t just sit harmlessly on plants. Zobiole et al. (2010) show that glyphosate alters plant physiology and nutrient dynamics, meaning residues entering the food chain may also change what we absorb and how our gut responds.
So if your digestion feels chaotic, sensitive, or inflamed, it’s not random. Your gut is reacting to a modern food environment that’s out of alignment with human biology.
What To Do
This isn’t about fear. It’s about returning to what works.
To support a strong, stable and resilient gut:
- Eat an animal-based diet that your body can digest cleanly.
- Prioritise foods that are simple, unprocessed, and unsprayed.
- Use fermented foods to populate your gut with beneficial bacteria.
- Cut back on foods that trigger symptoms; listen to your body, it’s giving you the data.
You don’t need to fight your gut.
You need to feed it like the biological masterpiece it is.
FAQs: Is Your Gut Trying to Tell You Something?
What causes leaky gut?
Leaky gut happens when the intestinal lining gets inflamed, and its tight junctions (your gut’s “security gates”) loosen. This can allow particles that should stay in the gut to cross into the bloodstream and trigger immune reactions.
Common contributors include:
- Ultra-processed foods
- Industrial seed oils
- Chronic stress
- Excess alcohol
- Food intolerances
- Chemical residues in food
The good news: when the gut is fed species-appropriate foods, and inflammation reduces, the lining can repair itself. Your body wants to heal; it just needs the right environment.
Should I be taking probiotics or digestive supplements?
Possibly, but they shouldn’t form your foundation.
Supplements can offer temporary support, but they won’t override a diet that keeps irritating your digestive system.
Think of them like the scaffolding, not the building.
Healing should start with food first:
- Animal-based meals you can easily digest
- Simple, unprocessed natural ingredients
- Fermented foods (if you tolerate them)
Then, if needed, you can add targeted support like digestive enzymes, minerals, or specific strains of probiotics.
Why do “healthy” foods like vegetables, grains, or legumes upset my stomach?
Because “healthy” doesn’t always mean human-appropriate.
Many plant foods contain defence chemicals, such as lectins, oxalates, phytates, and FODMAPs, that can irritate the gut lining or ferment aggressively in sensitive people.
If you get bloating, gas, cramps, reflux, or urgency after consuming certain plants, your body isn’t being dramatic; it’s giving feedback.
Sometimes the best gut reset is less variety and more digestibility.
What are the signs my digestion is improving?
- Less bloating after meals
- Smoother, more regular bowel movements
- No urgent trips to the toilet
- A calmer, more settled belly throughout the day
- Better energy and mood stability
- Fewer cravings for sugar or heavy carbs
Improved digestion is a sign that your entire nervous system is calming down. Digestive health is full-body health. So, look after your gut, and it will look after you, too.
