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Nutrition Counseling for Gastrointestinal Conditions

Gastrointestinal (GI) conditions can negatively impact an individual’s quality of life, from unpredictable bowel movements and gas to body dissatisfaction related to chronic bloating. These conditions affect approximately 62 million people, making their daily activities harder to navigate.

When symptoms such as indigestion, heartburn, stomach pain, bloating, or gas persist, it’s important to consult with a dietitian to help manage and resolve your GI issues. Our Registered Dietitians at Doherty Nutrition can help you to identify trigger foods, reduce the occurrence of symptoms, and decrease overall inflammation in the gut.

How Can a Dietitian Help Manage My Gastrointestinal Health?

Food Allergy, Intolerance and Sensitivity

What is a Food Allergy?

A food allergy involves an immune response to a particular food. The body responds by creating antibodies called immunoglobulins E (IgE) that travel to cells causing an allergic reaction. This reaction can vary from mild, such as nausea or diarrhea, to severe, resulting in trouble breathing or even anaphylactic shock.

What is a Food Intolerance?

Opposed to a food allergy, a food intolerance has to do with your digestive system’s response to certain foods. A food intolerance prevents the body from digesting certain foods properly, which may cause unpleasant GI symptoms.

What is a Food Sensitivity?

A food sensitivity involves the body’s response to a particular food by creating immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody. There are many self-taking at home tests, but they are not considered reliable nor a viable method for testing. What we do understand is that there are vast differences in immune system and microbiome in everyone, so it’s best to work with your physician and a specialist dietitian to help you identify those food sensitivities.

Gastrointestinal Diseases & Syndromes

What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are inflammatory bowel diseases that are caused by an inappropriate autoimmune response to the intestinal tract. This response causes the immune system to attack the intestines, which can lead to inflammation and damage. Attacks can be triggered by dysbiosis, ulcers, extreme cases of diarrhea, anxiety, and food intolerances.

What are Gastrointestinal Symptoms?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) are examples of gastrointestinal syndromes. There are several factors that contribute to IBS and SIBO symptoms, such as anxiety, long term antibiotic use, certain irregular eating patterns, food intolerances, food sensitivities, and more. Common symptoms in both SIBO and IBS can be nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, excess gas, and an urgent need to defacate.

Other Forms of Gastrointestinal Conditions

Celiac disease

An autoimmune reaction from consuming foods that contain gluten. Symptoms include irregularity in bowel movements, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, fat in stool, cramping, and skin rashes. Children can experience developmental effects such as delayed puberty or stunted growth.

Gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD)

A long-lasting and more severe condition that is associated with heartburn symptoms such as belching, nausea, regurgitation, dry cough, and upper abdomen discomfort.

Lactose intolerance

This occurs when the body is unable to produce the enzyme lactase, which helps break down the lactose found in dairy products. Common symptoms are bloating, gas, stomach pain, and diarrhea.

Gastroparesis

This is a condition where gastric emptying is delayed causing food to move slower from the stomach to the small intestine. Symptoms include nausea, indigestion, heartburn, regurgitation, bloating, or loss of appetite.