How fixing my GUT HEALTH changed my life | bloating, acne, fatigue

0:00 Hot girls have stomach problems is the propaganda I fell for on social media. But why are we normalizing body dysfunction? Like, why did no one warn us about this part of aging? The constant bloating, the random acne, the debilitating fatigue every single day. This was my life for pretty much my entire early 20s. I thought these were supposed to be the best years of my life, but why did I feel so depressed all the time? Or maybe this is all just part of being a girl. Tired, in pain, and bloated 24/7. But after hitting a breaking point with my health this year, I knew something had to change. And that something was my gut health. This is how fixing my gut health unexpectedly changed every aspect of my life and how it can change yours, too, if you're dealing with the same issues. But first, we need to go back to where it all

0:45 started. My gut problems didn't happen overnight. I was pretty underweight as a kid, and even my doctor said I needed to eat more. But overall, I grew up in a very healthy Korean household. My family shops at Whole Foods. We drink green juice every day and we religiously cook at home. So, my parents gave me a really good foundation for my health. But when I went off to college, things changed. I was going out a lot, drinking, and definitely taking advantage of that free dining hall. I just wasn't really paying attention to my health as much. But I thought, you know what? I'm still thin, and being thin means I'm healthy. It doesn't, by the way, but we'll get to that later. I still tried to cook meals in my college apartment, but they were not nutrientdense at all. I also just didn't eat that much protein because meat was expensive on a college budget. So, my diet was basically just carbs.

1:30 Literally, girl dinner from Trader Joe's every single day. Fast forward after I graduated, I moved back home with my parents and it kind of felt like I was in high school again. Eating family dinners, shopping at Whole Foods, but again, I was still very used to my college diet and I was still craving the carbs and the sugar. Let me just give you my what I eat in a day from a couple years ago. For breakfast, I would have like an avocado bagel with matcha. For lunch, typically a salad with zero protein, and for dinner, some kind of home-cooked meal. And then on the weekends, I would go downtown to see my boyfriend or my friends, and again, was not really paying attention to what I ate. My thought process was back then, like, I'm young. I just graduated college. Like, I can live a little. My boyfriend and I also really love trying new restaurants together, so all restrictions were off the table. And although everything seemed fine and I

2:17 was still considered healthy, I felt like No matter what I ate, I was always bloated right after. I had zero energy and the worst mood swings. My skin was breaking out for no reason. And that was huge for me because I always had perfect skin when I was younger. And I was extremely depressed. Like, I could not explain why. At first, I thought it was stress, then maybe my hormones. So, I figured it was time I get checked out. The last time I went to a doctor was like 5 years ago before college, and that was my pediatrician. I'm 24 now, so I was like, "You know what? it's probably time I get an adult doctor. So, my mom recommended this integrative physician for me, which by the way, if you don't know, integrative medicine is kind of like a more holistic approach to health. So, she ordered me so many labs. We got the blood work, the urine tests,

3:04 the stool samples. Those were so traumatizing, let me tell you. I don't want to get too graphic, but I basically had to scoop my bowel movement into a test tube and ship it off. I was literally on the verge of throwing up. But long story short, the results came in and I was shocked. Not only was I actually gluten sensitive, but I had a candida overgrowth. Now, if you don't know what that is, candida is a yeast that everyone has in their gut. But when you eat too much sugar or refined carbohydrates like bread and pasta, the yeast feeds off of it and overcrowds the good bacteria, which can lead to symptoms like bloating, acne, fatigue, brain fog, depression, literally everything that I was experiencing. I honestly could not believe it because this entire time I thought I was healthy. All the signs were there. The

3:51 bloating, the cravings, that feeling of hopelessness and just feeling so unmotivated. So after all of that and talking to my doctor, I went down a rabbit hole of basically how do I fix this? And somehow it became my mission to get as close to optimal health as possible. But what shocked me the most was how this journey of fixing my gut health changed every aspect of my life in ways I was not expecting. So, I'm going to tell you everything I did to heal my gut in 30 days. So, if you're suffering from some of the same symptoms like I was, these tips are going to change your life. Now, just a little disclaimer. I am not a medical professional, okay? Take my advice with a grain of salt, but these are the things that I did to heal my gut health and ultimately just improve the quality of my life. Number one, I starved the

4:36 candida. Since it is a yeast, which is basically a fungus, it feeds off your body like a parasite. And that's why when I was eating a lot of sugar and refined carbs, I craved more of those things because candida thrives on sugar. So, step one was to starve it. Listen, chatb is my best friend, my therapist. I go to it for everything. So, I had it create a month-long candida cleanse for me. You can find a bunch of different candida cleanses out there on the internet, but this is what I did. I basically cut out all gluten, dairy, sugar, and most carbohydrates. Like, no fruit, no rice, no bread, no corn, no sweets. I basically went keto and was eating like a gym bro because instead of getting all my calories from carbs, I had to get it from protein and fats. And that was extremely hard for me because

5:23 again, I was not used to eating so much protein. And of course, when you cut out anything from your diet cold turkey, it is extremely draining mentally and physically. I was just so tired in the first couple weeks of my cleanse. Like I could not get out of bed because my body was just craving for some carbs or sugar. And I did this in the summer. So even when I went out, I had to be super strict. But looking back, I actually just didn't eat out that much because most restaurants are just not candida friendly. But the weird thing I noticed is how much food affects my mood. Like I love bagels, chocolate, and pastries because they make me happy. I mean, who doesn't like to eat things that taste good? Hello. But when I had to take all of those away from my diet, I was really going through it because I could no longer rely on those foods to make me happy. So, it was definitely mentally

6:09 challenging for me, but my willpower and self-control now are so strong. After doing that, I feel like I could do anything. The next thing I did to heal my gut health was supplementation. My doctor recommended me this antifungal that helps to kill the candida. It's called Canidex, and it's basically just really strong herbs. But only take this if you know you have a candida problem. If you don't know, then obviously consult your doctor beforehand. The other supplement I highly, highly recommend is a good probiotic. Don't ask me why. It's in this like really sketchy plastic bag. I lost the bottle to it, but I'll probably link it in the description if I can find it. Probiotics offer good bacteria that help to maintain a balanced gut microbiome. So, if you struggle with poor digestion, bloating, or inconsistent bowel movements, then definitely get a good

6:55 quality probiotic. Besides the candida though, my doctor was actually surprised that I had good gut biodiversity overall, and that's because I've been taking probiotics for a really long time. If I didn't, my candida probably would have been so much worse. Number three, I ate more whole foods and meal prepped. I feel like this new lifestyle change really helped me prioritize the whole foods, the dark leafy greens, the vegetables, the fiber, because rather than relying on carbs for energy, I was forced to eat more nutrient-dense foods and protein. But again, trying to stick to this strict protocol was not easy. There were times I almost messed up because I was just so hungry and there was nothing I could eat. So, the biggest thing that helped me the most is preparation. If you prep all your food in advance, you have no excuse not to follow through. I meal prepped

7:42 everything, especially my breakfast and lunch, because those are meals that I just need quick and don't want to think about. But if meal prepping is scary to you and you don't know where to start, listen, you do not need to be a good cook. There are so many quick and easy meals you can make in advance with very little cooking knowledge. Every week I meal prepped this overnight chia seed pudding that tastes absolutely delicious and all you got to do is mix the stuff together. Like there's no cooking involved. And actually, I still eat it every day because it's just that good. Number four, I paid more attention to my sleep. Now, unexpectedly on this cleanse, I became super analytical of how I was sleeping because according to my chat GPT research, the quality of your sleep actually has a huge impact on your gut health. Your gut and sleep are actually closely connected by a two-way

8:29 relationship. Poor sleep can actually negatively affect your gut microbiome, causing inflammation and digestive issues. And your gut, in turn, can affect your sleep quality. If your gut microbiome is off, this can cause more stress and more inflammation all throughout your body. So, it just made sense that I paid more attention to my sleep while on this health journey. I made sure to get at least 8 hours a night. And I wear all the sleep accessories. I'm talking mouth tape, earplugs, eye mask, weighted blanket, and I know it all sounds ridiculous, but it actually works. When I started getting longer and deeper sleep, I didn't feel as tired or stressed. So, I didn't reach for sugar or carbs to compensate and it overall improved my gut health. Number five is better stress management. Speaking of stress though, that was actually a major underlying

9:15 source of my gut issues. What most people don't know is your mood actually starts in your gut. Your brain and gut are connected through communication. Your gut is actually where serotonin and GABA are produced, which are the neurotransmitters that help regulate your stress and mood. So that means if your gut is imbalanced, your mood will also be imbalanced. And if you don't believe me, let me just show you my labs. My doctor was shocked by how low my serotonin was and how high my GABA was. Like these numbers are off the charts. I remember I showed my mom this and she literally asked me if I was depressed. And you know what's crazy is I couldn't give her an honest answer because I legitimately didn't know. This was how I felt every day. So to me, feeling low and burnt out was normal. But after seeing those results and going through this entire process, I just

10:01 realized that my life didn't have to be this way. So, I really started to take better care of my mental health. And again, because I couldn't rely on food to make me happy, I turned to other things like walking or journaling or watching TV. Thank god Love Island came out during this because that was such a good distraction for me. But those pancakes they would make every morning, I was so jealous. And this stress management combined with better sleep not only stabilized my mood, but also my gut health. All right, at this point you're probably wondering what the final results were from this four-week journey. And let me just say first, I was not expecting my life to magically transform. Like, I didn't even know if this entire thing was going to work. I mean, I got my information from Chat GPT, but I just wanted to feel better in my body. But after a full month, I actually noticed massive differences

10:48 across the board. The bloating went down so much. Like, now I wake up super flat, which is amazing. My energy is so stable now. like the 3 p.m. crashes are gone. I just feel so much more alive and clearheaded and it is a lot easier to focus on work. Like before I would get so easily distracted and I would just go on my phone like constantly, but I don't get that same urge anymore. And my skin now, this is a big one. My skin is so clear and I'm not even doing any crazy skincare, but like the texture, the bumps, the random breakouts gone. My skin just looks plump and radiant from within. And that just goes to show the food you eat has such a powerful reflection on your face. And when it comes to my mood, like I said, I struggled so much with constantly

11:33 feeling down and helpless. But now I actually feel so much more emotionally stable and capable. Like I actually want to go out and be social, and I don't feel like I have to rely on caffeine or sugar to have fun. Of course, I still get stressed sometimes. That's normal. But it usually resolves itself right away. means I now have the tools to regulate my own nervous system. This health journey was not about losing weight or trying to achieve the perfect body. It was about feeling like myself again. All of my chronic symptoms that I thought were not related to each other all stemmed from my gut. And once I realized that and changed my habits, everything kind of resolved itself. So, if you've made it this far and you're thinking, Allison, everything you said resonates with me. I also struggle with the same things and I want to take my health more seriously. This is your

12:20 sign. Be more in tune with your body. Listen to yourself. Living in pain or being chronically exhausted is not normal. Get checked out. Get your labs done. And take control of your health. Don't just accept mediocrity. You deserve to feel 100% every single day. But if there's one thing you take away from this, you don't have to overhaul your entire life in a week. Like the initial phase of healing my gut health took 4 weeks, but I'm still working on it. Because the habits you create take time to show results. But the most important thing you can do is be consistent. What I've learned is that it's not about getting healthy, it's about staying healthy. And staying healthy is really about the micro habits you do every single day. I was honestly scared to make this video because it's

13:05 really personal and I haven't posted anything like this on my channel, but I had such a strong calling to make this video because I know it's going to help someone. So, if that's you and you found this video really valuable, then please take a second to like and comment below so I know to make more videos like this. As always, you're amazing. Thank you so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one. Bye.