Love Your Gut: A Six-Week Guide to Restoring Your Nutrition and Trusting Your Intuition

By Brandi Mackenzie

After a decade of debilitating digestive issues, Brandi Mackenzie was not improving despite the diet changes, supplements and treatments her practitioners were advising. She was doing “everything right” but it still wasn’t enough. She began searching for solutions on her own, realizing that true nourishment was about more than food. Through this process, Love Your Gut was created.
Brandi’s background as a certified transformational nutrition coach and holistic chef led her to create a six-week program proven to optimize digestion and revitalize your health through an easy-to-follow framework.
Love Your Gut empowers you to better understand your body and intuition in a personalized way so you can feel nourished—beyond food.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Apr 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781982248369

Brandi Mackenzie

Brandi Mackenzie believes that if you struggle to change your diet, you don’t have a willpower problem, you have a nourishment problem. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, stop emotional eating, or restore your digestive health, the real reason you can’t put down the sweets, stop snacking of your kid’s plate or make progress with your health issues isn’t because you need to be “more disciplined.” It’s because you’re not truly nourished. Brandi defines nourishment as knowing the exact choices you need to make to create the body and life you feel best in. When your nourishment is aligned, it looks like trusting the choices you make for your body, enjoying your life without feeling restricted, and taking back control of how you want to look and feel. When your nourishment is out of alignment it looks like making choices that leave you feeling burned out, exhausted and uncomfortable in your body. As a Nourishment Coach, Brandi has helped hundreds of people ditch diets, guilt and confusion through her framework. It starts with trusting your gut instincts. She created the Love Your Gut program after healing from multiple digestive conditions herself and realizing that food is only one part of recovery. Love Your Gut is part of the Nourishment Framework which Brandi uses to get her clients remarkable results in their health and lives. To learn more, visit www.brandimackenzie.com.

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Copyright © 2022 Brandi Mackenzie.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-9822-4837-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-4836-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021923148

Balboa Press rev. date: 03/29/2022

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

Part 1 What’s Wrong with Your Gut?

Chapter 1 How Your Gut Works, and Why It Gets Compromised

Chapter 2 Why Support Your Gut

Chapter 3 How to Know If Your Gut Is Happy

Part 2 How to Love Your Gut

Chapter 4 Diet, Detox, and Desire

Chapter 5 Is This Program Right for You?

Chapter 6 What to Expect: Program Overview

Part 3 Establishing Inner Health

Chapter 7 Setting Your Intentions for the Program: Focus Activities

Chapter 8 Daily Centering Practice

Chapter 9 How to Move Through the Program

Part 4 Preparation Phase

Chapter 10 Preparation Phase: Week 1

Chapter 11 Preparation Phase: Week 2

Part 5 Elimination Phase

Chapter 12 Elimination Phase: Week 3

Chapter 13 Elimination Phase: Week 4

Chapter 14 Elimination Phase: Week 5

Part 6 Reintroduction Phase

Chapter 15 Reintroduction Phase: Week 6

Part 7 Beyond This Book

Chapter 16 Eating Beyond the Program

Chapter 17 Power in the Process

Reference Section

Guide to Gluten

Guide to Dairy

Guide to Sugar and Sweeteners

Guide to Nightshades

Guide to Paleo

Guide to Autoimmune Protocol (AIP)

Guide to Love Your Gut Elimination

Reintroduction Process

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Nothing in this book or any of its content is intended to diagnose, treat, heal, cure, or prevent any illness, disease, imbalance, medical condition, or mental or emotional condition. Nothing in this book should be construed as medical, health, or mental health advice or as a substitute for a consultation with a licensed medical professional or a licensed mental health professional who can review and advise you on your specific situation. Anyone choosing to implement any information from this book is strongly advised to obtain prior medical clearance from a licensed or registered medical, health care, and/or mental health professional to declare him or her sufficiently healthy, and determine that the information in this book is specifically appropriate and useful for the individual. Since you have your own unique starting point, motivation, dedication, and willingness in how to approach this material, your results will be specific to you. Because you have a unique body constitution, unique health and genetic profile, and unique life experience, these will affect your results. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking professional advice because of information you have read in this book. Do enjoy the opportunity to learn more about yourself and explore your health in new ways.

Note that throughout the book, all stories are representative

of actual persons. However, names and circumstances

have been changed to protect their identities.

For every client who trusted me so

they could trust themselves.

Your wisdom will heal for generations.

PREFACE

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I created Love Your Gut after my own journey of overcoming a digestive autoimmune diagnosis. Through my healing, I encountered many obstacles and often wondered if I’d ever feel better. I knew others felt this way. So many people have questions about their own nutrition and how to navigate conflicting dietary information or personalize a plan that works for their health. The knowledge I gained from my experience was something I knew could help others step into a better relationship with their bodies and reframe their perspective.

In my early thirties, I was living a life that seemed great. I was a yoga teacher; I was living internationally and traveling all over the world; and I appeared healthy and happy. From the outside, you would have seen a physically fit body and someone who was exploring health and well-being as a profession.

But on the inside, things could not have been more different. I was constantly dealing with the struggles of a recent diagnosis suggestive of Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s is an inflammatory bowel disease most associated with symptoms of abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, fatigue, and malnutrition. Even after ten years of having these symptoms, I didn’t think anything was wrong with me. I didn’t focus too much on my diet, though I did buy organic foods and felt like I was making healthy choices. Exploring world cuisine was a passion point of my travel. I ate what was local and didn’t feel too concerned otherwise.

But always being on the lookout for a bathroom during my travels was beginning to take a toll. I was constantly irritable and nervous about what my digestion might do, and because I was trying to hide it (or at least avoid talking about it), I often felt anxious. Due to the microbial imbalances and subsequent lack of nutrients I now know I was experiencing, plus the constant stress of an imbalanced blood sugar, most days I felt tired, my body ached, and I was frustrated. But I was more worried about living my life on the outside than I was about focusing on my body and what it was screaming at me back then.

Luckily, in the year before this diagnosis, I attended a retreat that forever changed my perspective. I learned that taking care of myself was not about what you saw on the outside; it was actually an inside job. The retreat allowed me to see that I was not giving my body the attention it deserved. Even after working with doctors to overcome this digestive condition, food and supplements weren’t restoring my gut. So, I began investigating more.

I looked at my eating habits and the emotional patterns and energy levels that worked alongside them. After years of research and experimentation, I decided to create an easy-to-follow framework that I could share with others who want to understand their own path to nourishment. Love Your Gut is that path.

As a certified transformational nutrition coach and holistic chef, I have learned this material through years of study and refining. But I am not a licensed medical professional. I believe this work will be a great benefit to you. This path, however, is about you and your personalized approach. You will have your own unique starting point and outcome based on how you engage with the material. I hope you enjoy this opportunity to learn more about yourself and explore your health in new ways.

Throughout the book, I’ll be sharing my story with you. And I’ll be sharing stories of my clients to offer perspective on the many outcomes that are possible. Because I prefer to keep the specifics of my client relationships confidential, I have changed the names of those clients who illustrate my messages, as well as others referenced in my own story, to allow for their privacy.

Love Your Gut contains scientific references that are continuing to be explored and, as such, new and updated research may be available after time of publishing. I encourage you to further your research on topics of interest in this book for your own inner growth and continued healing.

INTRODUCTION

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As I sat in the common room after attending yoga one morning, I met Mia, a woman who came to be a good friend and client. We immediately connected over our curiosity of the body and its workings. I was impressed with her knowledge and, I was impressed with her fitness.

Mia had a body like a runner: tall, lean, and strong. But the more time I spent with her, the more I thought she often looked tired. Her face was a bit drained and pale, and her eyes carried dark circles. I realized that, though her body appeared perfect, her energy seemed depleted.

And it was not just her physical energy—she seemed drained emotionally too. I noticed a layer of anxiety that crept up when she spoke and that she said sorry quite a lot. The more time I spent with her, the more I began to recognize these as patterns. But I could not understand why there was this insecurity in someone I saw as being so capable. I was curious about it. I was curious because I saw her as full of enthusiasm and knowledge, so this insecurity was startling. As time passed, I learned more and more about her, and some of these tendencies began to make sense.

Mia, I learned, was a self-proclaimed people pleaser and identified as being shy. Oftentimes, she wouldn’t speak up for herself because she worried she wouldn’t say the right thing, though she was brilliant and could easily command a room. She confessed she didn’t feel connected to herself enough to trust her own words or actions in many circumstances.

You know that feeling when you don’t trust yourself in a conversation? You may begin to backtrack or doubt what you said, say sorry, or eventually quit talking. That lack of trust can be debilitating. As I saw that in Mia, I wondered if her insecurity might actually be related to her diet as much as to her emotions. While it may seem obscure, that’s how my mind examines clients. I can often read the energy of a person through body, behavior, or personality traits, and recognize what that individual’s diet or body constitution is like.

In many instances, people who feel more connected display a sense of ease in their bodies. They may stand more upright and often have a more open-chested posture. Aside from their physical stance being more solid, they tend not to waver as much as someone who feels less connected. Because I often saw Mia slumping in conversation or covering her heart with her hands or even being fidgety, I could see the lack of confidence and connection she expressed. My coaching mind wondered how I might help support her in trusting herself more.

There’s a pattern I’ve seen in others that I thought might be at play for Mia. It’s a pattern that is often present when people are not eating (or digesting and assimilating) the appropriate nutrients for their bodies to function properly. It’s also a pattern that may be present when people have an imbalance in the microorganisms of the gut.

The pattern is often caused by nutrient deficiencies or the gut’s inability to digest and use the food it is given. Or if the microorganisms of the gut are out of balance, it may be misusing those nutrients and causing a disruption in how the body absorbs and gets fed. This physical pattern may present itself as exhaustion, depletion, fatigue in the body, and lack of stamina.

The emotional or mental patterns I have seen include a sense of being scattered, jumping from thoughts or lacking focus, being foggy and timid in conversation or thought pattern—all in all, displaying a less-than-grounded-ness. Some of these deficiencies and imbalances affect the health of the brain, which could cause cognition or attention to be dull, especially as blood sugar drops and the brain gets tired. This all leads to an inner disconnection that can exacerbate the patterns.

There were reasons for me to believe that this may be something Mia was experiencing. I knew because of her years of dedication to the yoga philosophy, Mia was a vegetarian. This diet type can be depleting if not well-thought-out. I began to wonder if she might not be getting the best (or enough) nutrients for her body. Or, if this contributed to her depleted and drained energy, or her less connected tendencies. As her friend, and as a coach, I wanted to support Mia in any way possible, so I found she was often on my mind.

A year or so after we met, I created the Love Your Gut program. This program challenges you to look at food in a whole new way. It asks you to consider how food not only affects your gut but the way it affects your entire body, your emotions, and even your source of intuition. By trying a change in diet alongside an inward reflecting practice, you’ll be exploring all the ways your life is shaped through food.

I immediately thought of Mia, and I invited her to participate. Though Mia didn’t feel she had any particular gut challenges, she was curious to explore food as it related to her body and the feeling of being connected.

This Love Your Gut program takes a special kind of commitment to yourself and the food you are eating, so initially Mia hesitated. I totally understood where she was coming from. With this program, I was asking her to embark on a three-week elimination diet, to take out some of her favorite and most convenient foods, and I knew firsthand how intimidating that could feel.

Since she lived in a town with minimal health-food options and budget was a concern, she wasn’t sure she could pull it off. I reminded Mia that through the program, I was offering step-by-step guidance on approaching food differently. With the simplicity of the elimination diet’s food plan, I knew she could be successful. I also knew that she would learn so much, because she had never explored food, or her body, in this way before.

Aside from exploring food and doing an elimination diet, there is a foundational element in this program that asks you to examine the emotions, habits, and overall patterns in your life. I especially wanted Mia to think about how these patterns connected with food. This aspect, which uses a daily centering practice involving written prompts, allows you to tune in to how you feel every day, no matter what—the good, bad, and uncomfortable—and invites you to take a deeper look at your life. While recognizing both the balance and imbalance in your life, you’ll be able to intentionally choose what’s best for you, in your own unique and personal way.

Ultimately, the daily centering practice will help you learn to trust your body. You will do this by discovering and embracing the specific language that your body uses to speak to you. This practice is my favorite part of Love Your Gut, and I was eager for Mia to give it a try.

When we began working together as client and coach, Mia and I started by defining her desire for joining the Love Your Gut program. Like so many women, Mia felt that she was always bouncing back and forth between overdoing healthy eating or overdoing unhealthy eating, and she never knew if she was eating the right thing. Because of this, she often just ate what was easy and habitual—and did so without much thought. She wanted to learn how to be more consistent in her food choices. It was then that I knew my instinct about her nutrient deficiencies was right. She needed more consistent nutrients in her food so that she could maintain balance for good.

The more we spoke, the more she confirmed my instincts. She felt tired and depleted most of the time, even after a good night’s sleep. And she was frustrated. Her lack of energy and back-and-forth food pattern were emotionally exhausting. She often felt scattered, irritable, and anxious in her days. She also realized the feeling of disconnection affected her relationship with herself, with her work, and with others. Mia became hard on herself because she didn’t want to be this way. It turns out, this was directly connected to her relationship with food.

Because she was regularly consumed by these emotions, she didn’t like to think much about her food. It was usually an afterthought. Plus, she felt uninspired by food. She snacked a lot and wasn’t at all focused on variety. Since the food she ate was generally considered healthy as a vegetarian, she didn’t feel concerned about her diet.

Mia realized that she was mostly eating the same foods over and over and that she was leaning on some staples. In fact, she was leaning on those as a way to soothe her anxious and uncomfortable feelings. She explained that her exhaustion was compounded by never allowing herself downtime. If she had space to fill, she filled it with food. This was a huge realization. She was uncomfortable with any quiet or downtime and it created anxious feelings. So, as that built, she would find herself in the pantry with her hand in a bag of chips. This same pattern showed up for her in social settings where she felt uncomfortable. She would eat to fill the space of her discomfort, and she had a hard time saying no to foods that other people made or provided, even when she knew they weren’t the best for her. She had a hard time navigating these situations in her own favor, and so she ate whatever was in front of her, regardless of how it made her body feel.

With all these realizations coming to the surface, Mia understood that these choices were bigger than the food itself. Though she didn’t know how to make changes yet, she was ready to dive into Love Your Gut and give it a try. She was ready to learn more and find what could support her body and her relationship with food even more.

To get started, Mia completed the focus activities—a series of questions and writing prompts to help participants get clear on their commitment to this process. The focus activities helped Mia learn where she wanted to focus during this program.

She was ready to find out what foods worked for her body so she could be more consistent with her choices. She wanted to find the foods that could make her feel her best, physically, then see how that reflected her relationship to the food. I was impressed with her ability to notice these connections and to realize that shifts in her diet could help. She was as curious about these inner workings of her body as she was about its movement when I met her. Making the choice to focus on your gut isn’t always easy if you’re not experiencing digestive distress. But Mia knew the impact it could have, as did I.

Like so many other clients who have completed this program, I came to this when I was experiencing digestive discomfort regularly. My digestive imbalances were a daily struggle for me and became a huge strain on my life. It was hard emotionally and socially, and even caused me a lot of shame. I was embarrassed to always need a toilet nearby or to interrupt amazing travel experiences because my blood sugar crashed so much that I was an emotional wreck. It was physically depleting to be bloated, uncomfortable, and always focused on my belly. I didn’t yet understand the way those things were playing out, affecting my relationships, my emotions, and my mental health.

It’s hard for people to realize that, just because they don’t have specific digestive distress, they could still use help with their digestion—or that physical pain can actually have so many ripples in day-to-day life. With this in mind, I bring in a more introspective piece with the program. By using what became the focus activities and daily centering practice, I was able to understand my whole body experience and make positive changes. I was able to shift out of physical and emotional pain and make choices that helped me feel good, no matter where I was or what I was doing.

This introspective process that you’ll find included in Love Your Gut allows you to recognize physical symptoms and emotional patterns and helps you connect the dots for both. That’s why it’s so powerful. I knew if Mia was able to work through the program and commit to her desire for more balance, a transformation was sure to happen.

The six weeks of the program are broken down into three phases: preparation, elimination, and reintroduction. Every day, in all phases, you are doing the daily centering practice to help stay connected to you. This is where the awareness of your food relationship begins to show itself—and often in surprising ways.

As she did these exercises, Mia discovered that variety was something she could easily add to her diet. She committed to more vegetables in the preparation weeks. Approaching the elimination diet, she realized she wanted to add more animal protein. She removed oats and eggs, which she had always relied on for breakfast, and replaced them with squash, chicken sausage, and kale. She cut out chips and packaged foods; she started eating whole foods for lunch instead of just having a smoothie. With a few changes to her food routine, she started noticing subtle and not-so-subtle differences.

Much to Mia’s surprise, as she went through the elimination diet, her skin became clear. Though she hadn’t thought about this as a desired outcome, she was grateful to be rid of the acne she had struggled with for a decade. And after so many years with afternoon slumps, she had boundless energy, despite waking before dawn.

While she had admitted to feeling anxious and overwhelmed before, she finally acknowledged that she often felt like she was on an emotional rollercoaster—a feeling that had been with her since her teenage years. As she moved into the food reintroduction part of the program, that feeling became obsolete. She’d truly thought her emotional ups and downs were just a part of being Mia, and she could not believe it was possible for them to actually change! It felt incredibly eye-opening and empowering to know that simple shifts in her daily choices gave her the power to change things about herself that she thought were chronic to who she was.

Mia began to recognize that when she had been tired in the afternoons, she often