Gut Health for Endurance Athletes: Reduce Inflammation + Boost Brain Health Ep 99

Every endurance athlete remembers the moment when things finally click. Your swim feels smoother, your pacing makes sense, your fueling works, and suddenly the sport feels not only easier, but more fun. And for many athletes, that moment happens at training camp. That's exactly why we created the Endurance Edge Triathlon Training Camp happening April 22nd through 26th at Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. For 4 incredible days, you'll train in a small group with expert coaches, sports nutrition support, and sports psychology guidance, all designed to help you train smarter, race stronger, and finally connect the dots in your performance. We swim in crystal clear mountain water, ride beautiful and challenging roads, run scenic trails, and spend the rest of the time recovering, learning, laughing, and eating some seriously amazing chef-prepared food. Mm-hmm. Camp is intentionally small, just 20 athletes, so you get real coaching, true connection, and amazing breakthroughs. So if you want an experience that can transform your entire season, we invite you to join us. Head to theenduranceedge.com and click training camp and reserve your spot with just a $100 Deposit. Come train hard, learn a ton, and leave stronger than you ever imagined. I'll see you there. Okay, awesome. Welcome back to the Find Your Edge podcast. I am your host, Kris Newport, and today I have got my dietetic intern Amanda Sales with me here. So if you are unfamiliar with the process of becoming a dietitian, so beyond going through all of your undergraduate classes, you have to apply for a dietetic internship. Amanda, tell us— well, first of all, you're from my alma mater, Meredith College. I obviously did my internship a long time ago. How has it changed over the years, and what are some of the things that you had to do? And then we're going to get into our topic, which is gut health, and I'm super excited about it. So tell us about the internship.

Okay, so for the internship, you kind of have to do multiple rotations to gear you up for your job, pretty much. So you do clinicals illness rotation, public health, and what's the other one? And community or public health. And then an enrichment. So you can kind of do whatever you would like. So you can go back to another place or you can— we were able to go to Italy, which was really nice. Yeah, I know something that you weren't able to do when you were there. No, I did get the experience going to Italy, which was really fun. But it is a lot of schooling. It's 2 years and then your internship. So, yeah. Yeah, so 2 years of master's program and then your internship. It's a lot.

Cool, cool. So this is one of Amanda's requirements, and so we decided to do this as a podcast because this is not a topic that we've gotten into too much on the podcast, but all about gut health. So I have subjected Amanda to a lot of different things as it relates to gut health and functional nutrition and sports nutrition and kind of combining all those things together. So I— and if you guys can see this on YouTube, I would highly recommend going there. Um, so that's what we're talking talking about. And you have this beautiful presentation, it's called Gut Check: A Deep Dive into Your Second Brain. Oh my gosh, you guys, I'm so excited about this. Take it away.

Yeah, so again, today's episode, we're just gonna do an ultimate deep dive into gut health, what it is, why it matters, how it influences everything from your immune system to your mood, uh, to your mood and to chronic inflammation. So we're kind of going to be talking about two core frameworks, which could be DIGIN or STAIN, and diving into the microbiome, digestion, inflammation, and gut-brain connection. So by the end of this, hopefully you'll understand why gut health matters, but you'll walk away with those tools to begin your healing in your gut health. So first we're gonna dig into DIGIN pretty much. So it's an acronym. So yeah, so we have digestion and absorption, intestinal permeability, gut microbiome, biota and dysbiosis, inflammation and immune system, and then the nervous system. So with digestion, it's not just about the stomach. It starts with your brain and what we call the cephalic phase. So it's smelling, thinking, chewing, and these actions help your body absorb nutrients. So something that also ha— that could happen with probably a bad gut is maldigestion. Which occurs when food isn't properly broken down, and that could be due to low or high stomach acid, weak bile or pancreatic enzyme production, or poor, poor motility or absorption. So something that you can try is a baking soda test and water. I was able to try this. It was very salty. It's like brushing your teeth with baking soda, but you swallow it. So some of the results you'll have is a delayed burp, which is longer than 3 to 5 minutes. That indicates low stomach acid. Immediate or very early burping is a good sign or could suggest high stomach acid, but normal burping, which is like 2 to 3 minutes, that's adequate stomach acid.

And quick note on the baking soda test. Usually this is a good thing to try if people feel really like some of the symptoms of this are that they're of hypochlorhydria are feeling kind of like bloated or really full or maybe even a little nauseous after they eat. So that's a good, you know, it's kind of like starting from the top and working your way down. Like, what do we have going on? Um, like Amanda had mentioned, like, is there something going on with a stomach acid issue? Uh, like what's going on with motility? Thinking about things like intrinsic factor. So if some of those symptoms are showing up, this is a super easy at-home test that you can do and you have to make sure you do it on an empty stomach. So I think it's— I always have to look up the formula, I've not memorized it, but I think it's like a quarter teaspoon to maybe 8 ounces of water. Yeah, something like that. You drink it on an empty stomach, and like Amanda had indicated, it's not exactly a lovely thing to do, but that— if you've got a delayed burp, that could be a sign that your body is not giving or making enough hydrochloric acid or stomach acid, which is important to break down things like proteins, unravel amino acids, and and all that kind of stuff. So that's like the top of the line working its way down. So there's one as it relates to digestion and absorption. And what else you got, Amanda?

Okay, and then I got malabsorption, which happens when even after digestion your nutrients aren't effectively absorbed into the bloodstream. And this could lead to deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins, so your A, your D, your E, and K vitamins, uh, B vitamins, especially B12. We have iron and calcium, and then protein. So, some common causes of malabsorption include damage to the intestinal villi. This can be from celiac, celiac disease, or infections. We have chronic inflammation like Crohn's, pancreatic insufficiency, or bile acid disorders, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. So, that's when kind of the bacteria and the nutrients are kind of competing for each other in the gut. Another self-check tip that you guys can check is if you're experiencing like chronic fatigue, brittle nails, hair thinning, pale skin, or tingling in hands and feet, um, this could point to a malabsorption-related deficiency. Um, next thing we'll get into is intestinal permeability. Slide change. Perfect. Or AKA leaky gut. This is kind of when your, the, your lining in your gut is opening and it's allowing those large molecules and toxins that we don't want to enter into our bloodstream, and they are entering. And this can trigger food sensitivities like inflammation or even autoimmune diseases. So that kind of leads into our microbiome.

I'll say on the intestinal permeability or the leaky gut, um, your digestive processes, like, like, your digestive system is like one big tube, you know, from your mouth to your rear end, like, and there shouldn't necessarily be, in the case of leaky gut, we want to absorb the necessary things, but we don't want certain things to get through. And that's kind of what leaky gut is, is things that, for the reasons that you're going to talk about here shortly, which I'm so excited about, some additional frameworks. So anyway, uh, that's one of the pieces. Okay, gut microbiota, what you got?

Yeah, so what I learned, which was a really interesting fact, is 99% of your DNA isn't human, it's actually your microbiome, which is insane. And the microbiome literally regulates gene expression, mineral absorption, immune response, and inflammation. And yes, they also talk to your other organs like liver, pancreas, and your brain. Which the main title is Gut-Brain, like big, big thing. We'll get into that. But it kind of also leads into our next thing, which is the STAIN framework, which we talked about in the Longevity Group about how there doesn't— the tree has the gene on the side.

Yes, yes. So the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy has come up with this really fabulous framework that it's, it's STAIN, and she's got it on her screen right now. So, and I'll let her go through each at each like letter of the acronym. But there's also on the left, they have like a genome, right, like a genetic framework indicating that, you know, so much of your health depends on your genetics. And then similarly, there's a tree that has, you know, beautiful leaves, and then it's got roots. So looking at how can we address You know, what are some of the symptoms or like the leaves and then what is going on with, with the root causes? So those sort of like embracing the STAIN framework. So yeah, tell us more about the STAIN acronym.

Yeah, so the STAIN kind of explains like what could disrupt the gut. So it can go from stress, toxic exposure, adverse food reactions, infections, or nutritional imbalances. So these could be the root cause of a dysbiosis or aka an unhealthy gut environment. Um, so stress and poor diet can decrease your microbiome basically in and weaken your immune defenses. So if you combine that with processed foods and antibiotics, your microbiome starts to basically collapse. Um, but you can spot dysbiosis. The symptoms are endless though, so it's kind of hard to pinpoint that it is that because it could be bloating, headaches, skin issues, joint joint pain, fatigue, even IBS or Crohn's. But you can have acute reactions or chronic. So acute would be the bloating, gas, fatigue after eating, or chronic could be brain fog, autoimmune symptoms, or depression. So it's a lot, you know.

I know you mentioned like acute symptoms, but having done quite a bit of work with food sensitivities, these could last up to 72 hours later. You know, because when you think about a normal motility from the time a food enters your mouth to the time it enters the toilet, typically that's about 24 hours. But some people, that can, you know, depending on their motility, it could be a little slower, it could be a little faster. And then feeling the repercussions of all of that could be up to 72 hours. It's no different than like when you're feeding an infant, you know, if you're introducing a new food, just to make sure there's no allergic reactions, give it 2 to 3 days before you introduce something else. Right. Okay. Gut disruption and dysbiosis. Tell us the things.

I have a self-check basically, but like, it's basically to ask yourself like, what's one thing you do daily that supports or possibly stresses your gut? For me, well, we'll talk about this later. I know that I tend to eat a lot and I'm eating right before bed, which I know is not something I should be doing. And I need to give my gut a rest too. We'll go to, uh, the microbiome masterclass for our next little segment. Um, so your gut microbiome is mostly located in your large intestines and its mission, uh, control is for your short-chain fatty acid production, nutrient synthesis, and immune defense. Fiber, especially soluble fiber and resistant starch, Feed these micro microbes. So think your green bananas, raw potatoes, beans, and whole grains. And then without fiber or your prebiotics, probiotics are useless. I read in a book— what was the Genetic Kitchen one?

Yes, yes. Amanda said some required reading to work with us.

The author brought up the point of probiotics is the seed and prebiotics are the feed. So fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and sourdough deliver live bacteria, which are those probiotics, while prebiotics like bananas, garlic, onions, and leeks feed them. And then another big thing for the microbiome is that hydration is very crucial. So without enough water, stool moves slowly. And this increases the risk for dysbiosis and discomfort, which we don't want. Next, we got inflammation and immunity. So a big thing, 70% of your immune system lives in your gut, which I found very fascinating. So when your gut is inflamed, your whole body feels it, whether it's in the form of chronic pain, autoimmune issues, brain fog, or depression. Some Uh, inflammatory biomarkers is the calprotectin. Is that how you say it? Calprotectin?

Yep, calprotectin.

Calprotectin and lactobacillus. So these check for your gut inflammation, and this could be due, uh, from stool testing. And then, but obviously healing starts with food. Mediterranean-style diet, high in fiber, polyphenols, and healthy fats like omega-3s, and then low in ultra-processed foods and sugar. I know we talked about polyphenols all over the place. We always talk about in our longevity group— every group that I'm in, we always talk about them. But they are plant compounds found in like berries, olive oils, herbs, and dark chocolate. They also feed your, your gut and reduce inflammation. So important to have those in your diet. Um, the next thing that we have is basically your gut-brain axis. A thing that came to mind is like getting butterflies in your stomach, and that's like your gut-brain axis in action, basically. So your vagus nerve, which is the main communication highway, so you can strengthen that by like relaxing, doing what you love, uh, deep breathing, singing if that is something you do, yoga, um, and a probiotic and polyphenol-rich foods is also a good thing to add to your list because dysbiosis impacts your mood and anxiety and even sleep. So when we talk about like mental health, we must also talk about gut health. Then we get into our 5 Rs of the healing framework. So the 5 R approach is remove, replace, looking at those inflammatory foods, infections, or stressors. Replace digestive enzymes, gastric support, think ginger, bitters. Re-inoculate is probiotics and prebiotics. Repair with nutrients like zinc. Glutamate and sodium biurate, and then rebalance with stress management, sleep, connection, and purpose. And then remember that healing your gut isn't just about removing bad things, it's about nurturing the environment that allows your body to flourish. And not everyone needs to eliminate the same foods or take the same probiotics. Everybody's body is different, everyone's gut is unique. So testing and working with Chris would be a great source. It can help you tailor, like, to your needs and what you need. And then our last segment, which I thought was probably the coolest thing I learned, is that your gut has its own circadian rhythm. So again, this is my issue: eating late at night, irregular meals, or poor sleep disrupts it. So kind of eat within a 10 to 12 hour window, um, avoid heavy meals, so 2 to 3 hours before bed. And prioritize sleep to allow the gut lining to heal overnight, which is a big thing.

Super cool. Okay. That's great. Yeah. As you're saying, like the gut circadian rhythm, things that are coming up for me is like, okay, so you didn't mention that you're playing soccer still, right? Yeah. So, and you have late night games, so sometimes there can be various disruptors for this strategy. And there's always exceptions to the rule, right? If we've got athletes who need to gain weight, then generally speaking, we may have to have them eat late in order for them to help, you know, gain weight. Oftentimes people are coming to us because they want to gain weight, but they still want to be active. So it's like finding this balance of, if I'm getting my evening workout, what do I do? You also have to go back to like, what is the purpose of consuming food in the first place, right? Like it gives us energy. We absorb the nutrients from it. So, but do we need excessive amounts of energy when we sleep? Not really, but we need enough things like amino acids throughout the day coming from our protein sources such that we're able to sustain our lean body mass, which I hope everybody wants to sustain their lean body mass, especially as we get older. So, but, you know, eating large meals, I know that can be really tough, especially that, you know, like if you're going to France for the summer and eating at 9 o'clock at night, but then of course everything is sort of shifted. So I want people to be wary of hard and fast nutrition rules. To know that what your body specifically needs is so unique to the activities that you like to do, to the things that you're trying to challenge yourself with. Maybe it's doing an ultramarathon, maybe it's just starting to, you know, get off the couch and start to get a little bit stronger. So there are certainly, like, you know, Amanda's mentioning, eating in a, having like a 10 to 12 hour eating window, that's great. That's considered intermittent fasting. Everybody should have some degree of fasting throughout the day with very few exceptions, unless there's like some clinical exceptions. And yes, avoiding heavy meal times during bedtime so that you can let your, yeah, your gut needs a little bit of rest time too. And, you know, consider that when you take in the food, then it's like, okay, well, here's the energy you need to do the work or do the workouts or do the things that you're doing during the day. But do you need those things while you're sleeping? So, and also, I love that you put prioritize sleep because, oh my gosh, this, especially this population, if I'm speaking to you and you're listening to this, you're probably a hard driver. Somebody who has like really intense goals and you've got like a really amazing, um, you know, probably some sort of high intensity job or like, you know, a stay at home mom or something like that, which is a high intensity job in in my book. So thank you for all the things that you guys do. Um, sleep is hands down one of the best things that you can do for your body. Everybody needs a little bit of a different amount, which is why we do our, you know, gut, um, or our genetic testing. So anyway, just wanted to speak to the whole gut circadian rhythm, and I think those are great tips that you had in terms of You know, the brain has a clock and the gut has a clock. Like, you don't want to be waking up in the middle of the night to go poop. Like, that's— your gut's like, okay, we're gonna rest, so I'm gonna shut down a little. Not shut down, but like, I'm gonna slow down a little bit so that you can get the adequate rest that you need to get. So what were some of the— I know you mentioned a few of them, but like, this being one of them, what were some of the most interesting things that you learned from this process?

I think just like the biggest thing is that the gut is so important to your body. And I didn't realize you in school, like, yes, you learn about like diseases. We talked about this, that you learn about diseases that happen in your gut, but that's really all you touch upon. And you don't realize how, how much the gut affects your whole body. Like literally everything. And like even just stress can affect your gut. Chris, do you want to tell that story about the author? You're good at it.

Oh, yes. I love that. So there's a gentleman I follow. His name is Dr. Wood. He's got a facility down in Florida. Heard him speak at a conference last year and just had a really fascinating— I mean, just tying it into the depth with which your gut and stress are so deeply connected. I know we touched on that in the STAIN framework, right? Stress being number 1, I think for good reason also. He had a daughter who had some issues when she was like 14. I think it was like, you know, Crohn's, an autoimmune gut health issue, and actually had to have part of her colon removed as a very young child. That's very unusual. And a couple of years later, then had another issue with her lungs and just got worse and worse. Basically, the doctors were like, live near a hospital because, you know, this is not curable. Well, as it turns out, she had had some sexual abuse when she was very young, like maybe 6 or 7, that was not disclosed. And she finally disclosed it to her family. And her dad was like, this Dr. Wood was convinced, like, this is the problem for which her autoimmune issues have occurred. So went back to school, went through a whole psychological degree, and then finding some of the holes in not necessarily that profession. I'm not trying to say that people don't necessarily want to help others. They do. But just seeing a different path for which he could help and was able to go through this whole process, basically created this really fantastic— I think he calls it the TIP framework with which he was able to, in essence, like, cure his child and address a lot of her trauma in order for her to heal herself. So I encourage you to start to think about, are there autoimmune responses? Is there something deeper going on with your body and starting to look deeper into, whether it be therapy, whether it be journaling, whether it be meditation, things with which you can get out of your prefrontal cortex and get out of your thinking brain and dig deeper into your history. And, um, it has been argued that so many people have even these like microtraumas, that pretty much everyone has some degree of microtrauma. Whether it be shame-inducing, or, you know, obviously, you've got some more massive traumas, things like war, sexual abuse, things like that. And then there's these little microtraumas that sort of compound on each other. So I'm not saying that that's the cause of everyone's gut health. But it certainly is, can be a very deep trigger for your body responding in a way that your nervous system is trying to protect yourself. It's just We can go real deep on that. So anyway, people didn't know they were going to get a presentation and a, you know, little door opener into trauma and nutrition. But it's, it's just been sort of a theme, I would say, in my career of Amanda, like you had said, like some of the things we learn in school, it's great. It's like a great jumping point for learning about all these diseases. And then starting, at least in my experience, starting to go into practice and being like, oh, some of these things are not working like I feel they should be. And then going down that rabbit hole for myself of, okay, I'm going to learn more about food sensitivity testing, deeper into gut testing. And then I got deeper into genetic testing and trying to put all these pieces together because I'm like, okay, well, food sensitivity alone is not it because like you had mentioned, some of the leaky gut food sensitivities are sort of a product of a leaky gut. So we need to heal the gut to close those leaks, if you will, to heal them in order for those things to avoid getting into your bloodstream and creating the sensitivity. So it's like, okay, well, yes, it's nice. So the way that I like to approach it, I like to do gut testing and food sensitivity testing together to look at what's the degree of any viruses, parasites, In addition to food sensitivity, and then also looking at the depth to which certain bacterias are residing, like you had mentioned, um, short-chain fatty acids, like what's the degree to which you have butyrate, which is one of your main short-chain fatty acids, which is kind of like the energy or your ATP, if you will, for your gut. Do you have enough energy for your gut? So I like to look at gut testing in addition to food sensitivity testing? And then are there other things like genetic testing on top of that that we want to do? I mean, you know, and you also mentioned nutritional imbalances. Do we want to go into micronutrient testing? Are there things that have gotten so far out of hand that we can correct them one way or the other? So those are some of the things that I like to look at. And then, you know, getting pretty deep into their history of Everything from how they food shop to are they chewing their food, what's their dentition like, were they born vaginally or via C-section. I mean, we're finding that more and more that when you physically go through the vaginal canal, there is a microbiome in the vaginal canal that when an infant gets exposed to that, it kicks off their gut microbiome. So, and then to think, not only do you have a gut microbiome, like I just mentioned, you have a vaginal microbiome, you have a nasal microbiome, you have a microbiome on your skin, you have an oral microbiome. It's like, oh my gosh, all the bacteria that's doing hopefully good things, but sometimes not so good things. So, oh goodness. The rabbit hole is— this could turn into like multiple different podcasts. And if you guys want it to, let me know. Did we get to everything you feel like in terms of your kind of key things?

Yeah, I think the only thing I have left is the interactive challenge that they possibly could have.

Oh, okay. Let's do a gut reset week. Tell me about it.

Gut reset week.

Oh boy.

Can you guys see that? My exit out of the screen on accident.

Oh, that's okay. Yeah, just to— yeah, tell us about it. Also, like, your presentations are so freaking adorable. So if you guys are watching, hopefully you can like watch this over on YouTube because it's It's really cute. Anyway, okay, yeah, tell us that. Oh, look at, look, it's this rest and reclamation. Yes, reclaim your gut, y'all. Like I tell my kids all the time, I'm like, have you pooped your brown bananas today? And they're like, mother, please stop asking me about my poop habits. I'm like, but it's my job. Okay, a gut reset week. What do you got?

Uh, basically for the gut reset week, you can try to add one fermented food a day. Um, you want to have a high fiber diet, so 25 to 30 grams per day, 8 hours of sleep to help your vagus nerve reset. Um, and then I think we were going to do a social media post so you can kind of share your experience and what your gut is feeling, pretty much.

Yes. So don't share your brown bananas on social, please. That's gross.

Don't want to see that.

Yes, we don't want to see that. Although I will say in our software that we have to be able to like do people's food logs and whatnot, there is a section where you can track your stools. So that's sometimes that's good because a lot of people are like, oh, I am bloated. It's like, well, how often are you bloated? Are you bloated after every meal? Remember, because that's, that's going to help guide me on like, do we need to do hypochlorhydria test? Do we need to do something else? Like, where could be the potential, um, gap? Uh, so anyway, back to our Gut Reset Challenge. Oh, on social, @TheEnduranceEdge. So if you want to shoot us a DM and just tell us how you're feeling on a regular basis or at the end of it, that would be awesome. Um, let's rewind a little bit. Amanda, remind us what fermented foods are. Oh, okay.

So fermented foods are going to be your— it's like your yogurt, your kefir, your kombucha. I love me some kombucha every now and again.

I'm a big, I'm a big water kefir fan. There is dairy kefir and there's— oh yes, water kefir is very similar to kombucha, but not as funky. So some people kind of get a little offended by the, by the like sort of funky nature of kombucha. Water kefir is a little lighter, a little— I don't— in my opinion, it's a little more refreshing, but it's basically fermented sugar water versus kombucha is fermented tea, like sweet tea, basically. I know people don't necessarily think of it that way, but that's really what it is. So I will say, do you remember somebody in the longevity group shared— we were talking about fermented foods. And she shared that she like ate like a whole jar of sauerkraut or something like that. Like, start small, y'all. Yeah, your gut might go a little bit haywire because, you know, this— the bacteria in your gut shifts relatively quickly, but also like give it some time. It's just like training for a marathon. Like, don't go from 0 to, you know, 15 miles in the first go at it. Like, go from 0 to, you know, 2 miles or 0 to 3 miles. So, you know, instead of drinking 4 kombuchas a day, just start with like maybe a half of one and then the next day do another half. So, yeah. Did we miss any like fermented foods?

I don't think so. Kimchi, pickles. That's all I got.

I love, I love kimchi. Not for everyone.

I've never tried that either.

Okay, so report back just like you did. So yes, this is what I love about interns is that they're so open to trying different things. It's so fantastic. I got one, I got one set of interns to try these like, oh God, they were so terrible. It's basically like a, like an algae pill and, um, and it said on the, on the label, it was like, you know, you could chew or swallow. And, um, they chewed it and I think that they were going to murder me. So I survived though. So anyway, but kimchi is fermented cabbage. Oftentimes it's very spicy. If you get pickles, you can't get them just from the regular like store shelf. You have to get them from the refrigerated section. And you have to make sure that it says that they're fermented versus just like brined, right? So they actually have to be fermented. Okay, so then 25 to 30 grams of fiber today, per day. If I'm thinking of like 3 meals a day, maybe a snack, I mean, that's a pretty, it's a pretty good amount. Of fiber per meal? And what are some of the ideal things, some direction in terms of fiber that people can go for to get 25 to 30 grams a day?

Your whole grains, those are big ones.

Beans are one of my favorites.

Yeah, nuts, seeds, vegetables. Broccoli, carrots, spinach. Love me some sweet potatoes.

Yes, so good. Love you some sweet potatoes. Okay. Yeah, cool.

Love me oatmeal, and I put some peanut butter in it.

Oh yes, some magical, um, fiber. I just had Oat bran this morning with some pumpkin seeds. Oat bran has more soluble fiber in it, especially for anybody who's looking to lower their cholesterol a little bit. That one's a little bit harder to find, but that's a really great source of fiber. Um, I know there's some drinks now, like, uh, and I'm not like, you know, uh, sponsored by any of these people, but like Olipop, you know, is one of them. You know, they're like, yeah, they're expensive. They're like more than an alcoholic drink, which blows my mind a little bit. But, um, so is kombucha.

So, oh yeah, kombucha's expensive.

Kombucha. Yes, it is something that you can eventually make. Anything fermented you can make on your own. And it's—

college made kombucha all the time.

Was it good?

I didn't want to try it.

You were afraid of it?

The process of making it looks disgusting because obviously it's just like bacteria growing in a bottle, but it's Yeah, I didn't try it. It smelled good. Didn't want to try it though.

Didn't want to try it. Yeah, that's fair. I, um, it involves, if you want to go to that next step and you can buy, there's actually a local company that does a lot of like fermented like kits. Um, I'll have to remember their name and put it in the show, in the show notes. But if you're like, yeah, I would like to start making my own buttermilk or I want to start making my own yogurt. Or start making my own kombucha. They have these kits that you can get, but kombucha is an interesting one because again, like I said, it's fermented sweet tea and then you have to have a SCOBY and it looks like, for lack of a better word, like a giant scab on top of the drink. And if you are a little skeeved, you're probably not going to like it or not like making it. But that gets removed once you, you know, drink the final product.

Also, you can make your own sourdough bread too.

Yes, that's a great one. And I know we haven't mentioned beer, but that doesn't count because the alcoholic nature is not good for your gut at all. It is literally a toxin, no matter what degree of alcohol you have. And I'm not trying to like— I'm not trying to shame anyone if you are someone who enjoys an alcoholic beverage. I do myself on occasion. So, but But if you are going to heal your gut, you got to give alcohol a rest. Maybe that could be our little addition to the interactive challenge of getting your fiber, getting your sleep. You know, let us know how it goes. So share it and hopefully try some new things. And I will have to end on this note in terms of your— how powerful your gut microbiome is, is There is such a thing, a medical process of taking stool from a healthy person and literally putting it into an unhealthy person. And it works. Like, what the heck? And man, that's cheap. You know? Yeah. So like, especially somebody who's got like, is really suffering from like C. diff. We're finding more and more that certain parts of your microbiome proliferate in not good ways in extreme obesity, and that some of these stool transplants are helping, which is— that's crazy to me. Anyway, it was such a great way to finish on a poop note. You know, my son would be so proud. I know people are always like, so they're like, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, is that TMI? I'm like, that's literally what we talk about and what we learn about all the time. All right, Amanda, any last words of wisdom for everyone out there?

Um, just take care of your gut pretty much.

Yeah.

And your body, because yeah, it's most of your body, it sounds like. Yes. So that's all I got though.

So big. Awesome. Good job. Yay. Big round of applause for Amanda. Woo-hoo. And, uh, for everybody else out there, thank you so much for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast and we will catch you next time. Thanks for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast. If you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. And if you're interested in learning more about our endurance coaching, sports and wellness nutrition, metabolic and sweat testing, triathlon training team, or our triathlon training library, be sure to check us out at theenduranceedge.com. And don't forget to follow us on social media at The Endurance Edge. Thanks again. And we'll catch you next time.