Gut Health


For those of you who follow me faithfully, you know that I have been struggling with some mystery health issues for the past few years. I’ve built up the tools in my feel-good toolkit over the years, so much that it can be difficult as someone who was “sick” my whole life to discern when I am actually ill or am just experiencing the effects of not doing all the things I know to keep me feeling good. After 2019’s NYNY and living an extremely healthy lifestyle, I found myself still struggling to lose weight and body fat, with no apparent reason. After 4 years of living cleaner and cleaner, I had slowly gained about 30 pounds. My physical result from last year’s NYNY was underwhelming and led me to look at my body at a cellular level, take every test I could, and try to figure out once and for all why I was not in control of my body the way I had been for the 40+ years leading up to 2019. I could tell something just wasn’t right.
After a grueling search I found Dr. Lizano, who I’m just going to call the Jedi Master of internal medicine, with a very diverse background and extensive, unique knowledge. He has been my health partner for the past 6 months and has really enlightened me on the importance of gut health and how that impacts your adrenal function, the absorption (or lack thereof) of nutrients, hormones, and overall health. He also made me aware that no diet, exercise, blasting, yoga, meditation program, etc, was ever going to help me until I addressed a serious medical illness that was underlying all of my issues.
This component is driven by the core concept of gut health. I want to give you a chance to be exposed to knowledge about candida and other gut imbalances and give you a spectrum of things that you can do. Dr. Lizano has been kind enough to help us share as much information as possible for free. And if you feel you have a medical condition of any kind that might be preventing you from feeling and looking amazing, I also want to give you options by guiding you to experts and information that can help, including access to Dr. Lizano.
I’m going to tell you right out of the gate that this is a totally different approach and it is for the serious person who really wants to get immersed into gut care. There is sooooo much more to come on this topic and I will personally be doing this program for all my food and supplements. I have been under Dr. Lizano’s care for months, and I will continue this program to stabilize my biochemistry so that all the other components can be effective. The diet is called FODMAP, and you can download the app here. There is also a book: The Complete Low-FODMAP Diet. This is the smallest investment you could possibly make with a huge impact. Things we think are healthy like asparagus, beets, garlic, onion, etc, can be detrimental to gut health if there is a problem. We will walk you through step-by-step and open a new world of biochemistry and antiaging in this group.
This will include a very strict month of elimination, and then a slow reintroduction of foods one at a time. All of this will be free with Dr. Lizano’s guidance, but if you want to take it to the next level, we can lead you to testing facilities, doctors, and nutritionists for personal care.
NYNY Gut Health
FODMAP, Elimination, Reintroduction and the Cutting Edge Science
All About Gut Health
For the sake of this group, we are focused on general elimination and reintroduction of foods for self-examination and education from Dr. Lizano about possible causes and possible solutions to gut problems. It is not intended to diagnose and treat, yet rather unveil new science and guide viewers through exploring a holistic approach to gut awareness and health. We will lead you to experts if you choose that path.
What systems make up the gut? (Image via Temple Health)

What Symptoms May Indicate Poor Gut Health?
- Bloating
- Unintentional Weight Changes
- Fatigue
- Upset Stomach
- Sleep Disturbances
- Skin Irritations
- Constipation
- Indigestion
- IBS
- Acid Reflux
- Heartburn
Possible Causes For Gut Problems
- Long Term Stress
- Medications
- Long Term Nutritional Issues
- Overeating
- Eating Too Much Fatty Food
- Not Eating Enough Fiber
- Drinking Too Much Alcohol
- Smoking
- Lack of Exercise
Remember: All Systems Affect the Others
Some physicians have found that one of the most overlooked causes of adrenal stress is the gut! A poor gut may be taxing on a human’s adrenals – and it doesn’t end there. Poor adrenal function can screw up hormones, and as women, we know a hormone imbalance can cause an endless list of issues.
What is FODMAP?
“Put simply, FODMAPs are a collection of short-chain carbohydrates (sugars) that aren’t absorbed properly in the gut, which can trigger symptoms in people with IBS. FODMAPs are found naturally in many foods and food additives.” - Monash FODMAP
It’s important to know that healthy foods can be bad for gut issues! Even some of the veggies you fill your plate with can be causing some of your uncomfortable tummy issues. Thankfully, Monash has created a green, yellow and red system that makes it easy to understand which foods are gut friendly. Green = go and eat it!

(Photo via @MonashFodmap on Instagram)
FODMAP begins with a strict 30 day “stop feeding the bacterial overgrowth” phase, followed by a gradual day-by-day reintroduction and suggested repair supplements.
In this group we will have:
Daily guidelines for FODMAP meals and snacks
Daily motivation
Daily lesson from Dr Lizano and other experts
We will also “direct traffic” to Dr Lizano for personal care or help guide you if you need more than the basics
The overall purpose is to help educate and enlighten my viewers so they can be better informed to make decisions about their health!
Deciding which other New Year, New You groups to join? Gut Health works well with Meditation, FasciaYoga, FasciaBlasting, Food School and Lower Intensity Fat Burners and FasciaMechanics.
How to Craft the Perfect
FODMAP-Friendly Meal:

The best part about FODMAP? It’s super simple to build a delicious, healthy and gut friendly meal. At every meal time (breakfast, lunch and dinner) aim to eat 1 protein, 2 vegetables and 1 carbohydrate that are FODMAP approved. It doesn’t always have to be broken down that way - it’s better to prioritize eating all FODMAP-approved foods than to make sure you get a protein, 2 vegetables and a carbohydrate in each meal!
We suggest eating six small meals per day by eating breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack 1, snack 2 and a third snack of just veggies. Alternatively, you can skip a snack and break your breakfast up into two portions. It’s your choice!
We’ll supply you with options for each meal, as well as occasionally share fun recipes you can try out if you’re feeling adventurous! If you want to build your own meal, simply double check each ingredient with the Monash University FODMAP Diet App. If it has a green light next to it, it’s okay to eat! Stuck with serving sizes? Protein should be in portions about the size of your hand, veggies should take up half of your plate and carbohydrates should be around 1 cup.
For a few examples of what you can eat (please note these lists don’t include everything) check out the charts below! We compiled a few of the most common foods you can safely enjoy on the FODMAP Diet. Please note that these are things that I am my team enjoy eating! None of us are licensed dieticians, but it’s fun to share ideas inspired by the foods Monash FODMAP has outlined as gut-friendly to eat.
Vegetables | ||
---|---|---|
Alfalfa | Fennel | Turnip |
Arugula | Ginger | Water Chestnut |
Eggplant | Jalapeno | Yam |
Bean Sprouts | Jicama | Swiss Chard |
Green Beans | Kale | Silverbeet |
Red Bell Pepper | Lettuce | Rutabagas |
Bok Choy | Green Olives | Scallions |
Broccoli | Black Olives | Okra |
Red Cabbage | Parsnip | Kohlrabi |
Carrot | Sweet Potato | Hearts of Palm |
Chilli Pepper | Radish | Fennel |
Collard Greens | Spaghetti Squash | Endive |
Cucumber | Spinach | Broccolini |
Edamame | Tomato | Canned Beets |
Fruit | |
---|---|
Acai Powder | Orange |
Banana Chips | Papaya |
Firm Banana | Passionfruit |
Cantaloupe | Pineapple |
Clementine | Plantain |
Durian | Starfruit |
Black Grapes | Strawberry |
Red Grapes | |
Green Grapes | |
Guava | |
Kiwi | |
Lemon Juice | |
Lime Juice | |
Mandarin |
Bread, Cereals, Rice, Pasta | |
---|---|
Gluten Free Bread | Chickpea Pasta |
Millet Bread | Sprouted Pearl Barley Grains |
Naan Bread | Polenta |
Spelt Bread | Basmati Rice |
Kellogg’s Cornflakes | Brown Rice |
Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes | Red Rice |
Kellogg’s Special K Original Cereal | White Rice |
Quinoa | Soba Noodles |
Brown Rice Vermicelli Noodles | Corn Tortillas |
Kelp Noodles | |
Rice Stick Noodles | |
Vermicelli Noodles | |
Nutritional Yeast | |
Oats |
Meat, Fish, Eggs | |
---|---|
Bacon | Tuna, canned, in brine |
Beef | Tuna, plain, canned in oil |
Chicken | |
Chorizo | |
Eggs | |
Fish | |
Lamb | |
Pork | |
Shrimp | |
Canned Salmon | |
Sardines in oil |
Dairy, Soy and Lactose Free |
---|
Cheese (Gruyere, Manchego, Monterey Jack, Brie, Cheddar, Colby Style, Feta, Havarti, Mozzarella, Pecorino, Swiss) |
Almond Milk |
Cashew Milk |
Rice Milk |
Hemp Milk |
Macadamia Milk |
Soy Milk |
Quark |
Coconut Yogurt |
Lactose Free Yogurt |
Pulses, Tofu, Nuts | |
---|---|
Agar Agar | Pecans |
Brazil Nuts | Pine Nuts |
Chestnuts | Chia Seeds |
Flax Seeds | Hemp Seeds |
Canned Lentils | Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) |
Macadamia Nuts | Sunflower Seeds |
Mung Beans, sprouted | Tempeh |
Peanuts | Tofu |
Beverages | |
---|---|
Beer | Peppermint Tea |
Cranberry Juice | Vegetable Blend, Tomato Base |
Espresso | Vodka |
Gin | Whiskey |
Instant Coffee | Red Wine |
Black Tea | Wine, Sparkling |
Chai Tea | White Wine |
Green Tea |
Fats and Oils |
---|
Butter |
Duck Fat |
Margarin |
Mayonnaise (low-fat and regular) |
Oils (Avocado, Coconut, Canola, Olive, Peanut, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sesame, Sunflower, Truffle, Vegetable, Walnut) |
Confectionery, Sugars and Condiments | |
---|---|
Dark Chocolate | Milk Chimichurri Sauce |
Stevia Powder | Fish Sauce |
Coconut Sugar | Red Habanero Sauce |
Raw Sugar | Honey |
White Sugar | Strawberry Jam |
Maple Syrup | Mustard |
Almond Butter | Oyster Sauce |
BBQ Sauce | Peanut Butter |
Soy Sauce | Tomato Paste |