The Mel Robbins Podcast - Reset Your Gut in 5 Days: A Medical Doctor’s Step-by-Step Protocol to Transform Your Health

Episode Date: November 30, 2023

Do you want to reset your health?Are you ready for more energy and better overall health?Do you want to start seeing results in 5 days (or less)?In today’s episode, Mel is joined by double-board certified Dr. Amy Shah for Part 2 of her masterclass on how to optimize your gut health.Dr. Amy, a medical doctor trained at Harvard, Cornell, and Columbia University, is an immunologist and leading expert in women’s hormonal health and nutrition.She’s giving you her proven 5-step method to heal inflammation, reset your natural hormone balance, and heal food sensitivities.Learn how to use the power of your gut microbes to help digestion, gain mental clarity, and decrease your stress levels. In this episode, Dr. Amy discusses topics like:What a gut microbiome is.Why science says your gut microbiome is the key to better mental and physical health.The scientific link between gut health and depression, cancer, and heart diseases.What the brain-gut connection is and why it’s essential to your health.What to do after your overindulgence in holiday food and drinks.The reason you can’t properly digest food.What makes your gut bacteria “upset” and what keeps them "happy"?How healthy aging is directly connected to your gut biome.Why stress can make you bloated.The reason 1 in 7 people experience bloating once a week.How gut health impacts a woman's hormone health.The difference between fiber and insoluble fiber.Which natural fiber do you need in your diet for improved digestion?The only type of bread that heals your gut.What intermittent fasting is and why it improves gut health.The one thing you should know about your circadian rhythm.Dr. Shah's 5-day reset protocol and why you need it to reset your gut health.3 things you should do every day for optimal gut health.What the best probiotic for your body is.The foods your gut bacteria love to digest.Why bonding with someone is a love language for your gut health.What an elimination diet is and why you need to do it.3 foods you should consider removing from your diet for 7 days.How many days it really takes to reset your gut.Why crazy diets are not working to “reset” your gut.Why your daily probiotic pill isn’t really working. You can purchase Dr. Shah’s book, ‘I'm So Effing Hungry: Why We Crave What We Crave – and What to Do About It’, here: https://a.co/d/7mTXT2F Follow Dr. Shah:Instagram: instagram.com/fastingmdWebpage: amymdwellness.com Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://bit.ly/45OWCNrCheck out my book, The High 5 Habit: https://a.co/d/g1DQ8Pt Follow me:Instagram: https://bit.ly/3QfG8bbThe Mel Robbins Podcast Instagram: https://bit.ly/49bg4GPLinkedIn: https://bit.ly/46Mh0QBTikTok: https://bit.ly/46Kpw2v Sign up for my newsletter: https://bit.ly/46PVnPs Want more resources? Go to my podcast page at melrobbins.com/podcast.Disclaimer

Hey, it's your friend Mel and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast. I am so glad that you're here. So thank you, thank you, thank you for being here. And I know that you're not here because of me. You're probably here because you want to know what is the five-day reset plan for being bloated. I want to know it too, but I want to take a quick minute and just say, thank you, thank you, thank you. I know that you tune in because you are investing in yourself. You're taking time to listen to something that's fun, but that's also backed by research and science

and that can help you make your life better. And you know what, I'm really proud of you for that. So, well done, well done. And as you can tell, I'm really excited today because you and I are picking up where we left off in our last podcast episode. We are in the middle of having a conversation with the amazing Dr. Amy Shaw.

She's been on the podcast a number of times. She has three Ivy League degrees. She's a double board certified medical doctor. She also graduated Magna Cum Laude from the prestigious Cornell School of Nutrition. You know what that means? That means she spends a lot more time studying than I did because I did not graduate with distinction like that. And we're going to benefit from her.

I just love Dr. Shaw. She's here because she's breaking down the topic of gut health for you and me. And in the first part of our conversation, the background is this. I had reached out to Dr. Amy Shaw because the truth is I was so freaking bloated after being on a road trip for work that my favorite red pants were no longer fitting. I looked like I was in the second trimester of pregnancy. I was desperate. I picked up the phone. I looked like I was in the second trimester of pregnancy, I was desperate, I picked up the phone, I called Dr. Amy, we taped the conversation, this is part two of

that conversation. In case you haven't listened to the first episode, you can catch that, it's very easy to remember because it's the one right before this one and it's also episode one, two, three. But just in case you haven't listened to it, let me just summarize real quick what we've already learned from Dr. Amy Shaw. First of all, bloating is normal. And it is caused by having unhappy gut bacteria. Some, I didn't know. But I love how she explains it, because I can visualize that. She also said that bloating is caused by so many different things. I mean, it can be caused by stress, by hormones. It can be caused by eating things

like cruciferous vegetables, which I now know are broccoli cauliflower and things like sparkling drinks and gum and ibuprofen, not to mention just eating and drinking too much over the holidays. And you'll also remember that we talked at the very end of that episode about her 3F morning routine, which is something she does every single morning. It's fasting, it's fitness, and it's fermented and fibrous foods.

I got to talk to Dr. Amy because that's like 5Fs. That's not 3Fs, but fasting, fitness, and fermented and fibrous foods. That's where we left off. And one final thing, you and I learned about how the gut health and our overall health is connected to our hormone health. So there was just so much to digest that about halfway through the conversation,

I was like, let's just make this one episode because you and I are busy. I don't have two to three hours to listen to a podcast episode and I know you don't either. So I want this to be information you can absorb and then you can apply. And if you want to listen to all of that, just go back to the episode one, two, three. It's right there for you as a free resource. But right now, let's keep going.

We're going to dig into probiotics. What is Dr. Amy Shah's opinion about probiotics? Do they work? Should you take them? If you're not going to take probiotics, how do you do that in a natural way? How do you heal your microbiome? If being bloated is a symptom that your gut health is unhappy, how do you make it happy? And of course, we're going to get to my burning question, which was, Dr. Amy Shah, my

pants are not fitting. I feel like I have a food baby. Can you please tell me what I need to do? Give me a five day gut reset woman. Come on now, help a woman out. What is the protocol that you recommend if you want to reset your gut health in five days flat? And Dr. Amy Shaw is gonna deliver

that five day program and protocol to you in this conversation. So get ready. Get ready to drop back in with me and Dr. Amy Shaw, and I'm about to ask Dr. Amy Shaw, what is the connection between stress and gut health? So let's go. So Dr. Shaw, how does stress cause bloating in your gut? Oh, God.

Don't you realize that the more I read about it and more I've learned about stress because we didn't learn so much about it in medical school, we thought of stress is kind of just a part of life, right? Now we're realizing that it causes everything. Like literally anything bad can come from stress. When you're stressed, you are in an emergency survival mode. And people always equate it to kind of like, you know, you're getting chased by a tiger

and you don't really care about taking care of your gut. You don't really care about balancing your hormones. Like your focus on how do I survive in the next minute? And unfortunately for us, this is happening more and more. Our news media are designed to create a stress response. The, you know, sitting in front of a computer all day and getting emails are designed to trigger the stress response. Social media is designed. So we're living in this world that's actually trying to tap in to our stress response all the time and it's our responsibility to actually manage all that and put ourselves into an enjoyment, into a relaxing state because everything else is designed to

put us in a stress state, which is going away from digestion, moving away from hormone balance, moving away from repair and just focusing on surviving the next minute. So are you saying that when you're on edge or you're stressed out that your nervous system interferes with your gut's ability to properly digest food and to stay in a balance in terms of your gut bacteria? Yeah, I mean, think about it. When your body is focused on the task at hand, say it's an emergency situation, all of the blood flow is going to your brain away from your gut. It's going to your big muscles, right, you're, that's ready to run. We're ready to, and we notice it. I don't know if you notice it, but your heart starts beating faster. You got your blood

starts flowing. Your eyes start to dilate because your body's ready to fight whatever this thing is. And a lot of times we're actively in that state. And we have to work to take ourselves out of that state and really relax so that our digestion can work properly so that we can poop so we can eat food and not have acid reflux all of a sudden. Those are all things that happen from being chronically stressed.

And like I said, it's not our fault. We live in a world that's designed to keep us in the stressed state, because that's what gets your attention. If you open a headline and it immediately causes you to have fear and stress, you're going to pay attention to it. Right. And spend more time clicking it. And so that's what works on social media or news media. And so we're always, and it's good to, you know, obviously know

real live world events, but it's also good to learn how to manage your bodies so that we can actually be in a state of rest and digest, which is the opposite of that stress mode. You mentioned just there, acid refluxed. Can you just briefly explain how a state of being bloated or inflamed or just living with really unhappy gut bacteria? What other issues can that create in your life? Beyond just feeling like you have a food baby and you're uncomfortable in your body.

Oh God, the list is just endless. We're learning now that breast cancer is related to gut microbiome. We're learning, so cancers, we're heart disease, depression. I mean, you name it and it is related to poor gut health. So what I like to think about is that it's not this brain and it's not just gut, it's this like brain gut access that's modulating our hormones, our immune system. And so all of the things that we want in our life, like healthy aging, come from improving that gut bacteria and the hormones that go with it because we don't want to say anti-age,

right? We want successful aging. So it's like not just a bloating in the short term, but we're talking, you know, do you want to live a long healthy life? Do you want to have a happy life? Do you want to, you got to keep these bacteria happy. You got to keep them functioning. They have to be talking to your brain

and saying, we're doing good here. We're having good time. And that's when things feel really good in your body. I'm glad that you said that. Because selfishly, I reached out to you because my pants were tight and I felt like I had a food baby and I was really just uncomfortable and felt very gassy and I thought, I'm not the only one that feels this way and I bet Dr. Shock can help me reset my gut.

But the fact that you put this in a larger context, that gut health is mental health, gut health is physical health and that we can't see what's going on in your gut. But if you don't take your gut seriously and you don't learn how to make your gut bacteria happy, it's not about whether or not your pants fit. This has so many larger implications for your overall health. And, you know, don't worry for you if you tuned in because you want to hear the five-day reset for bloating, we're getting there. But I think it's important to elevate this too because you're saying that you have to pay attention to this if If you wanna live a long and healthy and vibrant life,

because your gut informs everything about your mood, about the way your brain is functioning, and you can start to literally heal from the inside out if you pay attention to this. I mean, that's basically what you're saying, right? Absolutely. Now, the sad thing is, is that because this is so unknown to everybody, like everybody listening right now is in on this, right? Absolutely. Now the sad thing is is that because this is so unknown to everybody, like everybody listening right now is in on this, right? You're in on this. I'm in on this.

Everybody listening today. But most of the world, the developed world does not understand this. And we are seeing one in seven people this year came, it came out in a study. One in seven people feel bloating at least once a week. We found out that 98% of people don't eat enough food for their gut bacteria, which is fiber, right? Like healthy foods, real vegetables, and fruits. There's only 2% of Americans that are actually eating food that is keeping their gut bacteria happy. Like it's crazy. And then exercise, we all know that exercise is an issue for all of modern, the modern world. So this morning routine that we're talking about, like the, you know, the fasting, the fitness and the food, the fiber fermented food, this itself has the

ability, the potential to help you in so many more ways than just bloating. It can make you happier, help you successfully age, help with your hormonal transition if you're in menopause or pregnancy. So there's so much potential out there. You mentioned fiber as something that is really important for happy bacteria. Could you just give us a shorthand list?

Because I'm sort of a, you know, like, this is not my area of expertise. So you say fiber, you know what I hear? I literally think about like, the kind of the mucinex crap that you like stir into a drink, but what do you mean when you say fiber and that we need more fiber in our diet? Whenever I say fibers, everyone's always like,

oh, like what brand of fiber? And I'm like, no, I'm not talking about a brand. I'm saying fibers, but it is hard to conceptualize. So the best source of, say, let's talk about non-bloting fiber. Okay, fiber that you would eat when you're trying to get over, say, a week long binge, or vacation, or whatever, it is spinach, leafy greens. Okay. Our great source of fiber, berries, our great source of fiber.

Asparagus is a great source of fiber. Spices, they work like prebiotic fiber. So these are amazing things like turmeric and ginger. Also fruits and vegetables. So the best fruits to have when you are bloated is bananas, is avocados, is a pineapple papaya. So pineapple and papaya have natural digestive enzymes in them. So while they're going through our system, they have natural like ways to break themselves down. So it's really gentle on our gut.

like ways to break themselves down. So it's really gentle on our gut. Bananas are the same way they've been shown to actually help with bloating. So, and they all have fiber. So they're like helping you in the short term with the deep bloat and then in the long term. Oh, asparagus, cucumbers, celery, those are all amazing things.

Parsley, cilantro, like the herbs, fiber and deep-loading, all at the same time. These are like the things you wanna have when you're like, okay, I wanna have more fiber, but I wanted to be gentle on my stomach and help me digest, have a big bowl of papaya, pineapple, bananas, and then have maybe some avocado. You could have like, if you're not sensitive to bread, you could have a sourdough with

avocado on it because sourdough doesn't have as many of the fruit tans, which are these basically gas causing sugars that your gut can't digest as well in some people. So having an avocado sourdough toast with some fruit on the side would be a great breakfast to have. And some asparagus would be amazing to have. Also yogurt if you're not lactose intolerant. Like you said, you love that yogurt. I love probiotic yogurt and cottage cheese in the morning. And even though I can't tolerate a lot of dairy, that yogurt, it's just my body loves that stuff. So that's a great thing to have when you're trying to deep-look. Because yogurt, as you know, has some bacteria in it. It's a probiotic food. And it's going to be your, it's going to help you

in this setting. So let's talk about your five day gut reset protocol. What are we doing, Dr. Shaw? So every day we're doing the three Fs. Yeah, the three Fs for gut health. That was part of your three F morning routine. But Dr. Shaw, could you just remind us one more time, what are the three Fs? So every day you're going to do the fasting, the fitness, and the fiber-fermented foods. That's, without, goes without saying.

Okay. When you start on the five day reset, the first day, in addition to what you've already done in the morning, you're going to add exercise and E. It's the first E of the four different E's that we're going to be doing. And the last day, we're going to add all of the E's together. So it's like exercise is the first E, okay? And exercise, for all the reasons that we already talked about, your gut bacteria get happy. It's the best probiotic that you could ever do.

And when you start moving your body, all of that distinction starts to move because whether it's fluid, whether it's a food baby, whether it's stool in there, whether it's just a lifetime of chronic overeating and making terrible choices or doing keg stands or going to 17 weddings a summer. Regardless of how you're coming to the table, you're welcome. And we're going to start this protocol by adding in exercise.

And does it matter what exercise you do during the five day reset? No, it doesn't matter. Just move your body. Because let's be honest, any kind of exercise is good exercise. Now, if you want to add in yoga because you get the twisting, amazing, because we know that physically twisting your gut is going to help release some of that gas and some of that fluid retention and get things moving. So I love things like yoga to add when you're exercising, but walking more walking.

So say you walk to the morning, walk in the evening, again, weight training. You know, as you know, and I know we lose about one to three percent of muscle mass each decade as women and during menopause, that speeds up to almost double. And so getting that body moving, lifting weights. Okay, so exercise is number one. Okay, I can do that. So day one is exercise.

And Dr. Shaw, we got to cover four more days of your five day gut reset. What to do, why it works, and we're going to do that after we hear a short word from our sponsors. Our sponsors are so important because they allow us to bring you this information at zero cost. So just sit there, take a listen to our sponsors,

don't go anywhere, let day one digest because Dr. Amy Shaw and I are going to be back for you right after a short break. Welcome back. You're here with your bloated pal, Mel Robbins, and we're talking to the amazing Dr. Amy Shaw. And we've just learned that the five day gut reset protocol that she recommends begins with day one where we do her three F morning routine. We know that, we're gonna do that all five days, just recapping here.

So you remember you gotta do the fasting, you gotta do the fitness, and then you got to do the right kind of foods. And then day one, we add in the 30 minutes of exercise. So got that. Let's move on to day two. What do we do? Day two, eliminate E. So the second E is eliminate. So what that means is that food elimination diet we talked about, you're going to start doing that. So take out dairy, gluten, white sugar, whatever you think may be sugar. So for some people, that could be nuts, for some people that can be shellfish, some people that can be corn, but usually it's gluten, dairy, sugar, if you're not sure, just take those three out.

Okay. That's eliminate. That's day two. Okay. Day three. Day three. You're going to start day two. Okay, day three. Day three, you're gonna start eating foods, your gut bacteria loves. The stuff we've already talked about,

the things that are going to help your body recover from this crazy thing that you put your gut through. So it's gonna be that spinach, that asparagus, it's gonna be that fruit, that bromelene from that pineapple, that papaya that has a digestive enzymes in there that help you digest it. So you're going to add foods back that you've got bacteria love. So yogurt is another one. I have a question. Yeah. What protein is better for your gut than other in terms of like types of meat or fish or beans or lentils.

Like what is the the kindest protein to make for a happy gut? So if you're not plant-based, then egg protein is nicely digested by a lot of people, you know, doing an egg scramble or doing fish is a good way to get your protein. But if you're plant based and you could do beans, but make sure they're soaked, like black beans soaked, are really gentle on their stomach, whereas certain beans, if you don't soak them, they can be gas producing.

Tofu is a nice thing to eat when you're trying to get that. And of course, like I said, yogurt, probiotic yogurt and cottage cheese are awesome ways to get that protein. That's not necessarily meat, but it's a dairy based, high protein food that you can have. And then of course nuts, although nuts aren't necessarily the biggest source of protein, they do have some protein in

them. And so having that protein, but protein in general is a great, great way to keep your gut bacteria happy and satisfied as well. So that's a really, like, gut, your gut loves protein. What it doesn't love is fake protein. So you know what I mean? Like those shapes face meat and stars and fake meats and like all the fake stuff like when you have a protein shake, I don't know about you, but I immediately get bloated. Yes. That my body does not like processed protein. So the shakes and the bars and we all are busy. I eat protein bars and shakes like we have to. It's part of our busy life. But when you're trying to reset, try to have the protein in its whole form because that's going to be the kind of thing that you can

do to your body. You don't want to exacerbate the issue. Now, I noticed you didn't say locally raised meats, chicken, lamb, do you not, would you not want to eat meat during this five day period? You know, the studies on meat had become very controversial, as you know, okay. But a new study came out. We used to think that meat in general was very inflammatory and that your gut was very inflamed with meat. But there's new data that show that maybe it's not necessarily

the meat itself, maybe it's the type of meat that you're eating like. Is it a fast food meat versus meat. So the meat story remains to be pieced out. But if you're eating something that's super healthy, locally raised, you know, not full of antibiotics, not from, you know, your local fast food place, this is going to be a nice source of protein. And as I said, our biggest goal is to make that gut bacteria

happy. And although fiber and fermented is the number one goal, we said protein is also the goal. And so getting that. But it's a very nuanced conversation because you basically could argue still, the bulk of the research still shows that red meat or especially processed red meat is probably inflammatory to the

gut and causes all kinds of issues. But, you know, things are changing. So I would say it's like a complicated answer. If you enjoy it, it's doing good for your body. You're feeling healthy. That's a great thing to add to your diet. Okay. I just want to recap for everybody.

So the five day reset, one of the things that you're doing is Dr. Amy Shaw's morning routine, which are the three Fs. And so you're going to do is every morning, which is the 12 hour fast before you have your first meal. It is the fitness and then it is a breakfast that includes some sort of fibrous and fermented food because that makes your gut bacteria happy. Day one, you're going to add an exercise meaning in addition to the fitness walk in the morning, you're going to add in a little yoga, a little something else, day two. You're going to start an

elimination of dairy gluten and white sugar. Day three, you're going to be adding in and eating the kind of food that your gut bacteria loves, which we're learning all about. And what is the E that we add in on day four, Dr. Shes. I love this E because you're going to love it too. It's the ease for enjoy. So when we're in our stress and opposite of enjoyment, right, is when you're stressed and anxious, you can't digest and you can't heal from what you've just what's just happened to your body. And a lot of people, they come back from vacation or holidays

and they're so stressed and they're punishing themselves by doing all these crazy diets and cleanses and exercises and it's making things worse. You actually need to go back and enjoy, spend time with people who are good for your mental health because they're also good for your gut health. Okay. These gut bacteria, just like we said, we want to make them happy. They are super happy when you're spending time with people who make you feel your best. So it's spending time with people you love and it's so crazy to think, but they love bonding. Bonding is a love language for your gut bacteria. They love it. So you want to

enjoy yourself. It's dancing. It's, you know, doing something that lights your brain, you know, body and fire that's like so you you're so passionate about. And enjoyment is like one of the things that people don't realize that can be so healing to our body, not just our body, but our entire body. Got it. Okay. What do we do day five? You were putting it all together. All right.

Tell me what that means. All of these. So in the morning, you're waking up. You have, you're checking if you've fasted for 12 hours, wait 12 hours before you eat for your first meal. Then you're going for your fitness right after that. Then you're coming back and you're like, oh, time to eat. You're going to have a big scramble with veggies, yogurt, and berries on the side.

And you're going to have your ginger tea because you're trying to eat the foods that are great for your body. So high protein, high fiber, fermented food breakfast. And then maybe go for a yoga class or do some stretching or exercises again later in the day that is going to help you. You're going to be on this elimination diet journey. It's not one day. Our gut microbiome doesn't even respond for a few days.

You'll have to do this, extend this for as many as three weeks for some people to really find out what their true food sensitivity is, but at least one week you want to be doing the elimination. And then you want to eat foods all day that your body loves. Like this is not the time to maybe have your artificially sweetened, you know, snacks and chips and crackers and fast food. This is time to eat really healthy. Whole foods maybe you'll have a spinach salad and you'll have a bowl of fruit on the side. And then

to something, you know, bond with someone. Go out to, for for walk with a friend go have coffee with Someone that you haven't seen in long time a mentor friend a colleague your loved one spend time with your dog your baby To something you love and that is like the perfect day at the very end and you've that's like if you did all the things And you put it all into one day, that would be the day. Now, how long do I have to do this before I'm gonna start to feel? Like the bloating is going down and my gut bacteria is happy and healthy again.

I'm so excited to tell you this. Well, you know what, Dr. Shaw, based on the smile on your face, I'm excited to hear your answer this because I'm hoping it takes only five days for the reset and for the bloating to go away. And I can tell this is going to be good news. So let's take a quick pause. I want to hear a word from our sponsors. Give a chance for this information to really just sink in. We're making your gut health happy. And when we come back, Dr. Amy Shaw has got good news for us because she's going to tell

us how long do you have to do this before you're going to start to feel like the bloating is going away. We'll be right back. Welcome back. I'm so glad you're still with us. Yay you and yay me that I get to hang out with you. And yay both of us because we're here with Dr. Amy Shaw. And we're just about to jump into that burning question around probiotics. Do they help?

What are they? What should you take? But I want to just recap where we are. She just walked us through her five day gut reset. And to recap it real quick, I want to make sure you get all this. You do her morning routine, which is the three Fs of fasting, fitness, and the food that you're going to eat. Day one, she wants you to just add in exercise. And all you need to do is walk for 30 minutes. I think we can handle that.

Day two, you're gonna start eliminating dairy, gluten, or, and either one, you can do them all, you can do whatever ones you want, white sugar from your diet. Day number three, you're doing the 3F morning routine. You eat the foods that your gut bacteria loves, foods that are rich in fiber. Day four, you're gonna do the 3F morning routine and you're going to enjoy time doing

something that you love. Why? Because that helps make your gut bacteria happy. I love this recent program. And day five, we're going to put all these things together for a day of optimal gut health. Simple. I can do that and so can you. But before we took that short break, I had asked Dr. Shaw, how long do you and I need to do this in order to start to de-blow, in order

for the button on our pants to get some relief, in order for us to feel better. What is the research show, Dr. Shaw? I'm so excited to tell you this because there's actually research behind this. It's as little as three days. Three days, you could start feeling on day three, you could start feeling like, wow, I, you know what? My mood is better, my bloating feels better, my cravings are gone, and then after, you know, it keeps going. It starts at three days, but in two weeks, you

should be markedly better. So I love saying three days because to me, three days feel so doable. And it's backed by science. We saw a study where they took people and they rapidly changed their diet. And they said, okay, we're gonna rapidly change your diet from a fast food, crazy process diet to the super healthy gut loving diet. And we're gonna see how long it takes for your gut microbiome to completely transform. And they expected two weeks and they saw it in three days.

I'm so happy you said that, because this conversation is gonna release during the holidays. And I don't know about you listening, but I freaking love the holiday food. I'm so happy you said that because this conversation is going to release during the holidays. And I don't know about you listening, but I freaking love the holiday food. And particularly here in the US, the Thanksgiving fair, I have four or five helpings of the turkey with the stuffing and the mashed potato and this cranberry jello thing that we've always made in my family.

And I just love it. And then I love the leftovers. And I think what happens for me is I do feel like I have a food baby. And I feel discouraged. And so I do these extreme things. And then they don't really work. And then I feel more discouraged. And so hearing that you can leverage science. And if you simply stick with it for these three to five days, you'll likely start to feel better because you're using the science of all of this.

That makes me feel more motivated, honestly. Because all the time, too. Yeah, because I, you know, like I felt after this week, where the pants started outfitting at the beginning of the week. And at the end of the week, I kid you not. I could not even button these pants. And the pictures, I do look like I am in my second trimester of a pregnancy in these pants. And I felt really discouraged because I thought, what is going on? Is this menopause? Is it stress? Is it travel? Is it, what is it? It's probably all of those things. But I now feel very empowered because this is something I can do. And when you tell me that there

is research that says within three days, the studies show that you'll start to feel better. If you follow this, obviously I can't, you know, be downing a bottle of Jim Beam on top of this. I got to really pay attention to all the things that you're talking about. Can't be taking Advil first thing in the morning while I'm doing my fast. Like this makes sense to me. One thing that you didn't mention was taking a probiotic. Do you recommend that people take probiotics? Okay.

This is how I would think of it. Our species in our gut is like the Amazon jungle. There's like hundreds, if not thousands, of different species in there. Of probiotics? Bacteria. Yeah, so probiotic. The same thing as a bacteria.

Yeah, so probiotic is a bacteria that you take by mouth. Right, so. Okay. A probiotic might have, say you take by mouth, right? So, okay. A probiotic might have, say, hundreds of strains, right? But that's not even close to how many different types of bacteria are in your gut. So, the problem with probiotics today is that if you threw seeds from a plane into a baron land, right? You threw them, not knowing what climate you were in, not knowing what the local kind of weather soil was like.

Some seedlings may come out of it. If you got lucky, but you don't know what you're doing. You're just throwing things at the wall and hoping something sticks, right? So the difference is when you eat probiotic foods like yogurt, like cottage cheese, like kimchi and sour cow, the bacteria come in a food matrix and they're delivered to your bacteria that already live there. Like, hey, look, I brought you some friends. And then for some reason, our body is just more likely to incorporate those guys into our existing

ecosystem than they are when you throw a whole bunch of pills into your body. That makes a lot of sense. And so I just want to make sure that you listening are tracking with me and Dr. Shaw. So I want to ask a couple questions. Yeah. So are you saying that probiotic food based on the research is a more effective way to put healthy bacteria and to get your gut health in order,

more healthy and effective than taking an oral probiotic. Absolutely. When we get to the place where I can say, Mel, let me see the organisms that are in your gut right now, and let me produce a cocktail that's going to be complementary to them. And then you're going to be like, oh, yeah, this definitely works. And that's why fecal transplants work so well. Fecal trans, what the hell is that? So the fat is trying to get rid of the food baby I have from Thanksgiving.

I don't find it to fecal trans. So you know, we're talking about delivery of bacteria, right? So you can deliver them through a probiotic. Yep. You can deliver it in a food matrix like, you know, here, talking about delivery of bacteria, right? So you can deliver them through a probiotic. Yep. You can deliver it in a food matrix, like, you know, you're served it on a platter through a food matrix. You're eating sourcrout and the bacteria are kind of in that matrix of the food.

Makes sense. Or you deliver it like straight up poop from someone else that already has that, it's like take from somebody else. Yeah, it's called a fecal twist. Yeah, you have to eat the poop, like what do you have to do with it? Place there through colonoscopy, it is curative for so many diseases.

Really? Because it's the best way. You should see everybody's facial expressions. Well, think about it. I don't think about it. I mean, I know it sounds gross, but you don't have to eat it. You can have it. Say, okay, it's your husband. I know your husband, okay?

I don't want to spoo. He's a super healthy guy. He's a very super healthy guy. And you're like, you know what? I am so so tired. Say you want his motivation. It's crazy, but it also athletic performance, mood, what? I am so so tired. Like, say you want his motivation, like it's crazy, but it also athletic performance, mood, all of this stuff can be transplanted through the gut.

So there is a theory and it's already been seen in some diseases that you take a family members or someone that's really healthy, doesn't have diseases. And you take their feces, their poop, you get it transplanted and placed into your colon through a colonoscopy. And you let it sit there, so it can kind of like, it's like adding soil,

you let it kind of like sit there, let it get incorporated, it can cure diseases. Like we already know, we think it may be able to cure depression. It may be able to heal ADHD. It may be able to stop cancer. I mean, there's like the potential for the fecal transplant is insane. So I'll give you that.

I'll give you that. I will give you that. I can wrap my brain around that. And I remember it may be something that you shared on one of the other episodes that you were on, that there was a study done, I think, on rats. Yeah. What they did is they took the patients who had schizophrenia and they took their gut bacteria and they put it into mice that didn't have their own gut bacteria. So they could see what happens when we don't change anything in the animal's brain,

we just give them the gut bacteria and they exhibited the change in mental health. So yeah, you understand that that potential is there. So when you ask me what's the best way to get bacteria into your gut? And I'm like, okay, probiotic. And actually, is a C, you know, food-based probiotic foods is a B, and the A is actually getting bacteria from another human.

What you're basically saying is that the healthiest way to get a sample of live healthy gut bacteria is when that live healthy gut bacteria moves from the stomach down the intestines and out somebody through the colon. And so we obviously know that's fecal matter, but inside that is live healthy bacteria and a healthy person. And what you're saying in terms of the emerging science is that that source of live healthy bacteria, even if it's encased in something we all think is disgusting, that is actually the most effective way to help somebody else grow. And I would imagine as the technology emerges, especially with all this research that

showing over and over and over again how effective it can be in the positive or the negative to transfer healthy gut bacteria from one person or species to another, that they will figure out a delivery mechanism for that that doesn't sound disgusting. But that I hear you in that it is wildly effective. You know, and to add on that, you know, one of the other ways to get healthy bacteria from other humans, you broke it down so, so nicely

because the best way to get healthy, good gut bacteria is from other humans. Kissing. It's just by spending time with other humans that you want to be like. Wait a minute. So am I catching Chris' bacteria like if I kiss him? Am I gonna catch his bacteria?

He's sharing food with him. You hug him, kiss him. You are more like Chris got microbiome than your identical twin sister if you ever had one. Really? Yes. Identical twins that are separated at birth, their microbiomes look closer to the people that they live with or they're significant others than each other.

And when you want to be more like someone, you want the athletic prowess, you want to be as happy, you want to be as successful as they say, you know, the people you spend your time with, you become like, when you look at it through this gut bacteria lens, that actually is happening. That's fascinating. All right. Well, more importantly, we now know, regardless of what is causing you bloat and how you got to this conversation, we now know a five-day science-backed protocol by the absolutely extraordinary.

Dr. Amy Shaw, I want to thank you so much for being here with us. I'm so grateful to you and the team and I'm happy to be on here to talk about maybe the most important part of health that, you know, we don't ever talk about is this whole world of the gut brain hormone connection. It can make us happier. It can help us age successfully. It can make us better people in general. And I think it's something that everybody needs to hear. Awesome. I just love Dr. Shaw. Every time I talk to her, I feel smarter, and we just learned so much. That was a gold mine.

I mean, you know exactly what to do. And of course, you have to decide whether or not it's something that fits for you and your lifestyle and your health, but she just gave you the research and she walked you through step by step by step based on the research and her expertise, what you could do. To not only fight the bloat, but more importantly, take control of your gut health. And as she explained in the very beginning, your gut health and happy gut bacteria means a happy you. And I want that for you.

You want to know why? I'll tell you why because I love you. That's right. In case nobody else tells you today, I'm going to remind you that I for you. You want to know why? I'll tell you why because I love you. That's right. In case nobody else tells you today, I'm going to remind you that I love you. That's why I show up here twice a week to be with you. And I also believe in you. And I believe in your ability to take the information that you're learning when you listen and apply what you feel is right to your life. So you can create a better life. All right, I got a reset to go do.

I got to find some fibrous foods, you know? I'm gonna go eat a banana and some blueberries, and I'll talk to you in a few days. Let's go, Joseph! We go, people. Thank you, I am So much. Thank you. I am super hot. Thank you.

From the way stop, Jessie. She don't like that, people. She don't like it. Jessie's girl. Oakley Robbins. Ladies and gentlemen, what's up? Do you need money? Is that what you're here?

Yeah, I was gonna ask. I can wanna be like that. I knew it. Of course. I don't know. I'm just being a weirdo. Okay, here we go. Take 55.

Take 55. Here we go. Um. Uh. Can you hear that, Andrea? I absolutely can. Yes. Okay, we're gonna take a pause for a second.

Just consider that like tapping. Okay, there we go. Do wanna hear the problem with alcohol, so let's take a quick. Wait, where are we? Oh, I think I might be the wrong thing. Oh, I just clicked to the wrong thing. I'm sorry, I was in the other one. I'm like, I think I read that.

Okay. Do you want to do that one more time, Andrea? I mean, that was good for me. Okay. It's good for Andrea. That means it's way better than my standards. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Oh, and one more thing. And no, this is not a blooper. This is the legal language.

You know what the lawyer's right and what I need to read to you. This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. I'm just your friend. I am not a licensed therapist, and this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. Got it? Good. I'll see you in the next episode.

Stitcher. I'll see you in the next episode.