Foods you should avoid for your Gut Health.
OK so this is kinda embarrassing to admit, but I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of my adult life in bathrooms. And I don’t mean like taking long luxurious baths or doing my makeup. I’m talking about the OTHER reason people rush to bathrooms.
For years I just thought this was normal? Like everyone must deal with this, right? Random stomach pain after meals, bloating so bad my coworkers once literally asked if I was pregnant (I wasn’t), and the constant worry about where the nearest bathroom was whenever I went anywhere new.
It wasn’t until my sister’s wedding when I had to literally RUN out during her father-daughter dance to find a bathroom that I realized maybe this wasn’t just “how bodies work.”
My Breaking Point
After that wedding disaster (and lots of tears in my hotel room that night), I finally called my doctor. After some tests that ruled out anything super serious, she casually suggested, “Have you ever considered that certain foods might be triggering these symptoms?”
Ummm, no?? As someone who grew up in a “clean your plate” household where we ate pretty much everything, the idea that specific foods could be causing my problems had honestly never crossed my mind.
So began my super messy, not-at-all-perfect journey to figure
ing out my food triggers. I’m sharing this because maybe you’re where I was – thinking this is just your “normal” when actually, you might feel SO much better by figuring out what foods are messing with your gut.
Also Read: 6 Fermented Foods That Destroy Modern Probiotics
The Top 5 Foods That Were Secretly Ruining My Life
1. Processed Stuff (All The Convenient Things I Loved)
You guys, I lived on frozen meals and takeout for YEARS. Like, my idea of cooking was microwaving a frozen pasta thing and adding some pre-shredded cheese on top. Cooking from scratch was something I did maybe twice a year when I was really trying to impress someone lol.
Turns out all those preservatives, emulsifiers, and weird ingredients with numbers in their names were basically setting off constant fire alarms in my gut.
The worst part? The connection wasn’t always immediate. Sometimes I’d feel fine right after eating processed stuff, but then wake up the next morning feeling like garbage. This made it super hard to connect the dots.
The messy truth: I still eat processed foods sometimes! I’m not perfect and sometimes life gets crazy. But I try to save them for when I’m REALLY in a bind, not as my everyday go-to. And honestly? My body can handle occasional processed foods way better now that they’re not my main food source.
My weird but effective trick: I started buying just ONE fresh vegetable each shopping trip and challenging myself to actually use it before it went bad. This baby-step approach slowly changed my habits without overwhelming me.
2. Sugar (My True Love That Was Cheating On Me)
I need to be super honest here – I had (have?) a serious sweet tooth. Like, the kind where I kept candy in my desk drawer, car, AND bedside table. The kind where I somehow convinced myself that frappuccinos were a reasonable breakfast and cookies were a valid dinner option on rough days.
What I didn’t realize was how this sugar obsession was feeding all the wrong bacteria in my gut. Those little sugar-loving bugs were having a party while the good bacteria were basically starving.
When I started researching gut health, SO many articles told me to quit sugar completely. I tried. I lasted exactly 9 hours before breaking down and eating half a chocolate bar in my car like some kind of sugar criminal.
The messy truth: Cold turkey didn’t work for me AT ALL. Instead, I started making weird substitutions that actually satisfied my cravings:
- Dates with peanut butter when I wanted candy
- Frozen banana “ice cream” (just blended frozen bananas) when I wanted something cold and sweet
- Dark chocolate (like the really dark kind) instead of milk chocolate
The strangest part? After about 3 weeks, my taste buds changed. I recently tried my old favorite candy bar and it tasted CRAZY sweet, like almost burning sweet. Not even enjoyable anymore!
3. Dairy (My Pizza-Loving Heart Was Broken)
This discovery hit me HARD. Because pizza?? Ice cream?? CHEESE BOARDS??? These were basically my love language.
But after keeping a super honest food diary for a few weeks (where I wrote down EVERYTHING, including that handful of chocolate chips I ate standing in the pantry), a pattern emerged. My worst symptoms almost always followed dairy-heavy meals.
So I did a two-week dairy elimination experiment. The results were… eye-opening. The constant bloating I had normalized? Gone. The weird skin rash on my arm that no cream ever helped? Disappeared. The morning stomach rumbles? Silent.
When I tested dairy again by demolishing a large cheese pizza, my body’s reaction was so immediate and dramatic that I couldn’t deny the connection anymore.
The messy truth: I still can’t totally give up cheese. I’ve just accepted that some foods are worth the consequences sometimes! But I’ve found that small amounts of aged cheeses (like good parmesan) don’t hit me as hard as mozzarella or soft cheeses. And coconut milk ice cream is actually amazing? Who knew!
4. Alcohol (Even The “Classy” Kind)
This one was tough to admit because I’m not even a big drinker! But those “just one glass of wine with dinner” or “social drinks with colleagues” were having a WAY bigger impact than I realized.
My lightbulb moment came during a month when I was on antibiotics for a sinus infection and couldn’t drink. After about two weeks of no alcohol whatsoever, my Sunday mornings transformed. Instead of feeling vaguely nauseous and headachy (which I had blamed on general weekend tiredness), I woke up feeling… normal? Good, even?
When I researched it later, I found out alcohol irritates your intestinal lining and can mess with the balance of bacteria in your gut. Plus, let’s be honest – after a couple drinks, late-night pizza or fast food suddenly seems like an EXCELLENT idea, creating a double whammy of gut irritants.
The messy truth: I still drink occasionally! But now I’m that person who alternates each alcoholic drink with a sparkling water. And I’ve discovered some actually decent non-alcoholic beers that give me the social experience without the gut consequences. My friends teased me at first but honestly now don’t even notice.
5. Gluten (Ugh, I Know, I Rolled My Eyes Too)
When my doctor first suggested trying a gluten-free diet, I literally laughed out loud. In her office. Not my proudest moment.
“That’s just a trend,” I told her. “I don’t have celiac disease.” She patiently explained that non-celiac gluten sensitivity is actually pretty common, and given my symptoms, it might be worth trying an elimination.
I was SURE this would prove nothing. Four days into eliminating gluten, I felt… exactly the same. SEE! I told myself. This is nonsense.
But around day 10, something shifted. The brain fog I had attributed to “just being bad at mornings” started to lift. By week three, my energy levels were noticeably better, and the daily bloating had decreased so much that my pants fit differently.
The real test came when I triumphantly had a regular bagel after 30 days gluten-free. Within an hour, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck – foggy-headed, bloated, and so tired I actually had to take a nap.
The messy truth: Going 100% gluten-free is HARD and I’m not perfect at it. I’ve found I can handle small amounts occasionally, especially sourdough bread (the real fermented kind). But making my everyday meals gluten-free has been one of the biggest game-changers for my gut health.
Also Read: Your Sleep Schedule Is Killing Your Gut Bacteria (7 Fixes)
What Actually Worked (After Many, Many Failures)
Can I be super real with you? My journey to better gut health was NOT a straight line. There were SO many setbacks and pizza-related relapses. But over time (like, a year-ish), I figured out a few things that actually helped without making me miserable:
1. The “Better, Not Perfect” Approach
Every time I tried to be “perfect” with my diet, I would last about 3 days before face-planting into whatever food I was trying to avoid. Total restriction just doesn’t work for me.
Instead, I aim for “better choices” most of the time. If I know I’m going to a birthday party with cake later, I make sure my earlier meals that day are really gut-friendly. This balance approach has been WAY more sustainable.
2. Finding Alternatives That Don’t Suck
The first dairy-free cheese I tried was so disgusting my dog wouldn’t even eat it. The first gluten-free bread I bought could have doubled as a frisbee.
But I kept experimenting and eventually found alternatives that I actually enjoy. Some favorites:
- Cashew-based mac and cheese (sounds weird, tastes amazing)
- Coconut yogurt with berries and honey
- Rice-based pasta (specifically Jovial brand – game changer!)
- Gluten-free sourdough from a local bakery
It took time and some money wasted on gross products, but finding substitutes that don’t make me feel deprived has been crucial.
3. The “Just One Good Meal” Reset
Whenever I get off track (hello, holiday seasons), I don’t try to overhaul everything at once. I just focus on having ONE really good, gut-friendly meal. Usually a breakfast with eggs, avocado, and some greens.
That one good choice often leads to another, and by dinner, I’m usually back on track. This beats the heck out of my old “well, I already messed up so I might as well keep eating whatever” approach.
4. The Weird Trick That Helped Most: More Foods, Not Less
The most surprising thing that helped my gut was actually ADDING more variety to my diet. I was so focused on what to eliminate that I didn’t realize my diet had become super boring and limited.
I challenged myself to try one new vegetable or fruit each week. Turns out, diverse plant foods feed diverse gut bacteria, which creates a healthier gut ecosystem overall.
Some random foods that became new favorites: jicama (where has this crunchy goodness been all my life?), dragon fruit, and watermelon radishes.
The Completely Unexpected Benefits
When I started this journey, I was just trying to stop running to the bathroom all the time. I had NO IDEA how many other things would improve:
- My skin cleared up. Like, dramatically. I barely need concealer anymore.
- My focus at work improved. I used to hit a 2pm wall where my brain basically shut down.
- My anxiety decreased by like 50%. I still have anxious days but they’re way less intense.
- My period cramps went from “need to call in sick” to “mildly annoying”
- I sleep better. I used to wake up 3-4 times a night, now I usually sleep straight through.
I’m not saying gut health fixes everything, but man, the connections between gut and overall health are WILD.
Also Read: 10 Signs of Poor Gut Health You Shouldn’t Ignore (+ How to Fix Them)
The Most Important Thing I Learned
Here’s what I wish someone had told me years ago: Your body is trying to tell you something. Those symptoms you’ve normalized? They’re messages.
For too long, I thought my body was just defective or weak. Turns out, it was actually trying to communicate which foods weren’t working for me. Once I started listening and responding, everything changed.
And look – I’m still not perfect. Just last weekend I demolished half a pizza because SOMETIMES PIZZA IS WORTH IT. The difference is now I KNOW it’s going to make me feel lousy, and I make that choice consciously rather than wondering why I always feel terrible.
Have you noticed certain foods seem to mess with your system? Or found alternatives that actually taste good?
Read About Us or Drop a comment below – I’m still learning too and would love to hear what’s worked for you!
Side note: I’m obviously not a doctor, just someone who’s spent way too much time researching gut health while sitting on my bathroom floor. If you have serious digestive issues, please see a healthcare provider and don’t rely solely on random internet strangers like me!