gut health

This Amazing Thryve Gut Health Testing Kit Will Change Your Life

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Ever notice how a simple stomachache can take you down no matter your size? If your gut ain’t happy, you ain’t happy! In March, during a 10 day “IBS” flare, I received an email asking me to review a new-to-me gut health testing kit called Thyrve in exchange for a discounted kit. I figured this was the Universe sending me a message since my gut was NOT happy, so I agreed. This post is my unbiased, professional opinion.

Why I Tried This Particular Gut Health Testing Kit

I’ve been a health coach for five years at this point, but I’ve been an IBS sufferer for pretty much all of my adult life (we won’t go into how many years that is). I’ve tried various microbiome testing kits and found many of them lacking the clinical benefits I’m looking for. Meaning…they’ve told me which bacteria they found, but not actually how this could help me or my clients in real life.

The Thyrve kit is different. Not only does this kit give you actionable information that can actually positively affect your health in days, but it’s also very reasonably priced.

The benefit of knowing which bacteria and microbes are in range, or out of range, can help to explain some of your symptoms…and not necessarily just gut symptoms. My results showed high skin inflammation as well as pain and gut issues. It was super affirming to know that my random symptoms actually have a root cause – imbalanced gut microbes and bacteria.

Ordering the Kit

This part was the easiest. You just go to the Thryve Inside website, click Get My Test and choose if you want just the test or want to add in the probiotics up front.

I got just the test when I did it because I wasn’t sure what it was going to tell me and if I’d want to order the probiotics (spoiler alert – I did order them after the test since I was so impressed by what I learned).

It took about a week for the kit to get to me. I did the test the next morning and sent it back right away.

Performing the At Home Test

The kit comes with a couple of boxes. One with everything you need to perform the test and one with everything you need to mail the test back.

Make sure that you go back to the Thryve Inside website and “Activate” your test. This links the vial number with you so that you receive your results. DO NOT SKIP THIS!

I activated my test immediately upon receiving it so that I wouldn’t forget. That was ok because I was performing the test immediately too. If you are waiting a week or so, then wait to activate your kit. I think they want to know the date of collection.

The collection box has two swabs and a collection vial.

It’s very easy to “perform the test” at home. When you go to the bathroom, you just run a swab over the toilet paper after you wipe.

The hardest part is…making sure you get enough of a sample.

I have done other gut health testing kits that have come back with “not enough to test” so if you’re a clean pooper…this may be harder than you think.

You are given two swabs so if at first you don’t succeed…try again the next day.

After you have enough of a sample on the swab, you place the swab in the collection vial and “mix” it for 20 seconds. Then you put the lid on the tube and shake it for 5 seconds.

The liquid in the vial is blue when it comes. Mine turned green afterwards…not sure if that’s what color it’s supposed to be…but just saying. LOL

Then I placed the vial in the provided plastic baggie and sealed it in the provided box. I dropped it off at the Post Office that day.

Results

The Thryve Inside website says it takes 3-5 weeks to get your results, but mine took about 2 weeks. This can vary on how many test kits they receive and time of year (holidays) and of course…on the mail system.

When my results were done, I received an email telling me to log in to my dashboard. Being me, I had logged in multiple times already in that two weeks between mailing in my kit and receiving that email to see if they had received my sample and if my results were back.

The main dashboard gives you some basic information at a glance.

It gives you a gut score – mine was 72 which was much higher than I thought it would be.

It tells some symptoms you may be experiencing – this has changed each time I log in so that seems to scroll through your top issues.

It gives you a button to click on which gut bacteria need help and which probiotics they would recommend to help.

It showed how many optimal bacteria I have and how many “need work”.

It tells you some symptoms you may be experiencing and how many bacteria they found in your sample.

My Personalized Food Plan

The dashboard also gives you a pie graph telling you how many foods they feel are ok for you and how many you should avoid. If you click through, they give specific recommendations.

First you complete a survey. They ask you what diet you are currently eating, what your top health goal is and if you have any food allergies.

Then they give you a tab of foods that they recommend and a tab they feel you should avoid based on your gut microbiome.

Of course, I went straight to the avoid.

My Avoid Foods List

In the Vegetables section, mine listed almost every type of squash (my kids will be happy about that).

It said I should avoid olives…which I just learned to like in the last few years. That includes olive oil on that list too.

Meat is the section where it got interesting…steak, eggs (all parts of the egg), lamb, chicken, kidney (no problem avoiding that), pepperoni, quail’s eggs (again, no problem), shellfish, haddock and halibut.

It’s also listed dairy and goat’s milk as well as pasta, barley, rosemary, salt, sugar and wine (WTF?), vodka and tequila (sorry, I live in TX and can’t give up margaritas forever!).

So I guess I’m going Vegan!

It definitely takes some time to go through all of this information. You can just look at the overview or you can dig deep into the specifics of each bacteria they found and the levels that are ideal compared to the levels you have.

Premium

There is a TON of information in the essential report, but I wanted more.

I added on the Premium subscription. Premium gives you a discount on doing more tests AND it also gives you some really actionable information. I found this to be completely worth the additional fee.

This is where I found the Food Intolerance tab that showed that my gut can handle dairy, but not gluten very well (although it did recommend that I avoid dairy in my foods list to help build back my optimal gut bacteria).

There is an Inflammation tab where you can see if you have the bacteria to help deal with inflammation and an Intestinal Permeability tab to show if you have the bacteria levels of someone with Leaky Gut.

The Metabolism tab showed me that my gut handles Carbs and Fats well, but not Proteins (hence all the meats in my avoid list).

The Sleep Hormones tab showed that I have a good amount of GABA producing microbes, but have a low level of Serotonin producing microbes.

There is also a Cardiovascular tab. This again confirmed that my body may be doing a poor job of handling meat and eggs and this may contribute to low cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular Disease is the number one cause of death in the world and my dad died of a stroke at age 60…which doesn’t seem as far away as it used to seem. This tab was a BIG wake up call for me.

There is even more info in the Premium reports, but I think you’re getting the gist of it….it’s totally worth it!

Probiotics

Thryve takes the information they have gained from your gut health testing kit to create a specific combination of probiotics to help improve your gut health.

I’m ALL about personalized health care and this service speaks to my very soul. Instead of throwing any and all probiotics at you, they make a combination that will help you where you are right now.

The price was, again, very reasonable, so I ordered some.

Next Steps

For me, I will work to make the food changes they recommend.

I will take the probiotics for 2-3 months. Then I will order another test kit, with my Premium discount code, to see if the probiotics are working and if any changes need to be made to the specific combination I’m on.

In the past I have made changes to my diet, but not all the changes I apparently need to actually make a difference in my health.

It can be sooooo frustrating to have a gut imbalance. You have crazy bad symptoms and go to the doctor, and they say you’re fine and send you home with no help…or hope.

You make some changes to your diet, but those don’t completely solve the problems and are a BIG pain in the ass for just a little improvement.

This Thyrve gut health testing kit seems to be a game changer to me.

It has shown me a clear path to better health and is providing me with the correct probiotics to actually heal my gut imbalances.

My Wish

The only other service that I wish that they had…is access to a gastroenterologist on staff.

My gut report showed a bad bacteria that is overgrown (helicobacter). This bacteria can lead to many issues including peptic ulcers, stomach inflammation, Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease and may explain the “flare” I had that prompted me to order this test.

I would like to be able to talk to a knowledgeable doctor about the results and what I can do, other than the above recommendations, if I can’t get this under control. (Many times it takes one or two types of antibiotics which I don’t really want to do because that would mess up the other good bacteria I actually do have.) A doctor on staff would help me faster than going to my Primary and having to explain the last 30 years of gut issues.

I loved this test and can’t recommend it enough. I will be using it in my Health Coaching practice and recommending it to friends and family who are suffering.

If you try the test, let me know. I’d love to see other people’s results and how they compare to mine.

You can get your test at Thryve Inside!

What do you think? Will you try it?

What is Clean Eating?

Gut Health, Nutrition, Women's Health

Clean eating seems to be somewhat of a buzz word, but what the heck do I mean when I say clean eating?

Clean eating is not just about trying to lose weight. It’s about making better food choices that make you healthier.Most of today’s food is processed to some degree. When you consume one food product, you are often unknowingly introducing your body to so many other toxins and chemicals as well. These may be foods of convenience or flavor, but they are leaving your body and mind weaker and unhappier, and you don’t even know it.

What is Clean Eating?

Clean eating is a journey to making sure that you only allow natural things to enter your body. This ensures that you keep out as many harmful chemicals and preservatives as possible that can cause your energy levels fluctuate and impede the freshness of the food. It is a lifestyle shift that leaves you feeling better than ever. There are a few basic principles to keep in mind to get—and keep—you on the right path.

Shop Consciously

It is time to you pay extra attention to the kinds of things you are buying. This means knowing what fruits and vegetables are in season, what produce is sourced locally, and what produce is grown organically. It is important so you do not end up consuming pesticide residue or produce that is treated by hormones; that can be counter-productive, even if you are eating what you think you should be eating.

Start asking grocers and farmers where they get what you are buying to ensure that you buy the freshest and most top-quality produce, free of toxins.

If you are buying packaged foodstuff, make it a habit to read the nutrition label. Nutrition labels containing more than five ingredients or difficult to pronounce names should raise red flags and be avoided.

Check out this article: Do I Really Need to Buy Organic?

Cook Consciously

What you eat matters, of course, but so does how you make it. Make sure that you stay away from methods that take away nutrients from food that is inherently nutritious. This includes deep frying or stewing in animal or plant fats, or any methods that involve a high level of unhealthy fat. It is a better – also quicker and easier – method to just steam or bake vegetables.

Try substituting avocado oil for butter wherever you can to avoid the saturated fats. While olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oils are better choices than other oils, they are still a processed food and I would suggest limiting their intake. Try sauteing thing with just a little water. You’ll be surprised that sometimes it works just as well.

Try to avoid using salt in high quantities and try healthier, more interesting alternatives to salt such as spices, herbs, and lemon. Spruce up your meal as well as your health. Also, if you are debating eating out or cooking in, it is always better to be in control of how you make your food.

Choose Consciously

Be smart about what you choose to eat. Choose foods that are in their natural form. Ones that look as close as they can to how they came out of the ground. Get your fill of nutrients with 2 ½ to 3 cups of fresh fruits and vegetables to fight against the risk of developing illnesses such as heart problems, blood pressure irregularities, obesity, and cancer.

Try eating your vegetables raw or steamed to make the most out of the nutrients they carry. The safest methods of clean eating are steaming, baking, and sautéing in order to ensure that the natural nutritional value of the food is maintained. Do not be afraid to try out vegetables in places you have not before, in forms you have not tried before.

Need Help Getting Started?

Making changes to your diet can be very daunting. That’s why I’m here to hold your hand and coach you during this time of transition. Join my next 6 week FASTer Way to Fat Loss round where I’ll walk you through a proven nutrition and fitness program that will help you to establish your healthy habits for life. Click here to find out more and when my next group program will be starting.

Are you ready to step into your new clean eating routine?

Could Your Digestive Issues Have Nothing To Do With Your Gut? 5 Tips for Better Digestion

Gut Health

When we think of digestion, we think of the gut, but digestion really starts in the brain! These 5 tips for better digestion will help you absorb more nutrients from your food as well as feel less bloated.

5 Tips for Better Digestion

Chew Your Food Completely

The process of digestion begins as soon as we start thinking about food. The enzymes in our mouth start to be released to help process proteins and carbohydrates. Once food enters the mouth, the job of the teeth is to break the food down into small pieces so there is as much surface area as possible for the digestive enzymes to get to.

When we get busy and eat quickly or on the run, we are less likely to chew our food completely. So the first tip is to slow down and chew your food well…that probably means a lot more than you’re doing now.

Try it for week, see if you notice any benefits.

Drink 2 Glasses of Water Before Each Meal

I’ve found sites that say you should NOT drink water with meals and some that say you should.

While looking into the research, I found one study that showed that drinking 2 cups of water prior to a meal (on a low calorie diet) led to greater weight loss than did just the diet alone.

Another study showed that by just switching out one drink per day with water, the participants showed less weight gain over a four year period.

So whether you are drinking water before, during or after your meal, drinking at least 64 oz of water daily can help your digestion by staying hydrated and it may even help you maintain/lose weight.

Practice Mindful Eating

Mindfulness is quite the buzzword these days and I think I know why. We have found ourselves in such a fast paced, demanding environment that we have to actually remind ourselves to slow down and be present.

Food has become a chore that must be checked off a list, instead of a community experience to be savored and enjoyed with family and friends.

OK so how do we help our digestion by practicing mindful eating?

Eat sitting down so you can be calm and enjoy each bite.

Focus on your food and enjoy the company of your companions.

Do not eat in front of the tv.

Stop when you are full.

Don’t eat on the run or standing up.

Mindfulness just means being present with what you are currently doing instead of thinking about what’s to come.

Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods

I talk to people all the time that have no idea what is wrong with their digestion. They know they’re having trouble, but can’t pinpoint which food is causing the problem.

This is when an elimination diet like Whole30 and/or IgG Food Sensitivity testing can really be helpful.

But the general rule of thumb is…if a food gives you “trouble”, don’t eat it.

Pay attention to the signals your body is giving you.

Most of the time the issues come from one (or a combination) of these six foods: wheat, corn, soy, nuts, eggs and dairy. But other foods can cause issues too, it just depends on the health of your gut.

Your Eating Crap Food

By choosing to put highly processed, high sugar and fried foods into your mouth, you are setting yourself up for digestive problems.

Focus on eating real foods – mostly above ground vegetables, moderate intake of well sourced proteins and healthy fats to satiety.

You can sprinkle in a few berries in there too for fun. (If you need help getting started I have a free one page download, Keto Food List, that can help.)

As you can see, healthy digestion may have nothing to do with your gut…but sometimes with the choices you’re making before you even get to the table.

Let me know what works for you!