If you’ve been stuck avoiding gluten, dairy, or every high-FODMAP food just to keep your IBS symptoms in check — this episode is for you.
Today, we’re breaking down why long-term food restrictions can actually harm your gut health, not heal it. We’ll talk about why your gut microbiome needs a variety of foods, how key nutrients and prebiotics like garlic, onions, and bananas play a role in true healing, and why "less is more" isn’t always the answer. Plus, I'll share a step-by-step look at how to safely rebuild food diversity, reintroduce favorites without fear, and finally stop feeling trapped by your diet.
Let’s help you move from bloated and restricted — to balanced, nourished, and free!



P.S Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you overcome constipation, bloating & fatigue.

 
 Get the “IBS” crash course

In how to heal your gut with nutrition. I’ll show you how to have regular bowel movements, stop bloating and have more food choices here.

 
 Join our Gut Health Solutions Facebook Group for gut health recipes, tips & tricks here.

 
 Book a Gut Health Planning Session

And if you ever want to get some 1:1 help, we can jump on Zoom for a quick call, and brainstorm how to overcome your bloating & heal your gut. Book here.

If you&rsquo;ve been stuck avoiding gluten, dairy, or every high-FODMAP food just to keep your IBS symptoms in check &mdash; this episode is for you. Today, we&rsquo;re breaking down why long-term food restrictions can actually harm your gut health, not heal it. We&rsquo;ll talk about why your gut microbiome needs a variety of foods, how key nutrients and prebiotics like garlic, onions, and bananas play a role in true healing, and why "less is more" isn&rsquo;t always the answer. Plus, I'll share a step-by-step look at how to safely rebuild food diversity, reintroduce favorites without fear, and finally stop feeling trapped by your diet. Let&rsquo;s help you move from bloated and restricted &mdash; to balanced, nourished, and free! 
P.S Whenever you&rsquo;re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you overcome constipation, bloating &amp; fatigue.
&nbsp;
<ol>
<li> Get the &ldquo;IBS&rdquo; crash course</li>
</ol>
In how to heal your gut with nutrition. I&rsquo;ll show you how to have regular bowel movements, stop bloating and have more food choices <a href="https://sheradyndekker.com/nutritional-strategies-for-ibs/">here.</a>
&nbsp;
<ol>
<li> Join our Gut Health Solutions Facebook Group for gut health recipes, tips &amp; tricks <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/412163273677745">here.</a></li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<ol>
<li> Book a Gut Health Planning Session</li>
</ol>
And if you ever want to get some 1:1 help, we can jump on Zoom for a quick call, and brainstorm how to overcome your bloating &amp; heal your gut. <a href="https://sheradyndekker.com/contact-form/">Book here.</a>

Living with IBS, digestive pain and hormonal imbalances are considered “normal” for many females. But as a former sufferer, I (Sheradyn) am here to break the trend and educate you on what is actually causing your symptoms. Leading you beyond pills, painful periods & parasites, I will be sharing interviews & conversations with women’s health experts as well as inspiring you with real-life stories. If you’re looking to use nutrition & a natural approach to heal your body and want real talk, with real women, hit that subscribe button now.

Living with IBS, digestive pain and hormonal imbalances are considered &ldquo;normal&rdquo; for many females. But as a former sufferer, I (Sheradyn) am here to break the trend and educate you on what is actually causing your symptoms. Leading you beyond pills, painful periods &amp; parasites, I will be sharing interviews &amp; conversations with women&rsquo;s health experts as well as inspiring you with real-life stories. If you&rsquo;re looking to use nutrition &amp; a natural approach to heal your body and want real talk, with real women, hit that subscribe button now.

Empowered Hormones with Sheradyn Dekker

EP #181 Why food restrictions can worsen IBS symptoms long term with Sheradyn Dekker

Your acne might not "just" be hormonal. You can balance your blood sugar, take all the zinc in the world, and track your ovulation until you're blue in the face but if there is a deeper driver impacting your hormones from the gut, your skin will not budge.

Today’s episode is personal. For four years, I struggled with acne. As a practitioner, the identity clash was real. I was doing "everything right" the clean diet, the omegas, the nervous system work yet my skin still wouldn't shift. It wasn't until I stopped guessing and actually looked at my microbiome data that everything changed.

In this episode, we cover:


The Internal Shame: The reality of dealing with acne as an active, health-conscious woman and why "just wash your face" or "cut dairy" is often the most frustrating (and ineffective) advice.


The Microbiome Turning Point: What my comprehensive stool test actually showed methane overgrowth and infections—even though I didn't have "textbook" bloating or constipation.


The "Science" of the Flare: How methane overgrowth and low diversity trigger inflammatory cytokines and endotoxins that show up directly on your face.


The Hormone Recycling Loop: Why estrobolome dysfunction means your gut is literally recycling old hormones back into your system, wrecking your skin and your cycle.


The Targeted Intervention: The exact 8-week herbal protocol, specific probiotic strains, and hormone support I used to finally move the needle.


The "Stress" Trap: Why hand-balling the blame to "stress" is often a lazy way to avoid looking deeper at what is actually going on in the body.

You don’t need more discipline. You don’t need to cut more foods or buy another expensive serum. You need better data. Your skin isn't broken; it's just sending you a signal that your gut-immune-hormone loop is out of sync.

P.S. If you’re done guessing and want an actual plan to fix your skin and gut properly, let’s look at your data. You can book a free Gut Health Planning Call and we'll map out the root cause. 

Book here

LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE
Follow me on Instagram HERE. 
Join my Private Facebook group HERE.
Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE

Your acne might not "just" be hormonal. You can balance your blood sugar, take all the zinc in the world, and track your ovulation until you're blue in the face but if there is a deeper driver impacting your hormones from the gut, your skin will not budge.
Today&rsquo;s episode is personal. For four years, I struggled with acne. As a practitioner, the identity clash was real. I was doing "everything right" the clean diet, the omegas, the nervous system work yet my skin still wouldn't shift. It wasn't until I stopped guessing and actually looked at my microbiome data that everything changed.
In this episode, we cover:
<ul data-path-to-node="4">
<li>
The Internal Shame: The reality of dealing with acne as an active, health-conscious woman and why "just wash your face" or "cut dairy" is often the most frustrating (and ineffective) advice.
</li>
<li>
The Microbiome Turning Point: What my comprehensive stool test actually showed methane overgrowth and infections&mdash;even though I didn't have "textbook" bloating or constipation.
</li>
<li>
The "Science" of the Flare: How methane overgrowth and low diversity trigger inflammatory cytokines and endotoxins that show up directly on your face.
</li>
<li>
The Hormone Recycling Loop: Why estrobolome dysfunction means your gut is literally recycling old hormones back into your system, wrecking your skin and your cycle.
</li>
<li>
The Targeted Intervention: The exact 8-week herbal protocol, specific probiotic strains, and hormone support I used to finally move the needle.
</li>
<li>
The "Stress" Trap: Why hand-balling the blame to "stress" is often a lazy way to avoid looking deeper at what is actually going on in the body.
</li>
</ul>
You don&rsquo;t need more discipline. You don&rsquo;t need to cut more foods or buy another expensive serum. You need better data. Your skin isn't broken; it's just sending you a signal that your gut-immune-hormone loop is out of sync.
P.S. If you&rsquo;re done guessing and want an actual plan to fix your skin and gut properly, let&rsquo;s look at your data. You can book a free Gut Health Planning Call and we'll map out the root cause.&nbsp;
<a href="https://sheradyndekker.com/contact-form/" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwi1wvzmwe6SAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQggM">Book here</a>
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Assess your gut health in 3min <a href="https://sheradyndekker.com/gut-health-quiz/">HERE</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Follow me on Instagram<a href="https://www.instagram.com/sheradyn_functionalnutrition/?hl=en"> HERE.&nbsp;</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Join my Private Facebook group<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/412163273677745"> HERE.</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session<a href="https://sheradyndekker.com/gut-health-session/"> HERE</a></li>
</ul>

Your Skin Won’t Heal Until You Test Your Gut

#194 - Your Skin Won’t Heal Until You Test Your Gut

If you’ve spent years "doing the work" the diets, the supplements, the protocols but your gut symptoms and anxiety still won't budge, this episode might be the missing piece of your puzzle. We often talk about the gut-brain axis, but we rarely talk about what happens when the body doesn't feel safe enough to heal.

Joining me for this deep dive is Liz McComish, an Integrated Trauma Healing Practitioner and Master of Counselling. Liz’s journey from battling addiction, eating disorders, and years of talk therapy to finding true healing through somatic work is incredibly powerful. We’re unpacking why traditional "talk therapy" often falls short and why your nervous system might be stuck in a survival loop that’s actually blocking your physical recovery.

In this episode, we cover:


The Somatic Shift: Why healing isn’t just a "top-down" process and why we must include the body to resolve deep-seated triggers.


Survival Mode as a Default: How to recognize the signs that you’re living in a constant state of fight-or-flight without even realizing it.


The "Safe Place" Connection: What it actually means to feel safe—mentally, emotionally, and physiologically—and how that safety dictates your digestion and hormone health.


Intergenerational Conditioning: How childhood experiences and family patterns shape your health outcomes and stress responses decades later.


Shadow Work & Health: How suppressed parts of ourselves show up as physical symptoms, burnout, and chronic gut dysfunction.


Healing in the Present: Why you don’t always need to dig through every detail of your past to heal; instead, we look at how your body is reacting now.

True healing isn’t about biohacking your body into submission; it’s about becoming your own safe place. If you feel "broken" or like you’ve tried everything, Liz’s message is a beautiful reminder that your body isn't working against you it's just waiting for safety.

P.S. If you’ve realized that stress and your nervous system are the biggest drivers of your bloating, let's look at your unique case. You can book a free Gut Health Planning Session with me to map out a path to safety and healing. Book here.

LINKS TO LIZ
Website: lizmccomish.com
Social links: lizmccomish_somatics

LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE
Follow me on Instagram HERE.
Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group HERE.
Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE

If you&rsquo;ve spent years "doing the work" the diets, the supplements, the protocols but your gut symptoms and anxiety still won't budge, this episode might be the missing piece of your puzzle. We often talk about the gut-brain axis, but we rarely talk about what happens when the body doesn't feel safe enough to heal.
Joining me for this deep dive is Liz McComish, an Integrated Trauma Healing Practitioner and Master of Counselling. Liz&rsquo;s journey from battling addiction, eating disorders, and years of talk therapy to finding true healing through somatic work is incredibly powerful. We&rsquo;re unpacking why traditional "talk therapy" often falls short and why your nervous system might be stuck in a survival loop that&rsquo;s actually blocking your physical recovery.
In this episode, we cover:
<ul data-path-to-node="4">
<li>
The Somatic Shift: Why healing isn&rsquo;t just a "top-down" process and why we must include the body to resolve deep-seated triggers.
</li>
<li>
Survival Mode as a Default: How to recognize the signs that you&rsquo;re living in a constant state of fight-or-flight without even realizing it.
</li>
<li>
The "Safe Place" Connection: What it actually means to feel safe&mdash;mentally, emotionally, and physiologically&mdash;and how that safety dictates your digestion and hormone health.
</li>
<li>
Intergenerational Conditioning: How childhood experiences and family patterns shape your health outcomes and stress responses decades later.
</li>
<li>
Shadow Work &amp; Health: How suppressed parts of ourselves show up as physical symptoms, burnout, and chronic gut dysfunction.
</li>
<li>
Healing in the Present: Why you don&rsquo;t always need to dig through every detail of your past to heal; instead, we look at how your body is reacting now.
</li>
</ul>
True healing isn&rsquo;t about biohacking your body into submission; it&rsquo;s about becoming your own safe place. If you feel "broken" or like you&rsquo;ve tried everything, Liz&rsquo;s message is a beautiful reminder that your body isn't working against you it's just waiting for safety.
P.S. If you&rsquo;ve realized that stress and your nervous system are the biggest drivers of your bloating, let's look at your unique case. You can book a free Gut Health Planning Session with me to map out a path to safety and healing. <a href="https://sheradyndekker.com/contact-form/" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwiZouGz1POSAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ9Qc">Book here</a>.
LINKS TO LIZ
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Website: <a href="https://lizmccomish.com/">lizmccomish.com</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Social links: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lizmccomish_somatics">lizmccomish_somatics</a></li>
</ul>
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Assess your gut health in 3min <a href="https://sheradyndekker.com/gut-health-quiz/">HERE</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Follow me on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sheradyn_functionalnutrition/?hl=en">HERE.</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Join my Private Gut Health Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/412163273677745">HERE.</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session <a href="https://sheradyndekker.com/gut-health-session/">HERE</a></li>
</ul>

The Nervous System Block: Is Trauma Stopping Your Gut From Healing?

#193 - The Nervous System Block: Is Trauma Stopping Your Gut From Healing? with Liz McComish

Are you hitting your protein targets, training 5 days a week, and avoiding gluten, dairy, and sugar yet you’re still dealing with crippling bloating and unpredictable digestion? If you’ve spent more time worrying about your food than enjoying it, this episode is a major "pattern interrupt."

Today, we’re discussing an uncomfortable truth: for many active women, gut issues aren’t happening despite a healthy lifestyle they’re happening because of how restrictive that lifestyle has become. We’re unpacking the "Healthy Girl" identity trap and how food anxiety is fueling your IBS, not fixing it.

In this episode, we dive into:


The "Healthy Girl" Identity Trap: How the shift from caring about your body to obsessive label reading and social isolation creates a state of chronic "food fear."


The Physiology of Food Anxiety: Why eating a "perfect" meal in a stressed, sympathetic state (fight or flight) guaranteed drops in stomach acid and enzyme output.


Under-Eating & Over-Training: How low fuel and high cortisol send your body into conservation mode, leading to constipation, reflux, and poor motility.


The Restriction-Binge-Bloat Cycle: Why your gut isn’t "broken" when you eat off-plan; it’s simply reacting to the extremes of famine and punishment.


Redefining Health: Why real recovery for the active woman often requires eating more, training smarter, and letting go of perfection to let the nervous system feel safe.

Sometimes the most "functional medicine" thing you can do isn't another supplement or a stricter diet it’s healing your relationship with food. Your gut isn't asking for more rules; it's asking for nourishment and safety.

P.S. If you’re an active woman who is done micromanaging every bite but is still bloated, let’s find out what is actually driving your symptoms. Jump on Zoom with me for a quick call to map out a personalized strategy. Book here

LINKS TO SHERADYN:
Assess your gut health in 3min HERE
Follow me on Instagram HERE. 
Join my Private Facebook group HERE.
Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session HERE

Are you hitting your protein targets, training 5 days a week, and avoiding gluten, dairy, and sugar yet you&rsquo;re still dealing with crippling bloating and unpredictable digestion? If you&rsquo;ve spent more time worrying about your food than enjoying it, this episode is a major "pattern interrupt."
Today, we&rsquo;re discussing an uncomfortable truth: for many active women, gut issues aren&rsquo;t happening despite a healthy lifestyle they&rsquo;re happening&nbsp;because of how restrictive that lifestyle has become. We&rsquo;re unpacking the "Healthy Girl" identity trap and how food anxiety is fueling your IBS, not fixing it.
In this episode, we dive into:
<ul data-path-to-node="4">
<li>
The "Healthy Girl" Identity Trap: How the shift from caring about your body to obsessive label reading and social isolation creates a state of chronic "food fear."
</li>
<li>
The Physiology of Food Anxiety: Why eating a "perfect" meal in a stressed, sympathetic state (fight or flight) guaranteed drops in stomach acid and enzyme output.
</li>
<li>
Under-Eating &amp; Over-Training: How low fuel and high cortisol send your body into conservation mode, leading to constipation, reflux, and poor motility.
</li>
<li>
The Restriction-Binge-Bloat Cycle: Why your gut isn&rsquo;t "broken" when you eat off-plan; it&rsquo;s simply reacting to the extremes of famine and punishment.
</li>
<li>
Redefining Health: Why real recovery for the active woman often requires eating more, training smarter, and letting go of perfection to let the nervous system feel safe.
</li>
</ul>
Sometimes the most "functional medicine" thing you can do isn't another supplement or a stricter diet it&rsquo;s healing your relationship with food. Your gut isn't asking for more rules; it's asking for nourishment and safety.
P.S. If you&rsquo;re an active woman who is done micromanaging every bite but is still bloated, let&rsquo;s find out what is actually driving your symptoms. Jump on Zoom with me for a quick call to map out a personalized strategy. <a href="https://sheradyndekker.com/contact-form/" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwi1wvzmwe6SAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQggM">Book here</a>
LINKS TO SHERADYN:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Assess your gut health in 3min <a href="https://sheradyndekker.com/gut-health-quiz/">HERE</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Follow me on Instagram<a href="https://www.instagram.com/sheradyn_functionalnutrition/?hl=en"> HERE.&nbsp;</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Join my Private Facebook group<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/412163273677745"> HERE.</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Book a Free Gut Health Planning Session<a href="https://sheradyndekker.com/gut-health-session/"> HERE</a></li>
</ul>

Are You Too Healthy? Unpacking Food Restriction in the Active IBS Female

EP #181 Why food restrictions can worsen IBS symptoms long term with Sheradyn Dekker

Empowered Hormones with Sheradyn Dekker

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Empowered Hormones with Sheradyn Dekker

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