Episode 248

Gut Bacteria & Your GI Upset (feat. Lindsey Parsons)

Published on: 1st May, 2024

Is bloating an issue for you? It’s incredibly common yet that doesn’t mean it’s normal. This episode breaks down common GI issues and how to detect and prevent them. Tune in to learn more!

This week, Jenn is talking with certified health coach Lindsey Parsons about all things gut health. Lindsey walks through her story of dealing with chronic SIBO, as well as common GI upset such as candida, IBD, IBS, and more. She discusses how to handle bloating and how to understand the root cause of it. Lindsey explains what the “perfect stool” is and how to recognize if your stool might be off due to a larger issue. Jenn and Lindsey talk about weight loss resistance and fat loss resistance and how it is all connected to what’s happening within the gut. Tune in to learn more about gut health, probiotics, fiber and more! 

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. 

IN THIS EPISODE: 

● [3:47] How did Lindsey get started with her specialty of stool and gut health? 

● [5:40] Lindsey talks about the connection between gut health and the immune system/autoimmune issues.

● [8:40] How do you handle bloating and what is the cause of it? 

● [11:52] How do you manage chronic diarrhea or constipation? 

● [13:37] What is the “perfect stool”?

● [17:00] How is weight loss resistance or fat loss resistance connected to what’s happening in the gut? 

● [19:03] How does candida tie in to gut issues?

● [22:02] What is slow motility in the small intestine and large intestine? 

● [22:46] How do you know when you should add more fiber in your diet?

● [25:32] When should you use probiotics? 

● [28:05] How can people go about testing on their own?

● [28:57] Lindsey talks about a few more items that help the gut. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

● [5:59] For an autoimmune issue to become active, generally the body has to become weakened in order for the autoimmune issue to flare up. This could be leaky gut or intestinal hyperpermeability, or a gut infection. 

● [9:58] If you suspect that you have GI issues, first start with a gastroenterologist to clear any major issues such as cancer. Once that is cleared, then you test with a gastroenterologist who is educated in SIBO or find a functional medicine doctor who can run tests such as a GI Map. 

● [23:47] Fruits and vegetables are the best source for fiber, but the real powerhouses diet-wise are going to be your beans, lentils and chickpeas. You’re never going to get enough fiber unless you eat those foods in your diet regularly. 

QUOTES: 

“A leaky gut is allowing out these antigens, be they parts of gram negative bacteria called lipopolysaccharides, which create inflammation, or they might be partly digested food particles like gluten, which is something that really resembles your thyroid gland. So therefore, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is one of the most common autoimmune disease because the body sees that thing come out of your intestines, not digested, full protein, and thinking that doesn't belong here, attacks it, and then says what else looks like that in the body, oh well your thyroid gland, so let me attack that too.” - Lindsey Parsons 

“When I’m at my worst, I can look six months pregnant easily. So, bloating is very much associated with SIBO. If somebody says they’re bloated and it’s every day, and usually unless they’re following a very strict diet that doesn't have any high FODMAP foods, then typically you’re going to be looking at SIBO and that may have been diagnosed as IBS because it may then go along with diarrhea or constipation or other GI issues.” - Lindsey Parson

“If you’re just a generally healthy person who maybe is just a little bit constipated, you probably do need to add some more fiber to your diet. Fruits and vegetables being the best source, but really the powerhouses diet-wise are going to be your beans and your lentils and your chickpeas, those kinds of foods.” - Lindsey Parsons

"If you have low stomach acid and you're not breaking apart your proteins properly then you're probably not getting enough l-carnitine...one of the two essential nutrients needed to take fatty acids and...turn them into energy." - Lindsey Parsons

"Typically it starts with some sort of trigger, like a stressful period in your life or a period of antibiotics, which weakens your immune system, raises your cortisol, which raises your blood sugar and then...you see dysbiosis, too many pathogenic bacteria and not enough commensal bacteria and then you start to see overgrowths of candida...which may cause sugar cravings or carb cravings." - Lindsey Parsons

"The symptoms you're experiencing are your body communicating with you...let's listen and support it because our gut health translates into our overall health." - Jenn Trepeck   

RESOURCES:

Down and Dirty Part 1

Down and Dirty Part 2

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

GUEST RESOURCES:

High Desert Health Coach Website

Gut Healing Facebook Group

High Desert Health Facebook Page

High Desert Health Instagram Page

High Desert Health YouTube

Lindsey's Supplements

Free E-Booklet “Finding Your Root Cause Through Stool and Organic Acids Testing”

 Free Quiz to see Which Stool or Functional Medicine Test Will Help You Find the Root Cause of your Gut Health Issues

Lindsey's Rupa Health Lab Store

BIO:

Lindsey Parsons, EdD is a Certified Health Coach working out of Tucson, Arizona. She specializes in helping clients heal gut health issues and reverse autoimmune disease naturally. She also hosts the podcast "The Perfect Stool: Understanding and Healing the Gut Microbiome". Prior to starting her health coaching career, she co-founded and ran a nonprofit advocating for healthier food in the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland.

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About the Podcast

Salad With a Side of Fries Nutrition, Wellness & Weight Loss
Nutrition tips that actually work. Real-life healthy eating, balanced diet tools, and weight loss tips you can use today with coach Jenn Trepeck.*

If you have searched for nutrition tips, tried to keep a healthy lifestyle, or felt stuck following popular weight loss tips, this podcast is for you. Get straightforward wellness advice that works in real life, plus strategies for a balanced diet, sustainable healthy eating, and a smarter approach to fitness and nutrition. Is your diet making you hungrier, crankier, or less healthy? Tune in and find out.*

Free gift: Schedule a 15-minute curiosity call with Jenn to explore what is possible for you. https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/contact/

Welcome to Salad with a Side of Fries, where wellness meets real life. Award-winning host Jenn Trepeck, health and lifestyle coach and author of Uncomplicating Wellness, cuts through the noise with clear answers you can trust. Ranked in the top 1.5% of podcasts worldwide, the show won Ear Worthy’s Best Health Podcast in 2024 and 2025 and was nominated for Best Independent Podcast both years. Jenn also won Women Who Podcast’s Stellar Interview award in 2025 after being named one of Podcast Magazine’s 40 under 40 in 2022.

Jenn’s motto is “wellness without the weirdness.” With more than 17 years coaching after solving her own food struggles, she knows how confusing the industry can be. Each week you get the foundations of a balanced diet, sustainable healthy eating, metabolism basics, and long-term holistic health, plus straight talk on fad diets and supplements.

What you will get by listening:
✅How to eat and how to cheat, guilt-free
✅Nutrition tips that work in the real world
✅Weight loss tips that are effective, never restrictive
✅How to build a balanced plate at home, on the road, and eating out
✅Smart strategies for sustainable habits that include your favorite foods
✅Evidence-based insights on fitness and nutrition
✅Conversations about holistic health that go beyond food
✅Wellness advice you can use right away


About Jenn Trepeck:
Jenn is a health coach, speaker, and consultant who blends humor with practical science. She has helped thousands improve energy, metabolism, and confidence in their choices through one-on-one coaching, group programs, her book, and this podcast.

Connect with Jenn and the show:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenntrepeck/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saladwithasideoffriespod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jenntrepeck
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferTrepeck/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/425796548337541/
Website: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/

If you are ready to trade guilt for freedom, confusion for clarity, and boring salads for fries on the side, press play. Health gets doable here.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This podcast and its guests are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

About your host

Profile picture for Jennifer Trepeck

Jennifer Trepeck

“My passion for nutrition and helping others stems from “kicking my food issues” with my own weight management saga.” ~ Jenn

I believe that the greatest accountability is paying it forward! That’s why I teach the nutrition education we are all supposed to know but no one ever taught us, along with the science behind food, fitness, and health.

After I graduated from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, I founded Better Life Now LLC while working full-time in hedge funds. In 2019, I took my practice from side-hustle to full-time self-employment and launched my podcast, Salad With a Side of Fries. On the show, we offer science-based tips and tricks for how to achieve wellness and weight loss for real life – because who wants a life without fries or dessert?!

Topics we tackle on the podcast include debunking fad diets, food myths, misinformation in marketing, bad science, and general nutrition. I encourage guests whose expertise is different from my own focus on weight management to bring their unique, fact-based perspectives to talk about subjects they are educated in and passionate about.

Due to my decade-long experience of working with clients, I have gained insight into the health and food industry and the how-tos of building a business.

Some specific health and wellness topics I can speak to include debunking fad diets, exposing the BS we are fed by the food and diet industry, how the people around us can positively and negatively impact our health journey, and shifting mindsets in order to overcome inappropriate barometers of success to instead achieve happy, healthy, and meaningful change.

On the subject of business, I can help you by teaching my critical pieces every entrepreneur should know, how to make your side-hustle into your full-time job, ways to sustainably achieve success without burning out, contemporary networking, and how to prioritize wellness while pursuing your projects.

When I find some free time, I’m typically working out at Physique57, discovering hidden gem restaurants in NYC, or traveling to spend time with friends and family.

I’d love to have an in-depth conversation with you, whether it’s leveling up in business or debunking food myths!