Gut Check: 5 Top Gut Health Myths Demystified!

Plus the menu for the week of July 7-11th

It Happens to Us All…

A couple of weeks ago, my son and I went out for a special mama-son dinner at an Italian restaurant on The Hill—his request for his 14th birthday. Afterward, we headed to a concert (we saw Caamp, if you’re curious ;), and by the end of the night, I was bloated like I swallowed a bowling ball. The discomfort stuck around for days, complete with urgent sprints to the bathroom and interruptions to my actual runs, too.

Digestive distress happens to all of us from time to time. But for about 1 in 4 Americans, it's more than occasional—it’s chronic. From IBS and reflux to more complex conditions like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, gut issues are common and often disruptive.

If you take one thing from today’s Substack, let it be this: you don’t have to suffer in silence. If you’re wondering whether your symptoms are “normal,” talk to your physician or a dietitian. Your gut is trying to tell you something.

As interest in gut health grows, so does misinformation. For every piece of solid advice out there, three more myths circulate—especially in the wellness world, where TikTok trends tend to outpace science.

So in this week’s post, I take a look at five common gut health myths—with some added science behind what we actually know about the microbiome.

Myth #1: “Everyone should take a probiotic.”

What is often sold: “A probiotic a day keeps gut health issues away.”

What the science shows: Not quite.

I love what the International Scientific Association for Prebiotics and Probiotics (ISAPP) has to say about this: “Probiotics should be strain-specific and purpose-driven.”

Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer a health benefit when consumed in adequate amounts. Each probiotic strain is unique in its action.

For instance:

• Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG may help support mental health

• Saccharomyces boulardii has shown efficacy in managing diarrhea

• Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 is used in IBS for its anti-inflammatory effects

But if you’re taking a “catch-all” probiotic without a specific purpose—or worse, one that hasn’t been tested in humans or isn’t 3rd party tested —your supplement might just be expensive placebo.

⚠️ Also worth noting: more CFUs (colony-forming units) ≠ better results. In fact, an overload can disrupt the existing microbial balance in some individuals. More is not better!

👉 Science Resource Spotlight:
The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics maintains a clinical guide that maps specific probiotic strains to research-backed outcomes. I keep this guide bookmarked and refer to it often.

Before any of my clients start taking a probiotic, we always ask two questions:

1. Why are we taking this?

2. How will we know it’s working?

If we can’t answer those clearly, it can feel like we’re just throwing money at a supplement without any direction or feedback. Probiotics can be powerful—but only when the right strain is matched to the right purpose.

If you would like gut health support, I would love to work with you. As a gut health dietitian who also supports the mental side of healing—like anxiety, stress, and the gut-brain connection—I help people find relief that goes beyond food alone. Sign up HERE.

Myth #2: “Bloating means something is wrong.”