As many Americans end their second month of social distancing, you may have noticed that your digestion isn't quite as good. Experts say this issue goes beyond people — the impact of social distancing on gut health also has to do with your schedule and stress levels.
“When we are stressed, the relationship between our gut microbiome and our body changes,” said Dr. Zaoping Li, MD, PhD, director and department head of the Center for Clinical Nutrition Program at UCLA. Dr. Lee explains that the neurotransmitter serotonin (which helps regulate mood, appetite and digestion, sleep, memory, and libido) is directly related to your microbiome , or the bacteria, viruses, and other little things that live in your gastrointestinal tract. Before Rhona was born, your gut was probably happily functioning, feeding on good bacteria in plenty of fruits, vegetables, and stability. Now it lives on a steady diet of Cheetos and Doom Scrolls.
"The emotions we're feeling right now are real, and you need to realize that," says Megan Elizabeth Riehl, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and director of gastroenterology at American University. Clinical Director of the Dow Psychology Program. Michigan. "You may feel extremely hungry, or you may not feel hungry at all."
Combine adjusting to sudden changes in daily life with concerns about the physical, emotional and financial impacts of the pandemic, and you've got the perfect recipe for indigestion. Your gastrointestinal tract operating in poor (pun intended) conditions can also impact the rest of your health. Since social distancing is likely to continue for quite some time, it can be helpful to understand why your gut is doing this.
How what you eat affects your gut health
While early reports of food shortages proved exaggerated, many people are minimizing trips to the grocery store to maintain social distance. Beans, pasta, and other non-perishable foods—including beloved artificially flavored comfort foods—may be showing up in your meals more than usual. Most processed foods contain large amounts of salt or sugar, which prevents the good bacteria needed by your digestive microbiome from getting the nutrients they need to work properly. Without fresh fruits and vegetables, your gut doesn't have the perfect balance of bacteria to help you digest food at the right rate. It was a one-two punch to the gut.
Lee explains that frozen fruits and vegetables can provide nutrients to your gut bacteria just like fresh fruits and vegetables. Beans are also a good source of plant protein and fiber, which can help your gastrointestinal tract function properly.
Your quarantine schedule can also affect digestion
Staying up late knowing you can sleep in? This may feel indulgent, but your body may not be happy at all.
"Every cell and every organ has its own clock," explains Li. “Our bodies can only function properly when all parts of our bodies are operating in the same time zone.” Animal Crossing- inspired all-nighters not only reduce productivity, they can also affect your poop. "When we go to bed very late, such as in the early morning, and then sleep until noon, it disrupts the body's natural metabolism," Li said.
Stress can damage your microbiome
Eating only fruits, vegetables and lean protein but still going to the bathroom seven times a day? Even with a GOOP-approved menu, feeling anxious about the state of the world can send your digestive tract into overdrive. Stress can change the way food physically moves through the gastrointestinal tract, making it move faster, slower, or causing the digestive organs to contract more violently. Stomach pain, changes in bowel function, more frequent diarrhea, constipation, bloating, nausea and heartburn are all gastrointestinal symptoms caused by stress, Leal said.
Because both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems (think fight or flight and then calm down) work together with the enteric nervous system, which regulates digestion, you could say that all of your emotions pass through your gastrointestinal tract.
Riel says our brains are working overtime to process and transition to this new way of life, which is stressful in its own right. Pre-pandemic, it would have been unreasonable to be afraid of leaving your home or unpacking groceries before washing them outside. Today, “these are no longer catastrophic thoughts,” she said. If the body is stressed enough to go into fight or flight (which these thoughts may do), it will focus all its energy on fighting the perceived threat. This means there isn't enough internal energy to help your food get to where it needs to go.
How to help your gut health while practicing social distancing
We don’t yet know when this period of social distancing will end, which in itself is stressful. But that doesn’t mean we have to let this lingering unknown irritate our guts indefinitely. While the foods people typically buy may not be readily available now, Emily Haller, a dietitian in Michigan Medicine's gastrointestinal nutrition program, says the general guidelines for what constitutes a balanced meal have not changed — vegetables, Lean protein, small amounts of oil or fat, fruits and whole grains.
That said, "slandering specific foods during this time... can increase stress and guilt around food and eating," Haller added. “Food can and should delight and bring comfort, especially during a time when many joys and comforts have been deprived.”
Since what and how much we eat can directly affect our energy and mood, Haller recommends using food to understand your mood. Try eating slowly without screens around you. Engage your senses by noticing the colors, smells, sounds, textures, and tastes of each meal. If you spend more time appreciating the food in front of you, she says, you'll also notice the impact it has on your feelings and emotions. Just like any other mindfulness practice, mindful eating can help calm your mind, which can also help with your gastrointestinal issues.
So if gazing lovingly at a pot of carefully stirred beans feels good, know that it might also actually keep your bowels clear long after you've eaten it.
Expert quotes:
Dr. Li Zaoping, MD, PhD
Megan Elizabeth Leal, Psy.D.
Emily Haller, MS, RDN
