298: Food Sensitivities: Why Elimination Diets Stop Working & What To Do Instead - with Hannah Aylward

If you're bloated after eating, reacting to seemingly "healthy" foods, struggling with constipation or diarrhea, or living on an increasingly restrictive diet, the problem may be more complicated—and more fixable—than simply identifying the foods you're "sensitive" to.

In this episode of ReversABLE, Josh Dech sits down with gut-health practitioner Hannah Aylward for a deep conversation about food sensitivities, elimination diets, the microbiome, digestion, inflammation, and the search for root cause.

Hannah explains why she doesn't recommend relying on IgG food sensitivity testing and how these tests can potentially create unnecessary food fear, particularly when gut-barrier function is compromised. Instead of continually eliminating foods, the conversation explores what may be happening upstream: impaired digestion, low stomach acid, digestive enzyme and bile issues, microbial imbalance, gut-barrier dysfunction, and the gut-brain connection.

One of the most important themes is that there may not be a single "root cause." Hannah describes a layered approach in which several dysfunctions can interact, meaning the food someone reacts to may be a clue rather than the fundamental problem.

The episode also explores why some people struggle to tolerate fiber-rich foods, why traditionally "gut-healthy" foods such as bone broth, collagen, sauerkraut, garlic, onions, and vegetables aren't necessarily right for everyone at every stage, and why a resilient microbiome should ultimately allow someone to tolerate a wider variety of foods.

Hannah shares her own experience of spending nearly a decade on an elimination diet, dealing with severe bloating and food fear, and eventually discovering that there were deeper factors affecting her gut health—including digestion, microbial balance, environmental exposures, and the nervous system.

Finally, Josh and Hannah discuss stress and the gut-brain connection, including why "it's just stress" can be an incomplete explanation. Stress can influence digestion, stomach acid, bile, motility, and gut-barrier function—meaning psychological and physiological health cannot always be separated.

If you've tried elimination diets, probiotics, supplements, or "clean eating" and still don't understand why your gut isn't improving, this episode offers a different way to think about the problem: stop asking only what you're reacting to, and start asking why.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• Food Sensitivities, Intolerances & Allergies
• IgG Food Sensitivity Testing And Why Hannah Doesn't Recommend It
• Root Causes Behind Food Reactions
• Elimination Diets, Food Restriction & Restoring Food Tolerance
• Gut Microbiome, Microbial Diversity & Fiber Tolerance
• Hannah's Personal Journey With Chronic Digestive Issues And Restrictive Eating
• Low Stomach Acid, Digestion, Enzymes, Bile & SIBO
• Carnivore Vs. Plant/Fiber Approaches And Individualized Nutrition
• Gut-Brain Connection, Stress & Nervous-System Regulation
• Mold Exposure, Environmental Factors & Broader Systemic Contributors

More from Hannah Aylward:

Website: hannahaylward.com
Instagram: @hannahaylwardhhc
TikTok: HAN | Functional Gut Health
Facebook: HAN - Hannah Aylward Nutrition

Listen To Hannah's Podcast: The NUTRIENT DENSE Podcast

Take The Gut Health Root Cause Quiz For Free: Root Cause Quiz

Book A Strategy Call With Hannah: HAN Free Strategy Session

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