A Gut Health Dietitian's Review of Hack Your Health: the Secrets of Your Gut

In today's newsletter, I dive into my review of the trending gut health documentary, highlighting key positives, insightful takeaways, and some valuable lessons you can expect to learn!

I'll admit, the moment I hear about a new health-related documentary, I'm always a bit skeptical. Most of the time, diet and nutrition documentaries feel... how do you say it... one-sided? Or they're so extreme that they almost scare people into making drastic changes, like going 100% carnivore or vegan, without considering individual needs and requirements.

So, as I sat down to watch Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut, I was nervous they'd push extreme diet changes or supplements without explaining the beauty of the gut, the impact it has on our health, and how we, as humans, can nurture it.

But I’ve got to say, I was absolutely surprised by the JOY I found in the film! It doesn't promote one thing over another. Instead, it presents evidence-based research with fun, educational guidance that many people can relate to.

Let’s dive into what this film covers and my thoughts on it.

The Missing Piece of the Puzzle

Right away, the documentary highlights that in Western society, healthcare tends to focus on treating individual systems (liver, kidneys, bones) without taking a holistic view. There's an emphasis on thinking holistically—conventional medicine is so compartmentalized, whereas the microbiome is integrated throughout the entire body. When we consider gut health, we're no longer looking at just one system; we're viewing the body as a whole. That's because the gut influences so much: skin, other organs, the immune system, hormones, the brain, and more. By understanding your unique gut health, you can gain a deeper understanding of how the entire body functions as one interconnected system.

A Close-Up on Gut Bugs

Your gut is home to thousands of different bacteria, fungi, and more. The gut microbiome consists of beneficial bacteria that set the foundation for how our body operates daily. Think of these good bacteria as little soldiers that protect the gut and aid in digestion and nutrient absorption. To keep them thriving, you need to nourish them with nutrients, water, and care.

These amazing microbes play critical roles in digestion, inflammation regulation, immunity, skin health, hormone balance, hunger signals, and communication with the brain.

In fact, we literally cannot survive without these bacteria! Our bodies can’t digest food properly on their own—we need these microbes to do it.

Where Do Gut Bugs Come From?

Curious about how we get these gut bacteria in the first place? The documentary does a great job explaining that it all begins at birth! If you were born vaginally, you were exposed to beneficial bacteria from your mother during delivery. Other factors shape your bacterial exposure too: travel, outdoor activities, food, animal interaction, movement, and even stress. Everyone has a unique microbiome, and the best part? We have the ability to change and nurture it over time.

What Destroys Our Gut Bacteria? Introducing the Industrialized Gut

The documentary explores the concept of an "industrialized" microbiome, showing how our modern lifestyle, especially the Standard American Diet (SAD), impacts gut health. Western diets, excessive sanitation, antibiotics, and C-section births have led to the extinction of certain beneficial gut bacteria. There are major deficiencies in the typical American diet that contribute to this decline.

Here’s the key difference in food digestion: when we eat processed foods, they are broken down quicker (lack of fiber and other macronutrients) move straight to the bloodstream as sugar. But fiber-rich foods digest more slowly, making their way all the way down to the colon, feeding our gut bacteria in the process.

What Happens When We Don’t Feed Our Gut Bacteria?

Next, the documentary then dives into what happens when we do NOT nourish the healthy gut bacteria long-term. They explain that when we don't nourish our gut bacteria, they can actually start feeding on us! The microbes break down the mucus lining of our gut as a food source. This weakens the mucus barrier, allowing bacteria to leak out and causing inflammation—a condition known as leaky gut. This inflammation triggers the immune system to go into defense mode, which can lead to a whole host of issues, including chronic inflammatory diseases like IBS and IBD.

So, we have to ask ourselves: Which bacteria are we missing that usually protect us?

If you’ve neglected your gut bacteria and suddenly reintroduce fiber into your diet, your gut may have a hard time processing it. That’s why diversity is key—the more plants, the more diversity in your gut. By gradually reintroducing a variety of whole foods, you can regain the ability to eat a wider range of foods over time.

Case Study 

Now, here’s a cool part—they brought in four individuals with different GI concerns. The crazy thing is that their top issues are ones I help my clients with daily, and they all reported similar symptoms. Let’s meet the four individuals:

Person 1: She had a history of a poor relationship with food and severe restriction, which led to increased sensitivity to certain foods. Over time, she limited her intake drastically. After exploring her gut microbiome with the researchers, they found that while she had healthy gut bacteria, her prolonged restriction caused her body to "forget" how to digest some foods. For her, the solution was slowly reintroducing foods—micro-dosing those challenge foods—to help retrain her gut.

Person 2: She suffered from intense, chronic constipation. Her treatment approach involved Fecal Microbial Transplant (FMT). Yes, FMT is exactly what you think: receiving healthy stool from another individual, which is transplanted either via colonoscopy or orally (in capsule form). The catch with FMT is that you inherit all of the donor's bacteria, which can include bacteria linked to skin conditions, mood disorders, and more. Interestingly, she tried FMT from her brother, who had struggled with severe acne, and she noticed an increase in her own acne but improved bowel movements. Then, she tried FMT from her partner, who had depression, and similarly, she experienced increased depressive symptoms but better digestion. She eventually switched back to FMT from her brother.

I’ll also mention that she did her FMT as a DIY project, and honestly... it was a bit tough to watch the process—it wasn’t the prettiest! Haha

Person 3: She struggled with weight loss resistance. Through stool testing, the researchers discovered she had very low levels of healthy bacteria, which affected her insulin sensitivity and contributed to her difficulty losing weight. For her, the focus was on increasing fiber intake and supporting stress management as top priorities.

Person 4: This individual couldn’t recognize hunger or fullness cues due to being a professional competitive eater (yes, a hot dog eating competitor!). His brain had essentially been rewired due to the competition-style eating, pushing boundaries, and overeating. The researchers found that while his gut bacteria were present, they needed "retraining" through meal hygiene practices. This included focusing on smelling food, slowing down during meals, chewing thoroughly, and being more mindful at mealtime.

I’ll mention that they shared a few other interesting studies on exposing mice to different microbes, but I’ll let you check those out yourself without boring you here.

The Gut Testing 

In the documentary, all four participants completed a gut test (stool sample) using the brand Flore. I’m not super familiar with Flore and haven’t personally worked with this lab.

They do note that stool testing isn’t necessary to understand if you need gut support—symptoms can be pretty clear indicators on their own. However, in my work with individuals who struggle with digestive issues and have tried everything, I absolutely love using stool testing (I use GI MAP for Diagnostic Solutions). It provides a clear roadmap for which foods and, sometimes, short-term supplements can fast-track gut healing and recovery.

Want to see what your gut looks like? Let’s chat here

One exciting aspect is that they’re collecting stool samples from non-Western communities that haven't been influenced by industrialized food and lifestyle. As you might expect, the gut microbiome diversity in these populations far surpasses that of Western cultures.

Wrapping it up

The documentary wraps up by highlighting how various conditions may be linked to the gut microbiome. Moving forward, they suggest using the "ABC" technique—Always Be Counting. This means you should keep track of how many different plants you're consuming daily, with a goal of 20-30 different plant sources each week to help nourish and rebuild the gut microbiome. Lastly, they strongly recommend taking a look at your poop, as it could hold the key to understanding your gut health! Curious about your poop? Check out the Bristol Stool Chart.

My Final Review

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised and happy with the film. It provides solid, evidence-based research with plenty of educational insights. I didn’t feel like they were pushing any specific agenda, but rather encouraging us to evaluate our diet and find ways to improve it!

I had a good laugh at one researcher who, in an effort to improve his microbiome, made daily smoothies with 60 different fruits and vegetables. While he did increase his gut diversity, the taste wasn't a hit!

As someone who firmly believes that the gut influences every system in the body, I think it’s a great place to start when addressing health conditions. That said, there's still much more research needed to fully understand the complexities of the gut. If you’re looking for an educational, easy-going documentary, I definitely recommend giving it a watch!

P.S. If you are interested in working on your gut health I am your gal! Click here to learn more