Runner’s tummy, do you really need to 'just live with it'?

You are NOT alone when it comes to stomach issues on the run.

Ok, so I know talking about this is a sensitive subject! Has anyone else chatted to some running friends and quickly discovered that you are NOT alone when it comes to stomach issues on the run though? It is a topic I know that so many people want help with so I thought I would give my take on it.

Before I got to the root cause of the problem for me, I used to have terrible flare ups and for a few days in a row every couple of weeks I would have emergency evacuations off the trails. It was NOT FUN and then I think it become worse psychologically as I was anxious that it would happen on my next run or even happen multiple times during a run. I couldn’t relax, I was starting to lose my love for running and I lost the sense of freedom that running can give you as I had to pick routes with a toilet nearby - just in case!

Can you relate? I hope that if you might have felt quite embarrassed about this previously you can now understand that you are not alone! Please don’t let it go on any longer and start to work out the root cause for your stomach issues, just like I did, by following some of the strategies outlined below.

Elimination diet

You might already suspect some foods or beverages that are causing the problems. If so, an elimination diet might be the strategy for you. This is over a period of 6 weeks (or however long you need) where you remove all suspected foods that may be causing the issue and then reintroduce them one at a time. You can then see if the symptoms occur again.

I didn’t take this approach personally. I gradually followed the steps below so I can’t, therefore, give you a ‘magic pill’ and tell you what the ‘one thing’ I did to clear up my runners tummy was. But, to be honest, I don’t think there is one thing. I think it was a combination of a number of small shifts.

Our bodies are all so unique and different. I am confident though that my short list of strategies will be able to help lots of people to get rid of runners tummy once and for all!

Remove refined sugar

Too much sugar in our diet can reduce the diversity of bacteria in our gut, leaving room for the bad bacteria to dominate. Refined sugar will also cause blood sugar to rise and crash and increase our risk of anxiety. Try remove sugar or if you really need to, add stevia or agave which have a lower glycemic index than the likes of castor sugar and honey. Honestly though -  just don’t buy the junk food! Don’t let it get in the house and see how much better you will feel overall. Increase sweet vegetables to satisfy your sweet tooth or a square of 80% + dark chocolate.

Reduce caffeine

Caffeine inhibits the absorption of some nutrients and causes the urinary excretion of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and trace minerals. We know that these are super important minerals for us runners so we want to keep them all! Because it’s a stimulant, caffeine can cause increased contractions of stomach muscles (causing abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and increased bowel movements for some people). Swap it out with some water, green juice or anti-inflammatory and caffeine free tea like Rooibos. Even decaff tea or coffee would be better.

Increase fibre through eating a variety of whole grains, fruits and vegetables

Fibre does more than just contributing to weight loss and reducing the risk of disease. Not eating sufficient, varied fibre may significantly change the way your gut functions as you will not have diverse enough bacteria in your gut microbiome. A diet sufficient in fibre literally feeds and makes the good bacteria thrive. In turn, they increase in number and kind and you develop a better gut lining. This will lead to lowered inflammation throughout the body and it will also improve your digestion.

Increase probiotics in your diet

Personally, I supplement with a probiotic daily. Fermented foods such as kefir, kimchi, tempeh, lassi, sauerkraut and kombucha naturally contain high levels of a variety of beneficial bacteria and are therefore a great probiotic addition to your daily diet. They have much more good bacteria than natural yoghurt.

Eat more pre-biotic rich foods

Particularly useful prebiotic foods include asparagus, bananas, onions, garlic, cabbage, chicory root, dandelion greens, beans and lentils, wholegrains, artichokes, root vegetables and apples.

Reduce alcohol

I am sorry guys but it loves to feed the bad guys in the gut!

Hydrate yourself sufficiently

Work out how much water you need to both feel good and not need to wee all the time! You want your wee to be a nice light/clear colour. Use electrolytes also in some of your water.

Other environmental and lifestyle factors to consider

Review your sleep - are you getting enough? What about your stress levels? Chlorinated and fluoridated water can cause people issues, as can food additives (check the labels of your foods and if you cannot pronounce the word or it has more than 5 ingredients... find a healthier alternative or it will just feed the bad bacteria!).

Are you training really high volume each week and possibly not eating enough?

I speak to a lot of runners and I see a correlation often with those that are not eating enough calories and have regular episodes of runners tummy. Maybe you eat really healthy, don’t drink alcohol and have hardly any coffee but still get stomach issues on the run. Then this could be the golden ticket for you. I am confident that eating more has had a positive impact for me personally!

Practice it

Figure out a routine that works for your system. Personally, I am more likely to experience issues running in the afternoon as opposed to the morning so I train and eat around that. It might take some experimenting but once you have a working routine, stick to it.

Let me know how you get on!

I think there are plenty of ideas above to help you to get rid of your runners tummy once and for all! I recommend focusing on one step at a time. Be patient and stick at it for at least a month and the results WILL come!

How have you managed to settle your runner’s tummy? Or maybe you have an idea of what is the main culprit food or beverage? What’s one thing you can do starting this week to reduce your runner’s tummy?

Get in touch with me on Instagram or comment below. I am determined to help as many people as possible to make improvements in this area and get their full enjoyment back of running!