Practitioner Perspectives: Autoimmune Flares & Gut Issues with Mariu Cabral (Small Bite) | Episode 70

When you’re navigating autoimmune disease and IBS at the same time, it can feel confusing fast.

You clean up your diet. You follow AIP carefully. And yet you’re still bloated, constipated, dealing with urgency, or wondering whether what you’re experiencing is an autoimmune flare, a gut flare, or something else entirely.

In this Small Bite episode of the Autoimmune Wellness Podcast, Mickey Trescott is joined by Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and AIP Certified Coach Mariu Cabral for a grounded conversation about what’s actually happening in real-life practice with clients who have both autoimmune disease and gut issues.

This is the first in a Practitioner Perspectives series focused on IBS — highlighting what’s showing up right now in the autoimmune community, what’s working, and where nuance matters most.

Together, they explore how autoimmune flares and gut flares often overlap, why mealtime habits can be just as important as food choices, and how to navigate AIP when common “healthy” foods don’t feel good in your body.

You’ll hear about:

1. Why autoimmune flares and gut flares often happen together
2. How eating in a stressed or distracted state can trigger symptoms
3. Why chewing thoroughly can dramatically improve digestion
4. The difference between autoimmune trigger foods and IBS trigger foods
5. Why IBS triggers are often about quantity, preparation, and context
6. How cooking methods (like steaming vs. roasting) affect digestibility
7. How to personalize AIP when fibrous vegetables and ferments cause symptoms
8. Why the elimination phase can ultimately support gut healing
9. How to honor cultural foods while managing IBS and autoimmune disease
10. Why healing must include safety, identity, and joy around food

This episode is a reminder that struggling with digestion on AIP doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means your body needs personalization, not perfection.

Resources

Mariu Cabral Website: https://mariucabral.com

Follow Mariu on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariucabral

Follow Mariu on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mariucabral.ntp

Mariu Cabral on Substack: https://mariucabral.substack.com/

Episode Timeline

00:00 – When autoimmune and gut symptoms collide

01:22 – Introducing Mariu Cabral

02:22 – What’s showing up in practice right now

04:18 – Why mealtime stress triggers gut flares

05:49 – IBS vs. autoimmune trigger foods

07:51 – Why fibrous vegetables can be tricky on AIP

09:43 – Cooking methods and digestibility

10:22 – Why AIP can ultimately support digestion

12:32 – Two simple digestion habits that change everything

14:26 – When Modified AIP may help

15:02 – Honoring cultural foods during healing

17:01 – Final reflections and where to connect