How to Improve Your Gut Health

So first of all, what exactly is your gut? Your gut is your digestive system that includes these organs: the mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small intestine, colon, and rectum.

Gut health refers to the balance of microorganisms that live in your digestive tract. Looking after the health of the gut and maintaining the right balance of these microorganisms is vital for physical and mental health, immunity, and more.

Gut health is so important for more ways than you would expect. Not only is it in charge of our digestion but it also is linked to brain function, energy levels, hormone balance, skin health, mental health and of course, of course waste eliminations. There is so much information out there that you can learn about your gut but the bottom line is, healthy gut means a healthy you!

Some signs your gut isn't running optimally are: upset stomach, high sugar diet, unintentional weight changes, diarrhea, gas and bloating, sleep disturbances or constant fatigue, skin problems (think breakouts, acne, eczema) or food intolerances.

Here are some tips to help you keep your gut healthy or get you back on track if you have been having issues!

1. Exercise regularly

There have been many studies that suggest regular exercise can improve gut health and also contributes to good heart health and weight loss or maintenance. Even 15 minutes a day of light to moderate exercise can make a big difference in helping your gut move things around and help not only in digestion and gut health but reducing bloating as well!

2. Eat slowly

The production of saliva in your mouth caused my CHEWING your food creates enzymes that actually help you to break your food down properly BEFORE it goes down the hatch!

3. Stay hydrated

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Drink your water! Drinking enough water every day helps with a TON of things (Click on this link 5 Health Hacks blog post to hear more where I talk about why water is so important for our bodies - its right at the beginning of the video). I could go on and on about it but since we're on the topic of gut health I’ll stuck to the point. In a nutshell, drinking enough water is going to help your food get to where it needs to go. It's also been shown to have a beneficial effect on the lining of the intestines! A good point of reference is to aim to drink ½ of your body weight in oz. For example, if you weigh 150lbs, you should be drinking a minimum of 75oz or 2.25L of water.

Note: If you have a hard time drinking water, try adding lemon, lime or cucumber slices. You could also add frozen berries! I love adding EnergyFizz sticks because they taste delicious and also give you a kick of energy and alertness!

4. Take a prebiotic and probiotic

Eating fermented food can really help to add more of pre and probiotics into your system. (Example: Fermented veggies, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi – just make sure these don’t include any artificial ingredients or preservatives). That being said, I personally love taking a supplement every day that has pre AND probiotics in it so I know I have the right balance in there. Then the fermented foods I eat are an added bonus on top of that!

5. Lower Stress levels

This may seem obvious but it's super important. A really good way to lower stress levels is to sit down and simplify your life. Get rid of any tasks or activities that aren’t completely necessary or that don’t light you up. Avoid taking on new tasks by using this mantra, “If it’s not a HECK YES, then it’s a NO!” Take some time to sit down and reflect on what you want in your life and what you don’t want (from your job to the clothes in your closet). This physical and mental purging can be very energizing and powerful! Prioritize things that bring you joy and schedule them in your calendar!

6. Eat less sugars and remove artificial sweeteners completely from your diet

Eating a lot of sugar or artificial sweetener can completely throw off your gut microbiome. The fad of sugar free has unfortunately made us think that having something like Splenda, sucralose or whatever other chemical sweetener in the food to make it sugar free means it's better for us. Unfortunately, that’s not true. It may not have the calories that sugar does but it can have an even worse effect on your body because despite it not being “sugar” it will still spike your blood glucose levels because of the negative effect they have on your gut flora. Sugar on the other hand will still throw off the balance of your gut and therefore its much better to eat less of it too.

7. Eat the right foods

When you reduce processed, high sugar and high fats from your diet it can contribute to better gut health. Instead eat lean protein and add in:

· High fiber foods like bananas, berries, asparagus, nuts, legumes, peas and beans.

· Collagen boosting foods such as bone broth and salmon.

· Fermented foods as mentioned above.

Everything you eat changes your microbiome - you are what you eat! Focus on “crowding out”. Instead of focusing on what you can’t eat, focus on eating more of what you can eat. This can be very powerful! For example if you feel like a sweet treat, start with having some fruit that you really enjoy like fresh berries or some delicious clementine oranges! Don't be afraid of naturally occurring sugar in fruits - instead avoid the cake and fruit juice!

I hope this helps you in getting your health back on track and resolve any challenges you may be having. As you can see a healthy diet is such a KEY part to getting the right foods in to make your system run properly. If you need help getting back on track please reach out and I can share with you what has really worked for me all these years!

Stay tuned in the coming weeks as I will be diving deeper into our gut a microbiome and things you can do to improve your health!