A healthy human body is swarming with microorganisms inhabiting every nook and cranny on and in the body. It is in your gut, the gastrointestinal tract, that you’ll find the largest collection of microorganisms. This is where the good and bad bacteria, and some enzymes, reside.
Combine the microorganisms with what they produce, and the entire environment is called the microbiome. Your gut microbiome is unique to you. When the microbiome is out of balance, and there are more ‘bad’ bacteria than good, you experience poor gut health symptoms.
Poor gut health has very distinct symptoms. What is essential is your ability to pay attention to them as symptoms and to take action to rid yourself of these symptoms. The most common symptoms of poor gut health are:
- Gas or bloating
- Indigestion or heartburn after meals
- Irregular bowel movements (diarrhea or constipation)
- Food allergies or sensitivities
- Frequent colds/flu
The good news is that you can change your gut health. The 3 tips you can use today to improve your gut health are:
1. Food
a. Remove the sugar and processed foods from your diet. Refined carbohydrates, sugar, and processed foods get absorbed quickly into your small intestine without any help from your microbes.
b. Get your carbs from vegetables and low-sugar fruits (more vegetables than fruits, please). Eating a lot of leafy green vegetables will help plant your gut with healthy and diverse bacteria and lower inflammation. Be sure to get a balance of healthy fats and protein with each meal as well.
c. Include fermented foods in your diet. Fermented foods seed your gut with healthy bacteria. Eat sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, kefir, yogurt (not processed, i.e. no sugar, and only if you don’t have any reaction to dairy – same with kefir), and kombucha (make sure this has very low sugar content).
d. Include “prebiotics” in your diet as well. A prebiotic is a nondigestible food ingredient that promotes the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the intestines. You can google a list of prebiotic foods in a snap!
2. Take a Probiotic supplement
Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, especially your digestive system. They’re often called “good” or “helpful” bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. They line your digestive tract and support your body’s ability to absorb nutrients and fight infection. Probiotic strains can be easily destroyed by pollution, eating processed foods, stress, etc., which is why it is so important to replenish them daily.
If you already have an overgrowth of yeast/bad bacteria, it is necessary to remove most of it to restore the balance of the gut microbiome.
3. Reduce Stress
One of the most important factors of improving your gut health is your ability to relax and to get into a relaxed state. If your gut health is poor, your gut microbiome is unbalanced; you may feel depressed, anxious, or tired (with great reason – 90% of serotonin, a happy neurotransmitter is made in the gut!). In addition to eating the right foods, begin to practice meditation or prayer to get into a relaxed state before each meal. Remove stressors and distractions. Enjoy the food you are eating.
While there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to your gut health, remember, it is unique to you. The above tips should work well for you as long as you support your microbiome with foods and activities that are healthy for you.
RECIPE
INNER KINGDOM SMOOTHIE
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups dairy-free milk
- ½ Cup kefir or yogurt (can be non-dairy, if reactive to dairy)
- 1 Cup frozen mixed berries
- 1/2 banana
- 1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon your preferred oil – flax, Udo’s oil, MCT oil, or cod liver oil
- A handful of your favorite greens- spinach, kale, mixed greens
Directions:
Add all ingredients to your blender and process until super smooth.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
Helps to restore balance to the gut microbiome:
ProBio 5 is formulated to promote an optimal gut health environment to balance intestinal yeast. This unique blend of enzymes, antifungals, and probiotics helps the gut maintain a healthy digestive environment.
To Your Health,
Patti
