5 Steps to Improve Your Gut Health
Our guts contain billions of bacteria that assist with digestion, hormone production, and immunity. In a healthy gut, there are more “good” bacteria than bad. But when that ratio gets out of balance, we experience the effects of dysbiosis.
Gut dysbiosis can be caused by an unhealthy diet, antibiotics and other medications (including birth control and NSAIDS), chlorine in tap water, and stress, among other things.
To prevent dysbiosis and improve gut health, we want to feed the good bacteria and create a cozy environment for them to thrive.
Here are some simple ways to incorporate gut-healthy habits into your daily lifestyle:
Probitics
Eat probiotic-rich foods and/or take a multi-strain or spore-based probiotic supplement. Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kombucha contain good-for-you bacteria and can easily be incorporated into your daily diet. You may choose to take a probiotic supplement, especially following antibiotic treatment or whenever you need an extra boost of “good” bacteria. I like Seed Symbiotic and MegaSporeBiotic, but there are other good brands out there, too.
Fiber
Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and other high fiber foods like nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains. Fiber helps feed the friendly bacteria in your gut (and also has other health benefits!). It’s also helpful to reduce your intake of meat, especially red and processed meats. Commercial meats (those that are not organic, grass-fed and/or and pasture-raised) may contain antibiotics, which can damage gut bacteria, so choose organic whenever possible.
Natural Medicine
Use natural alternatives to antibiotics or pain-relieving medications when appropriate. Garlic, onion, coconut oil, oil of oregano, echinacea, and goldenseal all have antibiotic properties and help maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut. Ginger, turmeric, white willow bark, and capsaicin are all great natural anti-inflammatories and have similar effects as ibuprofen and aspirin.
Drink filtered water
Chlorine in tap water eliminates bad bacteria in drinking water, but also kills the good bacteria in your gut. A filtration system designed to remove chlorine is beneficial to maintain healthy gut flora. You can purchase a water filter pitcher to keep in your fridge or invest in an under-sink water filter (I have the Hydroviv under-sink water filter and shower filter and love them!).
De-stress
Stress takes a serious toll on your gut so keeping it in check is key for gut health. Take a few deep breaths before meals and use this time to express gratitude for your food, your family and friends, or anything else you’re feeling thankful for. Set aside ten minutes (or more) each day to intentionally decompress and unwind. You may choose to meditate, read a good book, go for a light walk, or listen to soothing music.
Start with one or two of these tips and notice how you feel. As you feel comfortable, adopt a few more changes until you and your gut microbiome are thriving!