Your "gut" is known as your digestive tract or GI (gastrointestinal), and is linked to many functions of your body including immunity and cognitive functions. "Healing your gut" generally means supporting your gut function through healthy lifestyle habits.
If you're suffering from stomach discomfort, adapting a good eating routine, addressing dietary deficiencies, hydrating sufficiently, being mindful of stress, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly can do wonders for your gut health!
Try these Healthy Habits for Your Gut:
1) Move with Daily Exercise: Movement with your body will decrease likelihood of bloating, constipation and heartburn. There are so many other benefits of exercise including stress relief, improving sleep, boosting your mood, and bone health as well. It's good for your body, mind and soul!
2) Stay Hydrated: Drinking adequate amounts of water is essential for gut health, including nutrient absorption, and waste removal Drink throughout the day, before, during and after exercise. Sip slowly to avoid bloating.
3) Limit Highly Processed Foods: Eat whole fresh foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds & nuts, and proteins that are not processed. If it comes in a box, bag or other container, beware. and read labels. These processed foods are often high in refined sugar and sodium, which may trigger or worsen inflammation in the gut.
4)Focus on Fiber: Eating high fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, Fiber will assist in regular bowel movements and increase stool bulk, helping to fend off constipation. If you're new to fiber, start slowly and listen to the signs of your body. You don't want to intake too much. 25 grams a day is recommended.
5) Get Enough Sleep; . Poor sleep habits can lead to an imbalance of gut bacteria, potentially contributing to inflammation and gut issues. Remember that your gut and brain are connected, so get your sleep for both to be at their best!
6)Be Mindful : Mindfulness pertains to being aware of the present moment. listening to cues from your body, and giving your body, mind and soul what it craves. If you're always irritable, anxious, depressed, or in a brain fog, poor microbiome makeup could be the cause. Pay attention to hunger and fullness cues, control anxious feelings with mindful breathing, meditation and or prayer. Eat slowly with no distractions for proper digestion. Take a break once in a while and assess, regroup and refocus.
7) Combine Macronutrients: Eating combinations of lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and good fats will provide optimal nutrition and satiate hunger. Macronutrients are dense nutrient foods that contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants and more to provide essential fuel for your whole body. For examples,: BREAKFAST: eggs, steel cut oatmeal , strawberries/blueberries A.M. SNACK: Greek yogurt, tsp peanut butter and raspberries LUNCH: Mixed greens salad with at least one other vegetable, sliced grilled chicken breast, and olive oil and lemon dressing SNACK: sliced turkey breast(no nitrates), hummus and red pepper roll up DINNER: salmon, sauteed spinach in olive oil with garlic, and brown rice.
8) Pay Attention to Timing of Meals and Snacks Eat small frequent meals every 2-3 hours. The goal is to keep your blood sugar levels even by providing nutrients often. If you wait too long to eat, acid can build up in your gut and cause pain and bloating. Spread your calories out throughout the day without overindulging in a large meal, and NEVER SKIP a meal or snack. I eat 3 small meals, 2 snacks and a smaller nighttime snack.(handful of pistachios)
9)Take Care of Your Immune System: If you are getting sick often, it may be related to poor gut health. Your microbiome and immune system are closely related to each other. If your microbiome is in poor condition, your immune system will likely be compromised too.
10)Be Conscious of Antibiotic Use: Antibiotics often damage your microbiome (even when they’re necessary to take). You can bring your microbiome back to health, but it will take some time and effort. If you’ve recently been on antibiotics, you need to focus on improving your gut health.
11)Add a Probiotic to your Daily Routine: Probiotics will improve nutrient absorption, assist in digesting food, destroy disease-causing cells, and help your body maintain a healthy community of microorganisms. This supplement will support your gut and immune system
These tips will work to develop healthy habits for your gut, however, if you have other symptoms, including:
Unintentional weight loss
Change in stool habits (new diarrhea or constipation)
Stools being very thin
Blood in the stool
Black stools
Severe stomach discomfort or bloating
New heartburn
Increase in food intolerances
This may mean you have a medical condition that a doctor would treat such as Celiac disease (an immune reaction to gluten), Crohn's disease (chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract), Irritable Bowel Syndrome ( intestinal disorder causing pain in the belly, gas, diarrhea, and constipation.), bacterial overgrowth(SIBO), and leaky gut(lining of GI tract where nutrients are absorbed has a crack allowing toxins, bacteria, and other substances to move out from the gut and into the bloodstream).
I have a family member who went through several trial and error periods trying to figure out why her stomach was in pain and bloated. After faithfully following good practices with nutrition and regular exercise, trying different probiotics, completing elimination diets , and practicing mindfulness, she was diagnosed by a gastrointestinal doctor with a gluten sensitivity and SIBO(Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth). Flare ups still can happen if she doesn't follow her daily health plan.
When in doubt, get to know what practices work for your body, listen to your gut, and check in with a medical professional anytime you're concerned about digestive symptoms. Even if the issues are due to lifestyle habits, they can point you in the right direction to get your GI tract back on track.
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