Did you know 80% of our entire immune system lives and 90% of your body's serotonin (which is linked to depression) is created IN YOUR GUT? Gut health is extremely important to our mental and physical health. In fact, 40 different diseases have been linked to bacterial imbalances in the gut, including depression, arthritis, IBS, and cancer. Below I'll share how you can know if you have a compromised gut, and eight tips to heal it if you do so you can keep your mind and body healthy!
A Compromised Gut
You may have a compromised gut if you have any of the following symptoms.
Digestive Issues (gas, bloating, etc).
Autoimmune disease
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Anxiety, depression, mood swings, irritability, poor memory or ADD/ADHD
Skin problems like eczema or rosacea
Diabetes
10 Tips to Heal Your Gut!
Steer Clear of Antibiotics Whenever Possible. Antibiotics wreck havoc on the gut by killing all good and bad bacteria causing major bacterial imbalances. It’s been shown that even a single course of antibiotics can cause permanent damage to your gut. Try to only take antibiotics when they are absolutely necessary. In addition, if you do have to take antibiotics make sure you’re following all of the below steps, especially taking a probiotic, eating fermented foods, and avoiding sugar.
Eat Whole Nutrient Dense & Fiber Rich Foods. Processed foods are foods that have been compromised by the addition of hormones, additives, preservatives, unnatural genetic material or other chemical that alter or destroy the natural enzymes, vitamins and/or minerals that may have been originally in the food. In order to have a healthy gut, you need real natural foods that you’ve evolved to digest. For example, in nature we can find fresh blueberries to eat. We can’t find fruity pebbles. Whole foods are simple and basic. Whole foods need no processing - they are ready to eat off the vine or off the fire; whole foods age as you and I do, and they must be eaten when fresh. A few good rules to live by…
If you can’t understand the ingredients on the package, put it back on the shelf
The less ingredients the item has the better
If there is marketing associated with the package, it’s likely processed. Apples don’t have marketing . Frosted Flakes do.
Eat Fermented Foods. Fermented foods are foods that have been through a process of lactofermentation where natural bacteria feeds on the sugar and starch in the food creating lactic acid. This process preserves the food, and creates beneficial enzymes, b-vitamins, Omega-3 fatty acids, and various strains of probiotics. One of the easiest, most common fermented products is yogurt. Other examples are kefir, kimchee, sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, and kombucha tea.
Take a Probiotic. Digestive experts agree that the balance of gut flora should be approximately 85 percent good bacteria and 15 percent bad bacteria. If this ratio gets out of balance it can impact the body in a negative way. By consuming certain types of probiotics foods and supplements you can help bring these ratios back into balance. Besides fermented food, it’s advised to take a quality probiotic.
Drink More Water. Our bodies are made up of 60% water. First, if we're dehydrated we are affecting the performance of the majority of our bodily. Studies have been done that show if a 175 pound man were to lose just 2.5% of water in his body (2 quarts) he will lose 25% of his body’s effectiveness towards survival. Regarding digestive health, if a person is not drinking enough water they do not have enough liquid to help with the elimination process and without eliminating the foods we digest we gain weight and harbor toxins. Being constipated is the beginning to many health problems from allergies to toxic overload syndrome to digestive disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome, gas bloating, stomach pain, nausea and loss of appetite in chronic cases. Here are some tips to consumer more water...
Drink half your bodyweight in ounces of water (if you weight 160lbs, drink 80oz of water each day).
Carry a bottle everywhere with you as a reminder to keep drinking.
Eat raw fruits and vegetables – they are dense in water. You can get water from food, not just from beverages.
Drink water and other fluids until you urinate frequently and with light color.
Get Proper Sleep. A healthy gut rebuilds its cell-lining every 3 to 5 days. When does this rebuilding occur? While we’re sleeping! If you don’t get proper sleep then your intestinal lining can’t repair properly. Do what you can to hit the hay for at least 6-8 hours a night.
Exercise. Exercise will help to improve the balance of bacteria in your gut and provide you with other health benefits, such as reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity. Most of us have jobs where we sit behind a desk for 8 hours a day, so I’d encourage you to move as much as possible. Lack of activity throughout the day will increase your overall health risks.
Regulate Stress. When you feel stressed, your body will discharge natural steroids and adrenaline, and your immune system will release inflammatory messages to your entire body. This happens whether the threat is real or not. If you are chronically stressed, the chronic immune response weakens the health of your gut. So part of healing your gut is learning how to chill out.
Digestive enzymes. Taking a digestive enzyme before a meal will ensure that foods are fully digested, decreasing the chance that partially digested foods particles and proteins are damaging your gut wall.
L-Glutamine Powder. If you have a compromised gut, L-Glutamine powder can also help protect your gut wall by lining it's walls with a protective coating. It is an anti-inflammatory and necessary for the growth and repair of your intestinal lining.