How to Improve Your Gut Health

What is Gut Health Anyway?

Your “gut” typically refers to your stomach, digestive tract, and gut microbiome. The role of your microbiome is to help break down foods so that your digestive system can process them and derive necessary nutrients from the foods you eat.

Gut health matters to overall wellbeing because the condition of the microbiome is linked to other aspects of your anatomy and overall health. For instance, there have been studies that link the condition of your gut microbiome to risk factors for diseases like diabetes and even cognitive performance

According to Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, Ph.D., Author of The Paleo Approach and Gut Health Expert. Maintaining a healthy gut microbiome is crucial not only for digestion but for overall well-being. A balanced gut can influence everything from immune function to mood regulation.

When you have imbalanced bacteria in your gut microbiome, it can manifest itself in different ways. Some common signs of an imbalanced gut microbiome include:

• Irregular bowel movements
• Stools have an inconsistent and irregular texture
• You feel discomfort during bowel movements
• Excess gas and bloating

What Affects Your Gut Health

Many people want to improve their digestion but simply don’t know how to prioritize gut health. The first step is identifying what can affect your gut health:

• Diet and Food Choices - Of course, what you feed your gut microbiome goes a long way in determining how healthy and functional it is. Natural, whole foods are good for your gut while unnatural and processed foods are considered bad.
• Stress and Mental Health - Excessive stress and anxiety can cause inflammation that disrupts digestion and harms your gut microbiome.
• Sleep Quality - Some studies have found that, “partial sleep deprivation can alter the gut microbiome composition in as little as 48 hours” which is clear evidence that your sleep quality also affects your gut health.
• Medications - Certain medications can also disrupt your gut health routine by throwing off the balance of good bacteria in your gut.

Signs You Need to Improve Your Gut Health

So, where to start with gut health? It is important to be able to recognize the signs of a compromised gut microbiome. To that end, please take a look at the following list of common signs of digestion issues:

• Frequent bloating and excess gas
• Irregular bowel movements, including diarrhea and constipation
• Food intolerances and sensitivities
• Unexplained fatigue and brain fog
• Skin issues like eczema and acne

Simple Ways to Improve Your Gut Health

Ways to Improve Your Gut Health

In the following section, we will highlight some simple and practical ways to improve your gut health.

Eat Fermented Foods - Fermented foods are rich in probiotics, so eating more of these kinds of foods can help improve nutrient absorption in the gut microbiome.

Stay Hydrated - Water supports normal digestion and helps keep the lining of the digestive tract healthy. It can also facilitate normal, smooth digestion.

Probiotic and Prebiotic Supplements - If you don’t eat enough foods that contain probiotics and prebiotics, then adding prebiotic and probiotic supplements is a simple way to improve your gut health without altering your diet.

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Reduce Your Intake of Processed Foods - Processed foods like refined sugars, frozen dinners, and microwave meals can throw off the balance of your gut microbiome. Eliminating or reducing these types of foods from your diet will help you maintain good gut bacteria.

Reduce Stress - As mentioned earlier, stress is the enemy of your digestive system. So try to reduce your stress as much as possible by meditating, exercising, using deep breathing exercises, and other destressing techniques.

Get Enough Sleep - Sleep quality is important to your digestive health as sleep helps to regenerate your gut microbiome. That’s why one of the better gut health tips is to make sure you are getting enough sleep and taking measures to improve your overall sleep quality.

Best Foods for A Healthy Gut

We have mentioned that certain foods are good for your gut microbiome. But which ones are the best? Let’s take a look:

• Fiber-Rich Foods - Fiber-rich foods like beans, oats, bananas, and apples are good for your microbiome because the fiber feeds good bacteria that aid in digestion and can help eliminate excess gas and bloating.
• Probiotic Foods - Probiotic foods like yogurt, kimchi, kombucha, and miso help ensure the proliferation of beneficial gut bacteria. They also help break down and absorb important nutrients and produce other nutrients in the gut.
• Prebiotic Foods - Prebiotics are important for the production of good bacteria in the colon. Some examples of prebiotic foods include onions, leeks, garlic, and asparagus.
• Gut Healing Foods - Gut healing foods are ones that either help reduce inflammation in the gut, repair damage in the digestive tract, or aid in digestion in general. Some of these kinds of foods include turmeric, ginger, collagen, and bone broth.

Should You Take Supplements for Gut Health?

Many people wonder how to focus on gut health practically and sustainably. The fact is that buying, cooking, and incorporating gut-healthy foods into your diet can be difficult and time-consuming.

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Supplements are a great way to improve your gut health conveniently and sustainably. Quality probiotic, digestive health supplements, and even the best greens powders are safe, easy to implement, and can make a real difference. Here are some things to consider when looking for a good digestive health supplement:

• When to consider probiotics or prebiotics - If you are experiencing symptoms of indigestion like excess gas, bloating, pain during bowel movements, or if you already have IBS, these supplements should be on your radar.
• Digestive Enzymes - Supplements with digestive enzymes are very helpful for people who are lactose intolerant, have pancreatic insufficiency, are on certain medications (like antihistamines and antibiotics), or have displayed symptoms of indigestion.
• Collagen - Digestive supplements with collagen can be very helpful because collagen can help repair damage caused in the digestive tract by inflammation or a poor diet.

Myths vs. Facts About Gut Health

Next, we will help you answer the question of how to take care of your gut by discussing some digestive myths and facts regarding digestive issues:

• Probiotics Alone Can Fix Gut Health - This is not entirely true. While probiotics certainly go a long way in alleviating common digestive issues, you may need a more comprehensive approach that includes diet changes, lifestyle changes, or additional medications depending on your specific condition.
• Eliminating Carbs is Good for Gut Health - This is also a popular misconception. Certain carbohydrates can actually benefit your gut, like complex carbohydrates and fiber-rich carbs. Simple carbs are the ones you should avoid if you want to improve your gut health.
• A Detox Diet Can Reset Your Gut - Detox diets are all the rage these days, but scientific studies have found no concrete evidence that they have a significant impact on gut health. Some types of detox diets may even cause digestive issues.