Gut health is a big part of our overall health. It's essential to take care of your gut for optimal wellness, not just because it sounds cool. There are many things you can do to improve your gut flora, which will help keep your immune system strong and healthy, protect you against disease and infection, and help keep your digestive system functioning properly.
With this being said, if you’re only just getting started on improving your gut health, you may not even know where to begin. Here are some tips to get you started!
1. Take a test
This is one thing I did because I honestly didn’t know what my gut health looked like - I just felt crappy all the time after eating certain foods. Specific blood tests at your doctor’s office or lab can tell you if you have a gluten intolerance, metabolic disorder, and more. I happened to take a food sensitivity test and found out I was pretty highly sensitive to certain foods I ate regularly, like cauliflower and oats! So, learning about your body’s tolerances is a great place to start.
2. Try a light food elimination test
Whether or not you do any type of intolerance test, you can try simply eliminating the foods from your diet that makes you feel bloated or even send you running for the bathroom to see if it helps. Chances are, if it does help, you may be better off without them, and your gut will thank you for that later! Now, this doesn’t need to be permanent and you don’t need to do this with ALL foods at once. Take it step by step, one by one, and see how your body adapts.
3. Look into supplements
There are a lot of great supplements for gut health and digestive health out there!
You can even go right down to your local vitamins/supplements store and see what they’ve got or do some research online. Although I have to say that there are some very poor products that are highly marketed. When I work with my clients, I offer a supplement recommendation for their needs.
A little help in using quality supplies goes a long way!
4. Try stress management techniques
Modern life is filled with stress, and almost everyone is ironically too busy to deal with it. Some even wear “busy” as a badge. It can be easy to excuse it away and say that we work best under stress, that stress is a great motivator. The good type of stress helps us seize the moment, and invigorates us to achieve a tangible goal. Bad stress will be harmful in the long run.
When we face either type of stress in our daily lives, our bodies respond by secreting a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is useful to help us react to temporary stress, like the stress caused by deadlines. But scientists say that too much cortisol can cause weight gain, poor gut health, hormonal imbalance, negative emotions, joint discomfort, and more.
I recommend that you pick the easiest solutions for you, and then practice them on a daily basis or whenever you feel the need.
There are many ways to improve your gut health, but the most important thing is getting started!
My free discovery session will help you get on track with a nutrition plan that works for you.