I have been working on my gut health for the past year and found that these 7 things are foundational to kick starting my gut health journey to a happier healthier body.
More and more studies are coming out about the importance of our gut and our health. If our gut isn’t happy, neither is our mind or body. The gut is so important to our health that it is being called the second brain because it plays a part in every system of our bodies.
I needed to build a stronger foundation with my gut. It was so out of balance (gut dysbiosis) that I felt miserable – fatigue, acne, bloating, gas, constipation, foggy thinking, and more.
So, I did the following to help rebalance my gut and build a stronger foundation.
1. Eat More Fiber
Fiber feeds the gut! You may have heard of insoluble and soluble fiber.
Insoluble fiber does not mix with water, but rather absorbs it. This fiber helps with keeping bowel movements regular and bulkier. It also feeds the good bacteria in your gut microbiome.
Soluble fiber mixes with water and helps to regulate blood sugar levels and cholesterol.
The best food to find fiber in is plant food! Consider adding these foods to your meals:
- vegetables
- fruits
- beans
- legumes
- leafy greens
- oats
- flax seeds
- chia seeds
2. Stay Hydrated
You’ve probably heard many times to drink more water. Or have seen people lugging around gigantic water jugs. Well, it’s for a good cause. Water is a necessity for a healthy hydrated body.
Water plays in important part in our gut health. It helps keep our stool soft to help move it along our intestinal tract and easier to pass.
Water also supports colon (large intestine) health and cellular (skin) health, carries nutrients to and from our cells, helps keep detoxification pathways open, and aids in waste removal by the kidneys.
Aim for half your body weight in ounces of water per day. Take your total weight, divide it in half, and drink that much in ounces each day (ex. 150 lbs / 2 = 75 ozs of water)
I have a 30 oz cup that travels with me and I know that I need to refill it at least one time each day.
3. Eat REAL Food
When possible, opt for whole unprocessed foods. These include fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, healthy fats (olives, avocados, wild-caught fish, etc.) and clean protein.
Highly processed and refined foods can cause inflammation in the body, cause blood sugar dysregulation, hormonal imbalances, disrupt your microbiome – basically throws your entire body out of balance.
I grew up on frozen processed foods, so I had decades worth of junk I needed to get rid of to begin rebalancing my gut. Real whole food did not appeal to me until I did a 7-day functional medicine liver detox. This detox took my body to a place where it can begin healing. I feel AMAZING after each detox. I love it so much that I complete the 7-day detox every 90 days (wanna join me?). It’s like a regular oil change, but for my body 😉
A rule of thumb when grocery shopping is to shop the perimeter. That is where you will find the foods listed above. Anything without a nutritional label is best!
4. Include Prebiotic + Probiotic Foods
Prebiotics feed the good gut microorganisms. We want to keep these beneficial guys in our gut because they produce short-chained fatty acids (SCFA) that in turn support the energy and maintenance of cells in the intestinal lining (we need to keep our intestinal lining strong to protect our immune system on the other side).
Probiotics are live microorganisms that can restore and rebalance the gut microbiome. There are many different kinds of probiotic strands that effect different systems.
While all plant-based whole foods are good sources of fiber there are specific pre and probiotic foods that feed our guts. The goal is diversity. You want a wide range of foods – eat the rainbow!
Some prebiotic foods include:
- raw garlic
- raw/cooked onions
- raw jicama
- raw chicory root
- raw asparagus
- raw Jerusalem artichoke
Some probiotic foods include:
- coconut kefir
- coconut yogurt (or organic dairy yogurt it you can tolerate it)
- fermented veggies
- kimchi
- natto
- pickles
- tempeh
We want to get our nutrients through food first. And if that is not an option, then look at supplementation (of course, this is not medical advice – consult your medical provider first). I supplement with probiotics. I take EquiLife’s Daily Probiotic that contains multiple kinds in a capsule that will protect the “live” probiotics until it reaches my intestines where it feeds my microbiome (and they are 3rd party tested). This is what I do and I am in no way giving medical advice.
5. Movement
Move your body everyday! That does not necessarily mean exercise – although you do want to incorporate some kind of exercise throughout the week, you want to move everyday.
Movement helps our digestive system work by helping us pass stools more quickly, support a balanced gut microbiome, and regulate blood sugar.
Walking, yoga, martial arts, resistance training are some options for moving. Experiment and find one that works best for you, then do it!
6. High Quality Sleep
Sleep is so important for your body to clean house! Sleep supports immunity, metabolism, memory, toxin removal, and so much more. In this case good sleep helps the beneficial bacteria in your gut thrive.
The gut’s good bacteria produces many important neurotransmitters that impact sleep, so you want to get at least 7-9 hours a night. Aim to go to bed before 10 pm because that deep high quality sleep happens between 10 pm and 2 am.
7. Reduce Stress
This one hits close to home for me and it is SO important. Stress has a direct impact on the digestive system, nervous system (the body’s AND its own nervous system), endocrine (hormonal) system, sleep, and immunity – whoa!
Stress reduction is something I continue to work on a daily basis. It is crazy how different I feel and behave whether I am stressed or not. Here are some ideas that might help you reduce stress:
- journaling
- walking
- breath work (box breathing or 4-8 breath)
- get out into nature (forest bathing)
- meditate (I’m still working on this…)
- find a creative hobby
- sauna
- massage
With these 7 gut health hacks, you’ll create a strong foundation for not only your health, but healing and vitality. Start with one and make it a habit, then add another. This isn’t meant to be a quick fix, but a lifestyle change that will help you live a long healthy, happy life.
Whatever you do – start! Take messy action. We will get off track sometimes and that is OK. Observe what got you off track, learn from it, then get back on.
7 hacks for a healthier gut that I did (I’m not saying this is the only way – it’s just how I did it!)
- eat more fiber
- stay hydrated
- eat real food
- include prebiotic + probiotic
- movement
- high quality sleep
- reduce stress
*not medical advice
Thank you for using my affiliate links, as always! And please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask me questions on Instagram (@aliferebalanced) or by email at melissa@aliferebalanced.com. I am happy to help you!
Show your gut some love 😉 and let me know how you feel. Make sure to tag me to let me know!