You’re probably familiar with the common signs of an unhealthy gut: bloating, constipation, and more. So if you know your gut is unhealthy, it may be time to look into some healing techniques.
A healthy gut is the foundation for many other processes in our bodies, and an unhappy gut can have your whole body feeling off kilter. To begin healing your gut, you first need to look at the foods you’re putting into your body.
Step 1: Cut Back on Foods That Are Bad for Your Gut
Are Any of These Foods A Part of Your Diet?
Think about your daily routine when it comes to eating. What foods are you most likely to put into your body? If any of the foods on this list are included — and for most people, they will be — they could be the aggravator for your unhealthy gut.
🚩Added sugars
If you take a look at the ingredients in most packaged foods, like snacks or cereals, sugar is probably one of them. Added sugars like the ones found in these items can cause an imbalance of yeast and microbes, which isn’t good for your gut. A first step you can take into limiting your consumption of these is avoiding packaged desserts or sugary drinks, like soda.
🚩Trans fats
Trans fats are man-made fats, also found in many processed foods. Fast and fried foods are also heavy with trans fats. There’s a pretty clear reason why our gut doesn’t like them — they are hard for our bodies to digest. Plus, consuming too many trans fats can harm your weight and metabolism.
🚩 Red meat
Red meat contains a compound called carnitine, which produces trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) when interacting with gut bacteria. TMAO can cause a buildup of plaque in our arteries. Limiting the amount of red meat in your diet will decrease the amount of carnitine that is interacting with your microbiome.
🚩Alcohol
Excessive alcohol consumption can greatly affect our microbiome. Drinking can also increase anxiety, which can in turn harm your gut health. Of course, drinking is also a fun way to socialize with our friends. You don’t need to cut alcohol completely, but be mindful of how much you’re drinking if you are looking to heal your gut.
Step 2: Heal Your Gut By Trying These Gut-Healthy Foods Instead
Making Healthy Swaps in Your Diet is a Great Way to Start Supporting Your Gut
You don’t need to completely cut out any of the items listed above, especially if they’re included in the foods that you love. But eating them in moderation will cause a noticeable improvement in your gut health. You can also try to replace or supplement them with these gut-healthy foods.
✅ Probiotic foods
If you are already taking probiotic supplements, you can increase the effects by introducing probiotics into your diet naturally with foods like sauerkraut, yogurt, and kimchi. Foods like these bring healthy bacteria to your gut.
✅ Prebiotic foods
Our microbiome uses prebiotics as fuel. Natural sources of prebiotics include raw veggies and leafy greens, raw onions, leeks, asparagus, and artichokes, for example. Incorporating foods like these can help reduce constipation and diarrhea.
✅ Healthy fats
Vitamins like D, E, and K are fat-soluble, so we need to include fats in our diet in order to absorb them. Healthy fats are found in things like coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, and avocado. These healthy fats can also make you feel fuller, which will keep you from craving sweets and other unhealthy snacks.
✅ Salty foods
There are plenty of options for healthy salty foods that will support your gut. Things like organic turkey, eggs, beans, and wild rice are great for the gut and will help you on your gut-healing journey. You can also try sprinkling sea salt on your meals rather than iodized salt.
Step 3: Forming a Daily Routine
Healthy Habits Improve Your Health -- and That Means Gut Health, Too
Another important part of healing your gut is keeping your body in a routine in order to support a healthy and happy mind. High stress levels and a lack of sleep can throw your whole body off and negatively affect your gut health.
If you’re prone to peer into the fridge late at night for a midnight snack, you might want to try readjusting your schedule. Late-night snacking will disrupt your natural circadian rhythm, and will also promote imbalance in the microbiome.
Getting out of the habit of snacking in front of the TV, especially late at night, will help heal your gut. An easy way to curb late-night snacking is to get yourself into a specific nighttime routine. Part of your routine should be making sure that you are going to sleep at a reasonable hour, ensuring that you will get your full 8 hours. Once your body adjusts to your new routine, you will find that you’re not craving your late-night snacks as strongly, and your gut will definitely thank you.
Step 4: Introduce Gut Health Supplements
Supercharge Your Efforts to Heal Your Gut with a Prebiotic, Probiotic, and Postbiotic Supplement
If your goal is to truly heal your gut, including new gut-healthy foods and adjusting your body to a healthy new routine is a great start on the path to overall balance and gut health. Another small adjustment that can be extremely helpful in your efforts to heal your gut is including a supplement packed with healthy probiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics to give your gut all the support it needs.
Dr. Emil's specially formulated Total Gut Complex gives you all the support your need to heal your gut and start feeling your best. It's packed with ingredients that help your body stay balanced and produce the good bacteria you need to maintain proper gut health. Check out Dr. Emil’s Total Gut Complex today!
And that's how to heal your gut.
Healing your gut can sound like a daunting and overwhelming process, but once you realize that small adjustments to your diet can make a difference, hopefully the process feels a bit more doable.
Introducing new foods, and limiting old ones, as well as introducing new supplements into your diet, will have a great impact on your gut healing. Help your body get into a routine, and soon you’ll be very glad that you are paying attention to your gut health.
