Get Your Gut In Check
If you’ve ever taken antibiotics, you’ve likely inadvertently disrupted the healthy bacteria that make up your gut microbiome. If you’ve eaten fermented foods like kimchi or taken a probiotic, you’ve increased the healthy bacteria in your gut. Everything that passes through your digestive tract can either add to the gut flora or diminish it, even as far back as how you were born! I learned when I was pregnant with Weiland that babies born via C-section have a higher percentage of health issues stemming from the gut because they didn’t pass through the birth canal and get exposure to the bacteria that helps make up their own microbiome. Wild, right?! So we know antibiotics can kill off good bacteria while fighting off the unwanted, and consuming alcohol and processed foods can also really mess with your system, but I prefer to focus on things we CAN do rather than what we shouldn’t do or things that are in the past. Let’s move forward, shall we?! Here are my top tips for healing your gut and why it matters:
Fermented foods, such as kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, even sourdough bread
Coconut oil and coconut butter (try adding a tbsp to decaf coffee instead of sugary creamer
Eat pre-biotic foods as well, found in a variety of plant-based foods including green leafy vegetables, citrus, leeks, flaxseed, apples
Garlic and ginger (fresh) in dishes and drinks - I love eating picked garlic and chopping ginger into my water with lemon, mint and cucumber
Ayurvedic dishes, like Kitchari - find my favorite recipe here
Diversity of nutrient-dense foods to create a variety of gut flora - eat the rainbow!
Choose unprocessed, organic, whole foods as much as you can
Get dirty - garden, get your hands in soil, ground your feet on the earth
Practice breathwork for stress relief
Prioritize good sleep habits
Stay hydrated - aim for at least ½ your body weight in ounces, for example, 140 lb woman would aim to drink 70 oz. of water each day
Pay attention to foods that are common triggers and determine whether they’re causing issues for you, such as dairy, grains, corn, soy, eggs and gluten
Did you know that your gut is considered your second brain? There is a direct link from your stomach to your brain and almost 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut. That means that your feel good hormones can be improved (or depleted) by what you eat and drink! Try incorporating these tips for a few weeks and let me know how you feel mentally AND physically...I can’t wait to hear!
