By Neglecting This, You’re Sabotaging Your Health
Have you been eating “healthy” for months but have not seen the results you hoped for? Are you experiencing bloating and acne despite only having “healthy snacks”? Do you feel fatigued, anxious, or like you constantly have brain fog?
Most importantly, are you regular?
When I first started my health journey, I had no idea what I was doing. Even as a first-year nutrition student, I did not understand how to dissect nutrition labels or know a whole lot about metabolism.
So, I did what anyone would do, and turned to the internet for help.
I found several youtube channels claiming to know so much about health and nutrition. Naively, I believed these people because they had the shredded physiques I strived for.
Keep in mind, most people on the internet have no education on nutrition and are not credentialed professionals, even if they call themselves a “nutritionist”.
For years I was bloated, plagued with a gurgly tummy, had gas (thank god I was single), experienced horrific acne, had hormone imbalances, and was eating disgusting foods but telling myself they were “so yummy”.
Not to mention all the MONEY I spent on protein bars, supplements, snacks, and meals that did nothing but harm my body.
It wasn't until I was 3 years into my dietetics degree that I realized my “healthy” diet was wreaking havoc on my gut health (and wallet). The “healthy” foods I chose were filled with sugar alcohols and gross ingredients that kept me from clear skin, balanced hormones, and hitting performance goals.
Focusing on your gut health may just be the one thing you need to change your health and your life.
What is “gut health”?
According to UC Davis Health, gut health “describes the function and balance of bacteria of the many parts of the gastrointestinal tract.” The goal is that our organs, like the esophagus, stomach, and intestines are able to work together to digest food without discomfort.
When experts talk about “gut heath”, they are typically referring to the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome reffers to all the bacteria and other microorganisms that live in our intestines.
Don’t freak out. These are good bacteria!
Having a healthy gut means that our gut microbiome consists mostly of good bacteria that helps us digest food and absorb nutrients effectively!
A happy gut microbiome also means you wont experience all the awful consequences of an unhealthy gut. Sone of these consequences include; brain fog, anxiety, bloating, abdominal pain, and an increased risk of many diseases.
Unfortunately, an estimated 70 million Americans are living with digestive diseases, and even more with discomfort.
Are you one of them?
Why is gut health important?
We’ve all experienced some gut issues at some point in life. And they are not fun. But, living with bloating, abdominal pain, constipation or other digestive issues can lead to far more serious consequences.
Poor gut health can increase your risk of developing obesity, some cancers, IBS, and type 2 diabetes. Poor gut health also means you’re more likely to get sick in general.
Did you know that 70 percent of your immune system is in your gut? Now more than ever, having a healthy gut could save your life.
Mental health is another big issue we face today. Our gut directly communicates with our brain using nerves and hormones. So when our gut is not happy, we will feel it both physically and emotionally. Brain fog, anxiety, and other mood disorders have been associated with poor gut health.
Having a healthy gut may not cure mood disorders but it certainly will not be adding to them!
Having a healthy gut and happy gut bacteria will not only make us feel and look better (bye bye bloating), but it will also improve your overall general well-being.
What Can You Do?
Alright, now that you know why your gut health is essential, what can you do to improve and maintain your gut health.
PROBIOTICS
I typically do not recommend people be on a whole bunch of supplements. But, if you have the money, investing in a good probiotic is 100% worth it. When picking a probiotic, make sure it has AT LEAST 1 billion CFU (colony forming units) — if you can find one around 5 billion CFU or more that's great!
Keep in mind, you do not need to have a probiotic supplement to get your probiotics in! Probiotics are in real foods like;
- Yogurt and Keifer
- Kombucha
- Sauerkraut and kimchi
- Sourdough bread
- Miso and tempeh
Having these foods regularly will help improve your gut health and get some healthy bacteria into your GI system.
PREBIOTICS
Taking probiotics is great but the gut health journey does not end there. Prebiotics feed the healthy bacteria in our gut to help us maintain all those healthy bacteria from our probiotics. Prebiotics is where our friend fiber really shines. Some prebiotic foods to add to your diet include;
- Garlic and onions
- Asparagus
- Apples and bananas
- Whole grains (oats, 100% whole wheat, barley, etc.)
- Flax and chia seeds
Having adequate fiber and at least 5–7 servings of fruit and veggies each day will do wonders for your gut thanks to fiber! The daily recommendation for fiber in adults under 50 are; 21–25g for women and 30–38g for men.
Speak to a Registered Dietitian if you are struggling with fiber intake!
WHAT TO AVOID
While I prefer the “crowd out the bad with the good” mentality towards what we eat, it is important to know what foods to limit while we are working on a healthy gut!
- Deep fried foods
- Artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols (if you are a protein bar fanatic, you need to watch for these)
- Processed and refined foods (these usually lack fiber big time)
- Alcohol (moderation is key)
- Red meat (again, moderation is key)
Non-Food Remedies
Believe it or not, your gut health goes beyond diet. Just like how stress will affect heart health, there are plenty of lifestyle factors affecting our gut too.
Sleep
Getting adequate sleep is possibly one of the best things you can do for overall health. Poor sleep has also been shown to negatively affect our healthy gut bacteria which can lead to other health issues.
Practicing good sleep hygiene will ensure all your other lifestyle changes are not in vain.
Resource: How Your Gut Health Affects Your Sleep Quality
Stress
Just like sleep, poorly managing stress will negatively effect just about every system in the body. Stress increases inflammation all over the body, and an inflamed gut is an angry gut!
Learning to effectively manage stress will help ensure your healthy diet and probiotics are able to do their jobs.
Sedentary Lifestyle
If you are not currently exercising, you may want to consider adding a 30 minute walk, 3–4 times a week to your schedule. This will do so much for your overall health but especially for your gut!
Exercise can help maintain a healthy gut and, when practiced consistently for a long period of time, help rebalance your gut microbiome.
Resource: Exercise Modifies the Gut Microbiota with Positive Health Effects
This little article only scratches the surface of all the ways a healthy gut can improve your overall wellbeing.
From personal experience, when I finally started working on my gut health and eliminated all the weird artificial ingredients from my diet, I finally started feeling so much better. I also finally started seeing the improvements in my running performance I was working so hard for.
My hope is that this article helped you understand the importance of gut health and maybe even inspired you to take a deeper look into what you can do today to improve your health.
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