Gut Health 101
Why is good gut health so important?
More than 2000 years ago, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, announced that all diseases begin in the gut. Of course, he was way ahead of his time, and not many in those days understood or appreciated what he meant.
Research has proved just how right he was and revealed that gut health is critical to general good health. Studies have also shown that poor gut health contributes to diseases which include diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, acne, and depression.
You are not what you eat, you are what you digest. These days many people have problems with digestion and this is for good reasons. In general, we eat too many processed foods, don ́t move enough or at all and are stressed for a good portion of our day. All of this can lead to digestive problems which are a root cause of many diseases and food intolerances.
Having problems with digestion is not something you should be ashamed of but something you should take seriously. A change of lifestyle is the most efficient way to get your digestion back on track so you can absorb all the good nutrients of your food to get you feeling your best!
The Key To Better Digestion is to love your gut
Eat Real Food!
Try to eliminate processed foods from your diet as much as possible. The easiest way to support your digestion is to eat real, fresh whole foods (preferably organic) that are packed full of vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, enzymes without artificial colors, preservatives and unnatural chemicals.
Our bodies are not meant to process artificial foods made in a lab that is difficult to digest and without good nutritional qualities.
Remove the irritants
We all are unique in the types of foods that irritate our gut, and we all have unique food intolerances. However, there are some common foods that many people find that they cannot tolerate. While some of these items don’t have an immediate strong negative impact, they definitely can disguise themselves in how they show up in our lives and affect us. ~ FOOD MATTERS
Wheat and Gluten
Conventional meat
Alcohol and caffeine
Refined sugars
Conventional dairy
Conventional eggs
Replace with Healing Foods
Fermented and Probiotic foods:
Fermented vegetables
Coconut Kefir
Organic Yogurt
Miso
Kimchi
Pickles (Lacto-fermented)
Fiber Rich Vegetables:
Spinach
Collard Greens & Swiss Chard
Cooked Kale
Lentils
Beetroot
Bone Broth
Made from Organic & Grass Fed
Animal bones
Coconut Products:
Coconut oil
Coconut Kefir
Raw Coconut Meat
Cruciferous Vegetables:
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage (preferably cooked)
Cultured Dairy:
Kefir
Organic Cheeses
Grass-Fed Organic Butter
Note: If you are in a place that you have access to raw or unpasteurized dairy, this can be helpful as it still has living gut-friendly bacteria.
Reference:
Chew your food
Did you know that digestion begins in your mouth with chewing your food properly? Most people chew each mouthful only 5-10 times resulting in food that isn’t broken down enough for your body to absorb nutrients and break down enzymes. It is recommended that you chew every mouthful of food a minimum of 20-30 times before swallowing so it becomes liquid and therefore easier to digest.
When eating, try to avoid distractions such as watching TV, playing a game, answering emails or reading the newspaper so that you can sit and really focus on chewing your food. Your gut will love you for it!
Move
Sitting down and being still for long periods of time not only affects your mood, your energy level, and your weight in a negative way, it also has a negative effect on your digestion.
Exercise helps to stimulate intestinal contractility and speeds up your digestion. Aim for around 20-30 minutes of light movement like yoga, walking or swimming if you have digestive issues as these light movements can help your digestive system to work more smoothly.
Manage your stress
If your lifestyle is stressful, take some steps to manage and reduce your stress for your gut’s sake! Stress itself cannot cause stomach ulcers or chronic bowel disease, but if are stressed by events in your life, it can cause the colon to react in a way which may at times give you diarrhea or constipation.
Try and handle your stress in a responsible way, and never indulge on junk foods to make yourself feel better. It can negatively affect other digestive diseases and make everything in the gut worse.
You can cure yourself of many ailments which affect your daily life. The power of probiotics and a healthy diet rooted in gut-healing foods can make this possible and restore your health from the inside out.
Here’s a recipe for you:
Easy Sesame Bok Choy
Ingredients
- 10 heads bok choy, trimmed
- 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Heat a pan wit oil, saute the garlic and bok choy.
- Add the sesame oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, stir to mix well. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
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