“Having a healthy gut should mean more to you than being annoyed by a little bloating or heartburn. It becomes central to your entire health and connected to everything that happens in your body. That’s why I almost always start treating my patients’ chronic health problems by fixing their guts first. The bugs in your gut are like a rain forest – a diverse and interdependent ecosystem. They must be in balance for you to be healthy”. Dr. Mark Hyman
Optimal gut health starts with diet and lifestyle. Eating ample fiber, healthy protein and healthy fats is key. Optimal fats include omega-3 fats and monounsaturated fats – including extra-virgin olive oil, avocados or almonds. These improve healthy gut flora. Bad fats are inflammatory fats, like omega-6 vegetable oils (canola is the biggest culprit) promote growth of bad bugs that lead to weight gain and disease. Stress ( physical and mental) also affects gut health. Physical stress comes from disease, a processed diet, lack of sleep, and dehydration. Mental stress can come from anywhere. Bad relationships, a demanding workplace, a mental health condition, your own attitude and outlook, how you handle difficulty etc.
The easy way to think about the gut and its lining is that we need healthy bacteria in the digestive tract in order for us to thrive – physically and emotionally. The gut is filled with trillions of bacteria that helps to digest food, produce vitamins, regulate hormones, detox your system. Certain things we do, as mentioned above, create an environment where gut flora cannot thrive and they die off or malfunction. Antibiotics, for example, are needed for some infections, however, they will strip the gut lining of the good bacteria. This is why using probiotics to replenish this lining after medications like antibiotics have proven to be of benefit.
How can we improve and maintain gut health? And then by extension feel better overall? Here’s 6 ways:
- Eat Clean
- Limiting processed foods and refined sugars. Try grass fed meat, wild caught seafood.
- Healthy Fats (read my earlier blog on this)
- YES to omega-3: almonds,avocado,olive oil, grass fed butter, eggs, walnuts, flax & chia seeds
- NO to omega-6: canola, soybean, sunflower, deep fried foods
- Supplementation
- Omega 3/FIsh Oil – especially if not consuming fish 1-2 X a week
- Probiotic Capsule – I recommend a 30 day course three-four times a year to replenish the lining of the gut. Our Western diet and consumption of things like alcohol and unghealthy fats strip the lining if the good stuff. Boost your gut flora with a course of probiotics.
- Fermented Foods
- Kimchi, sauerkraut and miso are natural sources of probiotics.
- Exercise
- Reduces stress, fat and cortisol levels in the body. Exercise also leads to better energy metabolism. All of which have been associated with a healthier microbiome.
- Pay Attention
- Have you ever eaten a meal in a rush and can barely recall the experience? Eating while doing another task interferes with digestion. Digestion starts with chewing food in the mouth. If we rush, this often gets skipped and nutrients from food cannot be properly absorbed. It also requires our attention so that our nervous system stays in “rest and digest” mode, not “fight or flight”. Give yourself time to sit and eat. Pay attention to the food and tastes. You will find yourself eating less but what happens internally is even more important – you gut lining will benefit. The nutrient absorption is better as well.
Gut health is key. Achieving it requires a healthy lifestyle. Pick a few changes from this list above and see the benefit, one small step at a time. It is a worthwhile endeavour as it affects longevity and overall wellness. If you would like to book a consultation around gut health or your nutrition goals, email me: michelle@crossfitdefy.com