5 Tips for Gut Support
Here are 5 simple ways you can support your gut health starting today!
Drink mineralized water
Just drinking whatever water you can get your hands on these days doesn’t have the same hydrating or health benefits as it used to. We need minerals in our water for it to get into our cells, and with our soil more & more depleted in nutrients + more waste getting into our water systems… our foods & water is less mineral dense. Some bottled water is okay, most are not good quality water. Spring water or distilled water with added minerals may hydrate you the best, just add a pinch of Celtic or Pink Himalayan Salt to it (not much, you only need 1/4 tsp per gallon!), and a little fresh lemon juice is great too!
Eat plenty of FIBER
The average person gets less than 12 grams of fiber per day, and we really should be getting more like 25-35 grams/day… yikes! Check fiber content of your foods to bring awareness to increasing your amount. Know that there is hardly any fiber in animal protein, so if you’re skimping on your fruits, veggies, & nuts (like eating hardcore keto, especially for a prolonged amount of time), you’re likely severing lacking in fiber!
3. Add Prebiotic foods into the mix
The good news is that many high fiber foods ARE prebiotic foods, so there will be some convenient overlap! Chicory root & dandelion greens are great to drink, and there are prebiotic powders that can be mixed into coffee, etc. Other foods include garlic, onion, leeks, asparagus, bananas, barley, oats, & apples. Prebiotics feed the probiotics, so if you are taking probiotics but not getting enough prebiotics in your diet… that they are likely doing little good.
4. Chew your food
This may sound silly, but chew your food, and chew some more! Your mouth must do the initial chewing that the stomach can’t do, so slow down… breathe deeply… and make an event out of chewing your food into as close to mush as possible. Rushed eating is horrible for digestion. Also, physically preparing your own food starts to release those digestive enzymes that will help continue to break down the foods in your gut. I take capsules of digestive enzymes blended with adaptogen herbs & my gut has never felt more calm!
5. Get moving
It’s been shown that the gut microbiome improves it’s good bacteria with consistent exercise, in as little as 6 weeks. The better bacteria environment you have in your gut, the better your digestion, the better your immunity, the better you’ll FEEL! Just another reason why purposeful movement is an important Pillar of Health.
I hope this helps you start healing your gut with a food-first approach! If you want to add in supplementation, be very choosey & ask me for help!
