3 Ways to Improve Gut Health

The gut is sometimes called the second brain, and good gut health makes a huge difference in how we feel and function. Having a healthy gut ecology is of major importance for overall health, and especially for good mental functioning.

Things that help maintain or restore a healthy gut include: good diet, probiotics, and exercise. Here are a few pointers for each…

Diet

Avoid processed foods, fast foods, fried foods, white flour and sugar, excess carbs. Favor lots of veggies and lean protein, 1-2 pieces of fruit a day (more can create blood sugar imbalances), some seeds and nuts, small amounts of whole grains, and a little organic dairy if your system tolerates it well. Healthy fats are also very important for a strong system and for burning body fat and losing weight. They include: olive oil (raw or lightly heated), coconut oil, avocado oil, and avocado. Home cooked meals are the best. Eating out gives usually gives us an excess of unhealthy fats, sugars, and salt, so it’s best to keep it to a minimum.

Probiotics

Probiotics are essential for a healthy gut. You can take a good quality probiotic, or eat sauerkraut and other fermented veggies, home-made yogurt, organic apple cider vinegar, kombucha, or other properly fermented foods.

Exercise

The body needs it for good functioning of all body systems. It can be as simple as walking five days a week, 30 minutes a day.

Aside from health, all of this impacts our weight. If you are stuck at the same weight, even though you really are not eating an excess of calories and you are exercising, then making changes in your gut health should make a huge difference. Since all calories are not created equal, it pays to take in calories from high-quality foods.

In addition, diet and exercise keep our minds sharper and clearer. Alzheimers is now being called Type 3 Diabetes. For some people, poor diet reflects in the brain rather than in blood sugar levels. Poor diet is said to first impact the hippocampus. It shrinks and so does our mental functioning and emotional balance. If kept up, dementia can follow.

Some good sources for more information include: Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, M.D., and The Gabriel Method by Jon Gabriel.

If you want some individual help working on your diet and exercise program, please sign up for my no obligation 15 minute ‘Free My Body’ chat.