This week, Caitlin highlights a topic near and dear to her heart, literally and figuratively – gut health. Read on to learn more…

One topic we’ve heard readers bring up more and more over the past few years is the concept of “gut health.” Scientists through many disciplines are looking to this site in our body for causations and treatments for a number of alignments in the mind and body – as well as it being a hot topic regarding how COVID-19 may impact our bodies for both the short and long-term.

Balancing my gut health is an item I have attempted to focus on over the past few years whilst trying to address my own versions of psychopathology and physical discomforts. I changed my diet up a little, and noticed a difference within the first two weeks of implementing my selected probiotic (more on this below).

Ironically, this is also a topic that Jessica had listed on her past resolution list for 2018, so it’s been a focus area on this blog for a while. After my personal experiences, the amount that readers have asked about the topic, and Jessica’s resolution,  we found it important to outline the importance of gut health, and how you can start to find your gut balance, too! 

Why Gut Health is Important

Inside our gut, each one of us has a happy little colony of microorganisms. For some time we have recognized the gut as our power house because this area of the body is critical to our bodies functioning- it’s where our immunity stems from so that we can fight off illnesses and it is how we break down food to give us energy. We have even attributed the power of intuition to be from our gut in many patterns of speech, and for good reason! (Examples, “What is your gut telling you?” or “Go with your gut,” being phrases we often use over here at SST.)

Recently, science has begun to investigate and recognize the significant link between the microbiome of the gut and brain function. Many scientists and researchers believe that the gut may be linked to symptoms of various psychological pathologies, such as anxiety and depression to name a few.

So your gut health is not only responsible for much of the health in your body, but your mind, too.

What You Can Do to Improve Your Gut Health

There are a number of methods you can use to find what your gut health balance looks like personally, as each person’s gut “balance” is very individual and will not be the same as their neighbor. After doing some research, I’ve found several differing factors, both internally and externally, that can affect each of our gut balances independently. These various factors can greatly alter the method we should use to regain balance.

We talk about just a few of the methods below, but there are many options out there. It’s important to note (as we mentioned before) that every person’s gut is different, so doing your own research and finding the options that sound right for you, and you alone, will be a critical part of your gut balance journey.  

What You Eat

It only makes sense that what you put into your gut has a lot to do with your gut’s balance. When trying to find your balance, it’s important to try your best to determine what the body considers to be a “friend” versus an “enemy.” Although we all have different contents of the microbiota in our guts, I’ve consistently found that those who are focusing on balancing their gut typically consider:

• Sugar to be an enemy 
• Fruits and veggies to be their gut’s friend 

This is for the simple reason of how our gut reacts to those foods.

Sugar, when broken down, feeds the bad bacteria in our gut, allowing that bacteria to take over. Bad things can happen to us when our bad bacteria is in control, especially causing strong negative effects on our bodies.  We can experience a drop in immune function, as well as a drop in metabolic processing ability.

Fruits and veggies, on the other hand, give the good bacteria in our gut flora the fuel it needs to flourish!

Below are some types of foods that you might want to consider if gut health is a priority for you.

Probiotics

Probiotics are microorganisms that aid in the gastrointestinal processes of humans (and all animals, who knew?!)

There has been a recent surge in the food market relating to probiotics, and while talking about gut health, we found it important to note that not all probiotics are created equal.  It is always a good idea to check the label of your foods for any additives that may be working against your gut.

(Editor’s note: One probiotic that I’ve been loving lately has been Good Day Chocolate. A delicious way to bring a sweet probiotic into my day. Yum!)

Pre-biotic

Pre-biotics are actually the foods that fuel our probiotics. Without these guys, your probiotics don’t perform their jobs at their highest level.

It’s important to know what foods to eat to feed your probiotics if you decide to try out these prebiotic-rich foods.  Below is a great illustration that we love to use here at SST that shares which foods are considered rich in pre-biotics and will, therefore, healthfully fuel your system.

Possible Food Intolerances

One way to really throw your gut balance out of whack is to eat something your body may be intolerable to – or, even worse, allergic to on any spectrum.

Some things to know about food intolerances:

• You may get other clues from your body outside of the gastrointestinal area that indicate your body may not be jiving with whatever you ate or drank.
• In my experience, excess (“excess” amounts will be different for every body) dairy was a clear source of gut imbalance for me. I talk a little bit more about this below.
• By removing (or seriously limiting, I still eat real milk ice cream and cheese – purely because it’s ice cream and cheese and they’re delicious), I noticed a drastic improvement in how my body felt, specifically that my stomach problems dramatically decrease.

Are you eating food that loves your body back? If you think that you might have a food intolerance, then watch your intake of these foods specifically and see how your body responds.  If your body feels more “funky” after enjoying one of the below more than others, then you may have a food intolerance.

• dairy
• gluten
• processed foods
• refined sugar
• artificial sweeteners
• greasy fried foods
• very spicy foods
• coffee, alcohol, carbonated drinks

Drinking Water

This is probably on every list of ways to improve almost any symptom, but that’s because it works.

• The body can’t do its job the best it possibly could without being well hydrated.
• The gut balance will also be affected if the body is dehydrated, as well.
• Staying hydrated will also help your body to effectively and efficiently excrete any items in your body that may be influencing gut disruptions.

Pollution Exposure

Limiting your exposure to pollutants can be a great contribution to finding gut balance. If you’re like me, and have just moved to an area where you’re unable to frequently get away from too much pollution, there are measures you can take to purify the air in your space, be it office or home. Here are a few of my personal favorite ways to keep the air clean in my home and office:

• Air Purifiers 
• Plants 
• Oil Diffuser 
• Incense Burning

Each of these will cleanse the air in your space and will help your overall system, including gut, stay in check. 

Too Little Sleep

Sleep is when your body recuperates and cleanses itself from a day full of activity. As mentioned, that includes cleansing your gut, which is the center of it all. Not getting the proper amount or kind of sleep can affect your gut balance and leave you feeling fatigued.

Try to stick to a solid 7-to-9 hours of sleep per night to allow your internal systems time to cleanse themselves and rejuvenate before jumping into the next day.

Please note: We are by no means doctors or nutritionists. Caitlin has done much research that has helped her to get a handle on her gut health, thus, this post is meant to inform, but we do encourage you to speak with your doctor to be fully educated on what this all might mean for you.

Create a great life!