How To Improve your Gut Health, and have more Energy

They don’t call it the “second brain” for nothing. The gut microbiome, which consists of no less than 100 trillion bacteria, affects everything from skin health and sex drive to energy levels and hormone balance. How, exactly? The gut has its own nervous system called the enteric nervous system (ENS), and while its main purpose is to regulate digestion, it also has a strong connection to the brain, and thus, a major impact on your mental well-being. “If your gut health is out of whack, your microbes send signals that negatively influence your mood,” explains Keri Glassman, a registered dietitian and founder of Nutritious Life.

From understanding the signs of poor digestion to giving your microbiome the good bacteria it craves to stay balanced, experts weigh in on how to take a holistic approach to improving your gut health.

Supplementation can help you restore gut health. Whether your goal is to reduce gas and bloating, improve systemic inflammation in your body, boost your immune system, or something else, there are steps you can take to make it happen. Reversing gut dysbiosis by increasing good gut bacteria, healing and sealing your gut lining, and removing inflammatory foods and toxins from your diet are all great places to start to restore gut health and get you back on track.

1. Add Probiotics to Your Diet
Probiotics are live “good” bacteria and yeasts that keep your digestive system balanced and your body functioning properly. There are probiotic-rich foods, from cultured veggies, like sauerkraut or kimchi, to fermented drinks like kefir and kombucha. And then there are foods that are high in fiber (think: bananas, oats, and flaxseeds), which are considered prebiotic and feed the good bacteria. “

• Prebiotic helps allow the gut restore its proper balance of "good" and "bad" bacteria, which is vital for our overall health and beauty. Benefits include support of healthy digestion, a healthy immune system and proper metabolism.
• Probiotics are living micro-organisms known as “good” bacteria that exist naturally in our gut. These microorganisms are easily challenged due to diet, travel, weight and medications such as antibiotics.

2. Include Certain Foods To your diet:

Including these foods below in your diet will help replenish the good bacteria and yeasts in your gut is the next step. These foods include things like:

• Fresh fruits and leafy green vegetables
• Fermented foods like sauerkraut, coconut kefir, and kombucha (Limit kimchi if you're sensitive to spice at this stage, but feel free to add it in later once you're feeling less sensitive)
• Bone broth
• Well-cooked, organic and pasture-raised meats and wild fish

3. Lower your Stress levels

Chronic high levels of stress are hard on your whole body, including your gut. Some ways to lower stress may include meditation, walking, getting a massage, spending time with friends or family, diffusing essential oils, decreasing caffeine intake, laughing, yoga, or having a pet. 

4. Stay hydrated

Drinking plenty of water has been shown to have a beneficial effect on the mucosal lining of the intestines, as well as on the balance of good bacteria in the gut. Staying hydrated is a simple way to promote a healthy gut.

6. Check for food intolerances

If you have symptoms such as cramping, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, rashes, nausea, fatigue, and acid reflux, you may be suffering from a food intolerance. You can try eliminating common trigger foods to see if your symptoms improve. If you are able to identify a food or foods that are contributing to your symptoms, you may see a positive change in your digestive health by changing your eating habits.

7. Change your diet

Reducing the amount of processed, high-sugar, and high-fat foods that you eat can contribute to better gut health. I would Highly recommend to adapt the Keto Diet and you will notice a big difference in your energy Level!