8 Daily Action Steps for a Healthy Gut
When it comes to gut health, we’re often quick to dive straight into lab testing and taking loads of supplements.
While these things are helpful, the truth is, we need to build strong foundations. If you start by focusing on the foundations of health, such as nutrition, stress management and sleep - the more advanced components of your gut healing protocol (such as lab testing and targeted supplements) will be more worthwhile, and your results will be better and more sustainable.
8 daily action steps for a healthy gut:
1. Start your day with a large glass of warm water with the juice of half a lemon.
The lemon juice stimulates the liver to promote bile flow, which aids in detoxification. The warm water promotes peristalsis, which is the wave-like muscle contractions that moves food to different processing stations in the digestive tract.
Basically, it helps get things moving and keep you regular!
2. Start your day with at least 10 minutes of stress management.
Our autonomic nervous system has two modes - sympathetic or ‘fight or flight’, and parasympathetic or ‘rest and digest’. We need to be in a parasympathetic state to digest our food properly.
A morning routine is a great way to combat stress and shift into that parasympathetic state to support your digestion and gut health.
Some of my favourites include deep breathing, meditation, gentle movement or yoga.
3. Use a squatty potty
We are not designed to use on a regular, western toilet! Squatting is the optimal way for us to eliminate properly. An easy way to replicate this is to use a “squatty potty”, or a small foot stool under your feet while you’re sitting on the toilet.
If you struggle with constipation or have difficulty passing bowel movements, this will be a gamechanger for you.
4. Eat plenty of veggies and eat a variety
Having a wide variety of vegetables ensures we’re getting plenty of fibre and prebiotics. The greater the diversity in the plant foods we eat, the better our microbiome. Plus, prebiotics actually feed the good bacteria in the large intestine, and therefore promote a healthy microbiome.
Examples of prebiotic foods include onion, garlic and asparagus. Prebiotics are also found in fruit, such as slightly unripe bananas (green tipped bananas) and apples.
5. Eat probiotic foods
Fermented foods contain good bacteria, which therefore may improve the good bacteria found in the gut. Examples of fermented foods include sauerkraut, kim chi, kefir, kombucha and beet kvass.
Aim to have a serve of fermented foods between 1 and 3 times per day.
6. Eat mindfully and in a relaxed state.
As I mentioned above, it’s not just what you eat that matters. How you eat is just as important.
Aim to eat your meals in a parasympathetic or “rest and digest” state. Sit down, put your phone away, take 5 deep breaths and mindfully enjoy your meal. It’ll work wonders for your gut.
7. Chew each mouthful of food 20-30 times.
Your stomach doesn’t have teeth! The chemical and mechanical breakdown of food begins in the mouth, so it’s important to chew your food adequately so that the whole digestive system is functioning optimally.
It may feel odd, but at your next meal, count how many times you chew each mouthful. We’re aiming for 20-30 times to ensure optimal digestion.
8. Sleep!
Good quality sleep and the right amount of sleep is so important for optimal gut health.
If we’re not having adequate sleep, our body is in a state of constant stress. When the body is under stress, digestion and gut health is no longer a priority.
Aim for at least 7-9 hours per night, or however much sleep you need to feel rested.
As with everything I share, it’s important to note bioindividuality. We’re all different, and no one food, supplement or lifestyle will work for everyone. Listen to your body and see what works for you.
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I’m Fran, a Functional Nutritionist specialising in gut health. I’m here to help you overcome frustrating symptoms and conditions such as fatigue and digestive issues (like bloating and reflux), with simple nutrition and lifestyle shifts.
If you’re looking for support, the best place to start is by booking a free Strategy Session
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