How to Improve Gut Health
When thinking about health, most people focus on their heart. They might target their cholesterol, or perhaps their blood pressure. One of the most highly underrated parts of the body is the gut.
If you’re doing everything to eat healthier, but are still plagued by fatigue, it may be a sign that your gut needs more attention. If you’re experiencing stomach issues, like diarrhea, pain, or constipation, your gut definitely needs attention.
The state of your gut will determine how well your body processes your food. You can eat the most strict and healthful diet, but if your gut is not in order, you won’t see the benefits.
If you’re ready to see how improving your gut can improve your life, check out these tips on how to improve gut health.
Tips on How To Improve Gut Health
When you’re thinking about how to improve gut health, take a look at the points below:
Stay Hydrated
We already know water is essential to life, but did you know how essential it is for digestion?
Without water, your gut can’t break down food or pass waste. It even helps you better absorb nutrients.
Not only should you be drinking enough water per day, but make sure the quality of the water you drink is high.
Take Probiotics
Not all bacteria are bad – you have trillions of them fighting the good fight in your body. In your gut, they’re also helping to break down food. They even release enzymes that are crucial for digestion.
You can supplement these good bacteria by taking probiotics. You should make sure the supplements you buy are refrigerated because probiotics should be alive.
Once you get to know the probiotic market, you may ask yourself, “Is a higher CFU count better in probiotic supplements?” In other words, how many millions of live bacteria you want in your probiotic product. Know that the higher the number, the larger the marketing scheme.
Manage Stress
Everyone knows stress negatively affects your health, but did you know it affects your gut health?
Those beneficial bacteria in your gut don’t just help you process food, they even fight stress. The cortisol produced by stress is actually attacked by these bacteria.
Sometimes, however, the bacteria lose the battle. Then, the cortisol can weaken your gut walls and even cause inflammation.
Find ways to manage your stress and you’ll improve your gut health.
Regular Exercise
Although it’s not fully understood why regular exercise also helps those microbiota in your gut. Of course, exercise is healthy, so why not work that into your healthy gut routine as well.
Fermented Foods
If you don’t want to buy an expensive probiotic supplement, you can always eat fermented foods.
These foods use bacteria in the fermentation process, meaning they’re full of the good bacteria you need for a healthy gut.
The next time you go grocery shopping, pick up some kimchi, yogurt, sauerkraut, tempeh, kefir, or kombucha.
Low Sugar, High Fiber
It’s no surprise that sugar isn’t good for your health, but it’s especially harmful to your gut health. Researchers have shown that it is not how to improve gut health, as it messes with the vital balance of bacteria.
Instead of sugar, consume fiber. This is the food that good bacteria love to feast on, promoting a healthy gut.
More On How to Improve Gut Health
Are you a gut health expert? Do you have more tips to share? Any personal anecdotes from your health experiments? Shoot us a message to let us know what we missed.
Make sure to check our blog page for more ways to improve your quality of life.