Over the last few years, we’ve seen more and more information come out about the importance of gut health. Since the global pandemic hit, though, many people have become even more interested in getting healthier, improving immunity, and feeling stronger and more energetic.
If you’ve struggled to get your health on track over the last 18 months due to the stress of the coronavirus and other pressing issues, now is the time to take steps to better yourself. Attending to your gut health is one of the best things to do.
Use Dietary Supplements
Improve your gut health and help your system recalibrate after a long or strong round of antibiotics by investing in quality dietary supplements. If your internal flora is currently lacking, you can give it a boost with probiotics that promote a healthy gut microbiome. These supplements also help to stop you from getting gut inflammation and other intestinal problems.
There are many different products on offer these days, so to help you make the right choice for your needs, it pays to speak with your primary care physician about recommended options and dosages. Book an appointment with a virtual doctor or see one in person and ask for suggestions.
Eat Gut-Positive Items
Aid your gut by eating enough of the right foods. Fermented foods, for instance, are touted as one of the prime things to consume. These items are a natural source of probiotics, with the live bacteria and yeasts in the food improving and restoring gut flora. Increase your consumption of fermented foods by eating pickled ginger, kimchi, kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh, miso, and fermented vegetables.
Also, your gut microbes are happy when they get enough fiber, so look for ways to eat various plants each day. Include plenty of salads and vegetables in your meals to boost your fiber intake and develop more good gut bacteria. Prebiotic fiber, in particular, is essential. This type of nondigestible carbohydrate helps with the multiplication of beneficial gut bacteria. Consume prebiotic-rich substances such as bananas, garlic, asparagus, onion, chicory, and Jerusalem artichoke.
Reduce Sugar
Another way to improve gut health is to stop eating so much sugar and artificial sweetener. These things are inflammatory, which isn’t good, plus they cause more internal yeast to grow, which can interrupt the delicate gut balance you need to promote for excellent gut health.
It’s tricky to say goodbye to sweet foods and additives because they’re so addictive, but your body will thank you for cutting back. Aspartame, the artificial sweetener used in many soft drinks and sweets, may encourage more of the harmful bacterial strains linked with metabolic disease. In turn, this makes you more likely to have a dysfunctional gut flora situation.
Lower Your Stress Levels
Stress is bad for us in many ways, but did you know it can also negatively affect your gut health? Psychological and other stressors can disrupt the microorganisms in the intestines. This can happen from not just long-term stress but short-term concerns, too. Stress weakens the intestinal barrier and therefore allows gut bacteria to flow around the body.
Gastrointestinal disorders that increase your chances of low gut health also get triggered by stress. Stress can slow digestion, lead to upset stomachs, increase constipation and diarrhea, and make you more likely to experience irritable bowel syndrome and other gut-related conditions.
Improve gut health by taking steps to lower your stress levels. For instance, do deep breathing, meditation, mindfulness, counseling, exercise, stretching, and avoid situations or people that trigger you. Plus, get plenty of quality sleep to combat stress and help your insides.
Look After Your Teeth
It may not be the most obvious thing, but there’s a link between our gut health and teeth. Harmful bacteria in the mouth, such as that arising from gum inflammation, can build up, get ingested, and then travel into the stomach. When this happens, the oral bacteria can disrupt the healthy stomach bacteria and lead to issues. Plus, gum disease can activate immune system T-cells in the mouth. If these get to the stomach, they can make any stomach inflammation you already have much worse.
Help yourself out, then, by taking care of your teeth. Brush and floss twice a day and get your teeth cleaned and repair work such as fillings completed as needed. This investment will not just improve your smile but also your gut microbiome.
Every step you take from those listed above will go a long way to improving your gut health and making you healthier and happier short term and long term. Take charge of your choices and actions for results that matter.
