Heal Your Gut: How Gut Health Affects Your Whole Body

Today, we know that gut health plays a major role in digestion, immunity, metabolism, and inflammation. When the digestive system becomes imbalanced, problems such as bloating, fatigue, food sensitivities, and inflammation can arise. Supporting the gut and restoring balance can often help improve many areas of overall health. It’s time to heal your gut.

They knew that if waste material was retained too long in the body, it could cause auto-intoxication, a condition in which it was absorbed, leading to ill health. Until recently, modern medicine dismissed this idea. In their view, if the bowels moved once every 3 to 4 days, that was OK. As long as elimination occurred at regular intervals, you were “regular”.

Fortunately, research is emerging that validates the importance of healing your gut for overall health. Leaky gut isn’t a current medical diagnosis; however, autointoxication is a real problem. Read more about tips to heal your gut and what you can do about it, in this month’s  Sunshine Sharing.

Four Steps to Help Heal Your Gut

Improving gut health often requires more than one change. Based on research and traditional natural health practices, four key steps are commonly recommended to heal your gut:

1. Improve elimination
Healthy digestion requires regular elimination. Fiber, hydration, and movement all support healthy bowel transit time.

2. Eliminate irritants
Refined sugars, food additives, excessive alcohol, processed foods, and certain food sensitivities can irritate the digestive tract and disrupt the gut microbiome.

3. Balance gut bacteria
The gut harbors trillions of bacteria (the microbiome) that influence digestion, immunity, and metabolism. Supporting beneficial bacteria through fermented foods, fiber, and probiotics helps restore balance.

4. Nourish the intestinal lining
Certain nutrients and herbs can help support the gut lining and reduce inflammation. Nutrients such as L-glutamine, fiber, and antioxidant-rich foods are often used to support digestive health.

These four steps are covered in our 30-Day Gut Reset Program to help you heal and nourish your gut.

Could a Gut Imbalance Be Affecting Your Health?

Many people are surprised to learn that gut imbalance can show up in ways that don’t seem related to digestion. Common signs of gut imbalance may include:

• Bloating, gas, or irregular digestion
• Fatigue or low energy
• Food sensitivities
• Skin issues such as acne, eczema, or rosacea
• Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
• Joint discomfort or inflammation
• Cravings for sugar or processed foods

If several of these sound familiar, your gut may be trying to tell you something. Understanding the early signs of gut imbalance can help you begin to heal your gut and support your digestion and overall health before the problem becomes more serious. Download the free Gut Imbalance Guide to learn the most common symptoms and simple ways to begin supporting your gut health.

 Three Things I Do to Promote Gut Health

Improving my gut health was a key part of my recovery. These are the three things I changed that made the biggest difference.

• A healthy gut loves plants, fiber, and fermented foods. Eating plenty of these foods as part of a gut healthy diet can make a big difference. If you can’t eat those, try adding a green drink to your day! Absolute Greens is the best-tasting green drink I have ever had!
  
• Drink water, there is no sense in eating healthy if you don’t give your body the HYDRATION it needs to cleanse and build. Hydration is a daily habit essential to overall health because our bodies don’t use soda, pop, or coffee to cleanse and rebuild; they need water to activate their cells!
  
• Manage your stress. Stress wreaks havoc on our immune system, and our immune system relies on a healthy gut to protect us! If you have problems managing your stress, practice deep breathing several times per day using the 7-4-8 rhythm. Breathe in for 7, hold for 4, and out for 8.  You may also want to try using essential oils in a diffuser or inhaler.

Build Better Habits for Better Gut Health

Supporting your gut often comes down to simple daily habits—eating whole foods, improving hydration, managing stress, and supporting digestion.

My guide, Healthy Habits Challenge, walks you through simple habits that support gut health, metabolism, and overall wellness step by step.

Continue Learning About Gut Health

If you’re interested in learning more about digestion and overall wellness, these articles may also be helpful:

• Understanding the Digestive System
• Dietary Fiber for Gut Health
• Gut Health and Immunity
• The Gut Microbiome
• Gut Imbalance Signs