10 Ways to Start Naturally Healing Your Gut

“All disease begins in the gut.” – Hippocrates.

If you pay attention to health and wellness trends, you may have noticed that the term “gut microbiome” is thrown around quite often. Whether it’s a highly respected practitioner or a social media influencer, there’s good reason why everyone is talking about it. Our gut microbiome has an impact on our digestion, immune system, and even our mental health. But with the popularization of the Standard American Diet (also known as the SAD diet), many of us are experiencing signs of an unhealthy gut. The good news however, is that there are things you can start doing as soon as today to start healing your gut naturally.

But first, some context.

What is the gut microbiome?

Put simply, the gut microbiome is the trillions of microorganisms (microbes for short) that exist mainly inside your intestines. They’re made up of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microscopic living things. While many different types of microbes live inside you, bacteria are the most studied. It could be because bacteria alone represent 50% of you by cell count. This bacteria helps us convert our food so that we can have energy and they help us eliminate toxins and fight pathogens. Without bacteria, survival would be difficult.

Where does the bacteria come from?

Our microbiome is originally determined by our DNA. When we’re born, we’re first exposed to microbes during delivery in the birth canal and through our mother’s breast milk. That is, if we’re born vaginally and breastfed. We don’t get this same bacteria from cesareans or formula. Exactly which microorganisms we’re exposed to depends on the species found in the mother. Later on, environmental exposures and diet can change your microbiome to be either beneficial to health or place you at greater risk for disease.

7 Signs of an Unhealthy Gut

Improving gut health helps support long-term health. When the “bad” bacteria in our gut outnumbers the “good,” it is referred to as dysbiosis. Over time, this can lead to “leaky gut,” or increased intestinal permeability. This means the integrity of the intestinal lining has become compromised and no longer functions efficiently as a barrier. This may cause the immune system to constantly be on high alert and leads to inflammation.

Poor gut health can also lead to a whole slew of other of issues such as:

• Stomach discomfort including gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain
• Autoimmune conditions can be triggered, such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and multiple sclerosis
• Mood issues including anxiety and depression
• Allergic conditions including respiratory allergies, food allergies, and skin allergies
• Skin irritation including acne, psoriasis, and eczema
• Unexpected weight changes
• Fatigue

If you feel you have any of these symptoms, it’s always a good idea to check in with your healthcare provider as they may be able to run specific tests or a stool analysis for further investigation.

10 Ways to begin healing your gut Naturally today

Luckily, studies show that you can begin to change the bacteria in your gut in a matter of days. Not to say that you’ll be “healed” that quickly, but it’s good to know how our diet and lifestyle can quickly have a positive impact. Here are 10 tips to get you started as early as today.

1. Choose whole unprocessed foods as often as possible. Processed foods can wreak havoc on your gut as they often strip away the nutrients and vitamins in the food and instead replace them with chemical additives, preservatives, pesticides, and other harmful ingredients. If it comes in a package and has a long shelf life, that’s a sure sign to avoid it. Instead, look for food that is as Mother Nature intended it to be.
2. Replace processed sweets with naturally sweet treats, such as fruit. A diet high in processed and refined sugar feeds the “bad” bacteria and makes you crave more sugar, which only leads to a cycle that’s hard to break out of. Starting with small replacements can make a big difference over time.
3. Consider how you eat your food. Are you sitting down to enjoy your meal, or are you grabbing something quick on the go and multitasking as you inhale your food? If it’s the latter, I get it. It’s hard to find time to truly savor your meals when there’s a lot going on. But taking the time to be mindful about how you eat can make a big difference. Digestion starts in your mouth, so begin your next meal by stopping to smell your food and then chew it slowly. The digestive enzymes in your saliva will help breakdown your food for easier digestion.
4. Try some deep breathing exercises. When your body is under acute or chronic stress, it can lead to digestive issues and inflammation. Taking slow, deep breathes calms the mind and body and is one of the easiest, most effective ways to reduce muscle tension and stop the fight-or-flight response.
5. Eat your water! If getting in enough water throughout the day is challenging for you, find ways to eat your water instead. Look for fruits and veggies that have high water content, such as watermelon, cucumber, celery, strawberries, and oranges to name a few.

6. Focus on improving the quality of your sleep. Getting enough good high quality sleep has incredible benefits and healing your gut is only one of them. Try going to bed early enough so that you can get in between seven and nine hours of high quality sleep. And I’m sure you saw this one coming, but put your phone away at least 30 minutes before turning out the lights!
7. Add more fiber to your diet to improve digestion. Again, think whole unprocessed foods for the best sources. Avocados, artichokes, and lentils are some of my favorites, for example.
8. Add fermented foods to your diet to feed the “good” bacteria in your gut. Some of my favorite sources are the garlic roasted kraut from Cleveland Kitchen, kimchi from Mother In-Law’s, and if you’re local to NYC, anything from The Pickle Guys in the Lower East Side. Not only is this stuff good for your gut, but it adds an explosion of flavor to your meals. For some, it can be an acquired taste, but so good once you develop a palate for it.
9. Eat your prebiotics. You’ve likely heard of probiotics and hopefully, you’re already taking a supplement or getting them from food sources. But are you also familiar with prebiotics? This is a type of fiber found in fruits, veggies, and legumes that is actually non-digestible by humans. Instead, they are fermented by the probiotic gut bacteria in your small intestine and colon where they provide food for those same bacteria. Some of my favorite sources for prebiotics include garlic, onions, and leeks because they can be easily added to a wide variety of meals for extra flavor.
10. Get in some movement. Studies suggest that exercise can increase the amount of good microbes in your gut, and enrich the microflora diversity, which has positive impacts on your overall health. Yoga with Adriene is a good (and free!) starting point, and she even has classes specifically for gut health.

I know it can be daunting to feel like you need to “heal your gut” in order to be healthy, but starting with small incremental changes can have big results over time. Give these tips a try and let me know what you think.

Top photo by Heather Ford on Unsplash.

This post is for informational purposes only. Information in this post and blog is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for medical advice. Please consult a qualified practitioner if you have any questions regarding medical problems and before making any changes to your current diet or treatment plan.