They say the gut is like a second brain and more often than not an impaired gut can be the cause of a number of illnesses and diseases. Gut health is closely tied in with overall health so when the gut function is disrupted, every part of the body is negatively affected.
One of the main reasons I changed my diet to a whole-food diet is to help solve my terrible stomach issues. Being placed on antibiotics over a long period of time completely disrupted my digestive system, where I developed some pretty unpleasant symptoms. Throughout my healing journey I’ve learnt an incredible amount of interesting information about the gut and how it works. Healing a gut can be quite a task and takes a little dedication, however it is absolutely possible to get it back to functioning properly again.
‘Let thy food be thy medicine, let thy medicine be thy food'
What you put into your body, is what you get out. If you fuel it with highly processed and artificial food, you will more than likely feel sluggish and rubbish! However if you include plenty of nourishing, vibrant food you too will feel nourished and vibrant!The best way to cleanse and replenish your body is by nourishing it with plenty of wholesome food.
I’ve listed a few simple tips that really helped me get my gut back on track. Try adopting them for four weeks and see if you feel any different. If you are still experiencing problems, go and visit either a nutritionist, allergy specialist, naturopath or someone medically trained who is authorised to advise and can carry out necessary tests.
Over time I have been to the following clinics, which have all helped my recovery process;
- The Nightingale Clinic – Dr. Choy (allergy specialist)
Useful reads:
Top tips:
Avoid:
- Avoid gluten, refined sugar and any processed food. That means cutting out fast food, take-away food, cakes, biscuits, soft drinks etc. These are irritants to the gut and won’t serve you well if you have stomach issues.
- Avoid refined, white carbs; white rice, white pasta, white bread, cereal. They hold zero nutrition and will cause a spike in blood sugar levels.
- Avoid raw food (including salads) after 4pm. Raw food is harder on the digestive system. Stick to well-cooked veggies at dinner time which are very soothing and try incorporating plenty of bone broths in your diet, this is an extremely effective ancient remedy often used to heal a damaged gut lining.
- Cut down or even eliminate grains from your diet for a few weeks. Grains are particularly tough for the digestive system to breakdown. Even nutritious food such as oats, quinoa and brown rice can cause excessive bloating if your have an impaired gut. If consumed, try soaking them in warm water a few hours prior to cooking which will make them much easier to digest.
- Only eat fruit on an empty stomach and not directly after cooked food, as it can often lead to bloating.
Embrace:
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Eat plenty of pre-biotic and pro-biotic food to nourish your body with good bacteria. Fermented food such as kimchi, sauerkraut, natural Greek yogurt, kifir and Kombuca are full of wonderful probiotics. As well as incorporating probiotic capsules each morning. For more information on choosing the right probiotic type for your needs, check out the following link; https://www.reviews.com/probiotic-supplement/
- Eat plenty of plants!! Deep bitter greens are the best!
- Drink juices and smoothies to help rest the gut (add protein + fat with smoothies to avoid sugar spike).
- Activate nuts, seeds and grains by soaking them in water – this makes them far easier to digest.
- Ensure you have frequent bowl movements. To aid this add 2 tbsp. of ground flax seeds into smoothies / juices or a glass of water. Another method is to take magnesium citrate powder before bed (this can also help with sleep issues) and again in the morning, which aids muscle relaxation.
- Drink peppermint and fresh ginger tea to soothe inflammation in the gut.
- Take a shot of apple cider vinegar or Swedish bitters before meals to help breakdown food.
- Try to manage stress levels – stress can be one of the biggest triggers of bloating and digestive problems. Try incorporating yoga and meditation into your daily routine which are both fantastic stress relievers.
- Get as much sleep as possible. Sleep is when our bodies enters into a powerful healing mode to repair and restore itself.
- Finally - Listen to your body.
Everyone's body is unique and biochemically different. What will work for someone else, may not work for you. I spent way too long eating what I thought I should eat because books or social media said I should if I wanted to lead a ‘whole-some, healthy’ life. Following this (and learning the hard way), I was actually sabotaging my own health for someone else’s health journey.
So if you have trouble digesting nuts, seeds, grains, beans, legumes or whatever – don’t eat them. If you feel tired and sluggish after cutting out meat – don’t do it. If the ‘raw diet’, ‘paleo diet’ or ‘vegan diet’ makes you feel amazing – then do it! Tune into your own body and find what works for you. It took me a while playing around with which food groups sit best with me but as soon as I adopted this approach, my body started healing.
Do you guys have any top tips for a healthy gut? Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @headoverhealing
