Gut Health 101 (and the Best Probiotics You Can Order on Amazon)
I always tell clients that no matter what the health concern or health goal, odds are you can start healing with your gut. The gut is the center of the entire body, and it's where our insides come in contact with the outside world through digesting food (weird but true, right!?). The process of breaking down foods creates bioactive compounds that will either heal your health or lead to inflammation (BTW, Frank Lipman, MD says imbalanced gut is the #1 cause for inflammation in the body). A healthy gut is necessary for all functions of the body, whether it's skin health, brain health, or the strength of the immune system, so if you're looking for the biggest bang for your buck, the gut is the place to focus your time and effort.
3 Steps to Achieve a Healthy Gut:
I like to think of getting gut-healthy practices in three steps: 1. Remove 2. Replace 3. Repair
For "remove" we all likely have some bad bacteria, yeast, or parasites in our gut during this day and age, whether it's from processed foods, environmental toxins, or antibiotics taken (even from our childhood). This isn't a big deal, as long as we do what we can to remove as much of the bad bacteria as possible by limiting "trigger foods" that are bad for the gut (or that don't agree with your digestive system).
For the second step, "replace" the bad bacteria with good bacteria through probiotics, organic greens (and other whole foods), and fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, or kombucha. Make sure you're also getting in prebiotics (a type of fiber that's food for the good bacteria).
Now for step three, I'm sure you've heard of "leaky gut," which is where bacteria and toxins are able to "leak" through the intestinal wall (I know, I hate that word too). No matter your (or your doctor's) opinion on leaky gut, we can all afford to care about repairing and building up our intestinal wall to make it as healthy as possible. Glutamine is one of the amino acids that's most commonly believed to repair lining.
Gut issues are some of the most undiagnosed problems in the country, so if you do feel like you're dealing with gut issues (whether it shows up as constipation, chronic bloat, indigestion, upset stomach, etc.), talk to your doctor about the possibility of SIBO, FODMAP intolerance, other food sensitivities, or IBS (PSA: if your doctor tells you, "that's normal, you're fine" OR "take this medication without trying any changes with your diet," then find a new doctor!!
“A healthy gut is necessary for all functions of the body, whether it's skin health, brain health, or the strength of the immune system. If you're looking for the biggest bang for your buck, the gut is the place to focus your time and effort.”
The Healthy Gut Diet:
You can find natural probiotics (or "good bacteria") in many foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, some (sugar-free) yogurts, pickles, sourdough, miso, tempeh, and kombucha. Just make sure that these foods are as unprocessed as possible, and preferably organic to ensure you're getting enough probiotic strains. You can find prebiotics (or food for the good bacteria) in foods like onions, bananas, asparagus, apples, and garlic, but you can also take a prebiotic supplement like inulin powder to make sure you're getting enough (I like mine mixed in my coffee on an empty stomach!). Besides probiotics and prebiotics, the gut will benefit from eating any natural foods from the earth that we were meant to eat. Load up on fresh fruits and vegetables, get plenty of healthy fats (like avocados, olive oil, and ghee), and make nuts, seeds, and spices a staple in your pantry.
Exercise for Gut Health:
Some recent studies suggest that exercise is linked to increases in good bacteria and enriches microbial diversity (AKA you're getting more of the good guys in your gut when you move your body on a consistent basis). To keep your gut health in tip-top shape, aim for about 30 minutes of movement a day (PS: it doesn't have to be vigorous or difficult, just get moving! Go for a walk, do some yoga, or dance around your kitchen).
Stress-Management for Gut Health:
Not only can stress cause gut problems, but gut problems can cause stress and mood issues such as anxiety and depression, since 95% of the serotonin we have (the happy hormone) is made in the gut. Stress affects gut problems because stress shuts down the digestive system, which is purely biological. Think about it; back in the day when humans would have to run from a tiger or a bear, they wouldn’t be able to run as fast because some of their energy was going towards digesting a large meal they had recently eaten. So as a survival mechanism, our digestion shuts down when the flight-or-fight response comes on. Unfortunately for us, we're no longer in the cavemen days and "stress" looks more like deadlines at work than running from a tiger. However, the gut doesn't know the difference, so stress causes the digestive system to shut down and therefore causes gut problems.
Gut Health for Glowy Skin:
I actually think of my own skin health as an insight to what's going on with my gut. If I have a breakout, I know something might be going on in the digestive system, because that's how much of a correlation there is between the gut and the skin. If your gut is not healthy, this affects the absorption of nutrients and vitamins in foods, which then can cause everything from rosacea to breakouts. If your skin is not responding to treatments or a consistent skincare routine, the issue could be in your diet and/or gut health.
The Cleanest, Highest-Quality Probiotics You Can Order on Amazon:
Ora Organic Probiotics with Prebiotics for Sensitive Stomachs
Raw Probiotic: Organic Probiotics with Prebiotics & Digestive Enzymes
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