Gut Health 101
Gut health is one of the first places we start when looking at the body through a holistic lens? Find out why!
Digestion and all it’s parts
Our gut is constantly in use, digesting and absorbing food, protecting us from bacteria and pathogens, responding to our stress signals and eliminating waste from our body. A large part of our immune system is in our guts due to this constant high traffic and activity. For many people, symptoms of poor health (from eczema to allergies to depression) can have a connection back to the gut, so it’s important to understand how the gut functions, what can impact it’s ability to function and how we can best support it.
What does our gut need best to function?
A calm, relaxed state is the only way our digestive system functions optimally. Consuming balanced meals prioritizing whole foods will regulate blood sugar and supply adequate nutrients to support our health. Daily movement, adequate hydration and the reduction of plastics, alcohol and harsh chemicals in household cleaning and beauty products are also important.
What dysregulates the gut?
Have you ever heard the phrase “rest and digest” or the opposite “fight or flight”? Chronic stress of a job, raising a family or caregiving for a parent, financial stress or socio-economic status can all play a role in impacting our gut health as well as acute trauma like sickness, loss of a loved one or job and poor sleep.
Consuming imbalanced meals dysregulates blood sugar which increases cortisol, disrupts sleep and other hormones, causing more stress on the body. Regulating blood sugar doesn’t mean cutting our all carbohydrates or never having sugar again. Regulating blood sugar looks a meal or snack that prioritized protein, fiber (vegetables), healthy fats and some other carb sources.
Stress can cause an increased need for certain nutrients which is why the adequate intake of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants is crucial. Specific nutrients drive the production of digestive enzymes to break down food, support the liver and energy pathways to utilize the food and excrete the waste digestion produces. The nutrients we bring in also help to feed the bacteria that reside in our digestive tract. We can consume prebiotic fibers which feed the healthy bacteria or probiotic fibers which help to increase the abundance of the bacteria to maintain diversity of the “good guys”. These bacteria have an impact on our mood, immune system and metabolism.
Some medications can harm the gut including common heartburn supplements like antacids, H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors. These medications can reduce stomach acid too much, which inhibits the digestion of proteins, some minerals and vitamin B12. It also encourages the growth of harmful bacteria like H. Pylori, which survives in lower acidic states. NSAIDs and aspirin both damage the gut lining if taken regularly over a long period of time. This can lead to ulcers and inflammation in the gut. Frequently used antibiotics can also dysregulate the gut by killing off the good bacteria along with the bad. This leads to low abundance of bacteria and opportunity for pathogenic bacteria to proliferate in place of the beneficial ones.
Alcohol causes inflammation and damages the gut lining. Harsh chemicals, like BPAs in plastic, household cleaning products and beauty products can trigger inflammation in the body. Ground water and well water is another place that we can see harmful chemicals, like hormones and pharmaceuticals that enter the water supply from factory farming and waste.
Genetics also play a major role in our health. Everyone will experience symptoms at varying levels of intensity. Those with a family history may be predisposed to certain conditions like anxiety, inflammatory bowel disease or eczema and may experience symptoms of these conditions doing the same things as someone else who has no symptoms.
What can we do?
Understand the root of your symptoms. GI symptoms are both obvious and unapparent. Food intolerances, heartburn, allergies, eczema, migraines, fatigue, bloating, constipation or diarrhea are all symptoms that should be addressed, but also treated as a symptom, not the root cause. Inflammation is commonly what disrupts proper gut function from the mentioned sources above, which can harm the gut lining, total immune response and cause dysbiosis.
Develop proper digestive hygiene. Just like consuming caffeine before bed is not typically helpful in a sleep routine, we want to make sure we are setting ourselves up for success when we eat.
Eat with less distraction. When we eat distracted like watching TV, working, scrolling social media or rushed standing up or driving our communication signals are more externally focused versus prioritizing the digestion and absorption of nutrients.
Balance meals. Focus on balancing meals and snacks with whole foods prioritizing protein, fiber (vegetables & fruit), healthy fats and some other carb sources.
Remove toxins. Focus on swapping plastic cookware, household chemicals and beauty products for non-toxic versions gradually as you run out.
Reduce stress. The brain gut connection is also very important, many GI symptoms create poor communication signals from the brain to the gut; mindfulness exercises and vagal nerve stimulation can help rewire those communication pathways.
Make these changes last by incorporating one small goal at a time and building upon successes! Remember our health is individual and a process of experimentation to find what works.
Food & Supplements
Prebiotics. Help to feed the beneficial gut flora.
Foods:
Resistance starch: the easiest way is eat cooked and cooled (you can reheat) potatoes and white rice. This reduced the glycemic load and is better for blood sugar regulation.
Garlic, onions, asparagus, bananas, apples, oats & beans
Supplements:
Greens powders (Amazing Grass or Athletic Greens/AG1)
Sunfiber
Probotic+ by Thorne
Probiotcs. Contain some live bacteria and yeast to increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
Foods: Yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, miso & tempeh
Supplements:
Klaire Labs Therbiotic
Microbiome Labs Megaspore
Seeking Health HistaminX (for those with histamine intolerance or mast cell activation)
L-Glutamine. Fuels cells in digestive tract and supports the gut lining. 5g 1-3x per day.
L-Glutamine Powder Pure Encapsulations
Zinc Carnosine. Protects the gut lining, repairs tissue in the GI tract and supports the immune system. 75mg per day.
Zinc Carnosine Integrative Therapeutics
IgG or Colostrum. Heals the gut lining, reduces inflammation and supports the immune response.
ImmunoG PRP Chewables NuMedica
S-Methylmethionine. (Vitamin U). Heals gut lining and supports immune system.
Gastromend-HP Designs for Health
Demulcents. Soothe the gut lining.
DGL Licorice, Marshmallow, Slippery Elm, Aloe
NOTE: the information provided on the site is for educational purposes only, and does not substitute for professional medical advice
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