7 Tips to Improve Your Gut and Digestive Health for Sustainable Wellness

It was estimated in 2020 that at least 4 out of every 10 adults in the world suffer with some sort of diagnosed gastrointestinal disorder, and this wasn’t even considering the growing number of people living every day with some sort of gut or digestive discomfort.  Gut and digestive health issues are growing more common globally.  They’re some of the most common chronic illnesses and symptoms that people deal with on a day-to-day basis. 

I’m sure someone that you or someone you know has experienced a chronic gut health problem like constipation, diarrhea, or bloating; or received a diagnosis like IBS, colitis, SIBO, gastritis Candida, leaky gut, or celiac disease.  These conditions continue to become more and more common and unfortunately traditional medicine and science overlooks the root causes that are underlying these issues.

At this time all traditional medicine offers is a myriad of what I call “temporary management solutions”, many of which are in the form of pharmaceuticals that also have negative long term side effects. Today I’m going to give you natural and holistic tips to improve your gut and digestive health that are going to actually target the root cause of most gut health problems. 

First let me talk with you about what exactly is going on at the core, what’s causing the problems in your gut.  You know, often people are being told that inflammation is at the root of the gut health problem. But inflammation is not the root cause.  It’s important to remember that inflammation is a sign, a symptom, but not a cause.  This is the case with Candida too, another common scapegoat for gut and digestive health issues.  

Inflammation and an overgrowth of Candida-are indications that there is a deeper problem.  When a doctor or a provider tells you that inflammation or a Candida overgrowth is the cause of something, your question should be “what’s causing the inflammation?” “what’s causing the overgrowth of Candida?”

Inflammation is coming from a pathogen like a virus or bacteria, such as, E. Coli, or Epstein-Barr virus.  It can also come from a toxic, or sluggish liver.  

How do livers get toxic and sluggish?  Honestly, for a lot of different reasons that build up over time.  In general, it tends to be from living a human lifetime in which the liver has been overburdened by typical exposures to toxins like heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, a high fat, high protein lifestyle, alcohol, recreational drugs, over-the-counter medications, and so much more. 

Ultimately, pathogens and sluggish livers are often the true root of the problem when it comes to gut and digestive health issues.  The liver playing a central role in gut health issues tends to be one major area where traditional medicine is missing the mark with gut and digestive health. 

Since your liver is central to the health of your gut and digestive health it’s really important to understand the health of your liver and to address it.  The liver serves multiple different functions like breaking down fats and storing and delivering nutrients.  It acts like a natural sponge because it absorbs pathogens and toxins to protect you from them.

A healthy liver should be able to easily get rid of the toxins and pathogens it’s storing to totally cleanse them from your body.  But a sluggish liver can’t cleanse, and the pathogens and toxins get stuck.  The reason this happens is typically due to the human lifestyle, because the liver becomes sluggish from being overburdened by toxins, pathogens, and fats.  

As a result, the liver can’t produce the bile that it needs to break down fats.  The liver needs to be able to break down those fats to remove them along with the other junk it’s storing.  When the liver becomes overburdened and doesn’t have the capacity to break down fats and cleanse properly, it starts to become sluggish.  Of course the longer the liver is sluggish the greater the risk for chronic health problems like gut and digestive health issues.

One final factor that contributes to gut and digestive health is hydrochloric acid from the stomach.  Hydrochloric acid is required to break down proteins that also can cause damage in the intestinal tract, if they’re not broken down properly.  It can be the case that hydrochloric acid is not properly balanced, leading to inefficient digestion of proteins, additional gut and digestive health issues, and discomfort.

Now that you understand just a little bit about what’s really going on underneath the surface, and what causes gut and digestive health, let me break down a couple of common myths. 

Myth #1: High fat and high protein is the best diet for sustainable gut and digestive health.

Although sometimes they are often encouraged, diets that are high in fat and protein will not help you heal your gut and digestive health issues.  Ultimately in time, diet trends that are high in fat and protein are going to burden the liver and cause damage to the intestinal tract.  These diets can contribute to future inflammation and continue to cause problems like bloating, constipation, and more severe diagnoses.  There are a lot of trends out there that in the gut and digestive health world that people advocate for that are simply not safe if your goal is lasting health and wellness. That being said, one of those trends is a high fat, high protein diet. 

Myth #2: Detoxifying cleanses using clays are a safe, healthy way to support gut and digestive health.

Detoxing and cleansing supplements and products containing clays are another common gut and digestive health trend.  Internal clays are very harsh on the intestines.  When you ingest these, the clay acts as sandpaper scraping the sides of the intestinal tract and this can be very damaging for gut and digestive health.  Harsh cleanses and diatomaceous earth that include clays are causing the body more harm than good.

Okay, let’s talk tips for gut and digestive health.  Here are some of the best tips for healing for lasting gut and digestive health that I can recommend.  These are designed to help target those root causes that are at the core of gut and digestive health issues.

Tip #1:  Avoid the foods that fuel gut and digestive health problems.

First, let’s talk about what to stay away from: eggs, dairy, and gluten.  It’s best to stay away from eggs if you’re dealing with any type of gut and digestive health problems or symptoms.  Eggs feed the pathogens that are the underlying root cause of those very gut health problems. Here’s why.  

I know a lot of people love eggs, but they truly are the favorite food of pathogens that are underlying gut and digestive health problems in general.  Eggs used to be a helpful and safe food but years ago humans started to use eggs to study viruses in a laboratory setting.  As a result, eggs now pose a threat to human health, so it’s best to avoid them if you’re experiencing any gut and digestive health problems despite what you’ve been told or encouraged to do by other types of providers. 

Dairy and gluten are the some of the other favorite foods of pathogens that cause gut and digestive health problems.  If you’re experiencing any gut and digestive health problems and you do not want them to become or remain chronic, it’s best to try to avoid these things or use healthier alternatives. 

Tip #2: Go all out with fruit if you want long-term gut and digestive health.

One of the best things you can do for gut health is to eat fruit.  I’ve talked about fruit before and it tends to get a bad rap out in the traditional health care world, which is really a shame because it’s all a complete myth. 

Fruit should be one of the first things you eat every day (if not THE first thing).  Having an abundance of any type of fruit is one of the most powerful things you can do to heal from any type of gut and digestive health problems including severe diagnoses like IBS, SIBO, celiac disease, leaky gut, or colitis. 

Banana and papaya are some of the most powerful healing foods for gut health issues. Bananas help to flush and remove pathogens out of the gastrointestinal tract.  Try blending some banana and papaya together with a little bit of water for a healing smoothie.  Or, you blend some celery with papaya- one of the healthiest things you can do for your gut and digestive health.

Dates are also great because they help with peristalsis, the muscular movement of your intestines that moves things through your GI tract.  If you’re struggling with constipation, dates are extremely helpful to restore that natural movement. 

Fruit is best eaten in the morning.  Try a breakfast full of fresh fruit or making a fresh fruit smoothie to start the day and support your gut and digestive health!

Tip #3: Celery juice is AMAZING for gut and digestive health.

Celery juice is another one of the best things that you can do for your gut and digestive health. This is because celery juice contains mineral salts that helps to build up hydrochloric acid and keep it balanced in the body.  It’s one of the most powerful things that you can do every day.  

Try to drink up to 16 ounces of celery juice on an empty stomach every single day. It will help to do things like soothe the nerves along your intestinal tract, heal the lining of your intestinal tract, eliminate poisons from your liver, and it will also make your digestion less sensitive.

Cucumber juice is also another excellent option if celery juice is challenging for you.  It’s most effective to drink celery juice plain.  If that’s hard for you to tolerate you can add a little bit of apple or lemon but give it a chance on its own.  You can build up to 16 ounces! 

Tip #4: Probiotics and elevated biotics for gut and digestive health.

Probiotics can be beneficial. However, a majority of probiotic supplements are not helpful at all. One of the best things you can do to get true probiotics, is to do something to incorporate elevated biotics into your body.

Elevated biotics are microscopic organisms that cover the leaves and skins of any raw and unwashed, or, just lightly rinsed organic produce.  There is a probiotic film contained within the elevated biotics, and this really acts as a natural probiotic to the body. Trying to get these farm fresh, organic produce or homegrown produce will really help with this.  If you’re looking for a helpful probiotic, I recommend Mary Ruth’s or Enzymedica Pro-Bio. 

Tip #5: Hydration is KEY for gut and digestive health.

Hydration is extremely important for gut and digestive health. Pro-tip: drink lemon water.  Lemon water helps to flush toxins, pathogens, and junk out of your body.  

Drinking plenty of water is known to have a beneficial effect on gut and digestive health in general.  It also has a positive effect on the mucosal lining of the intestinal tract.  Hydration helps to maintain a balanced state of healthy flora, which is good and bad bacteria, inside of your gut.  

Hydrating is an important and easy way to maintain your gut and digestive health. Try to drink a minimum of at least eight, eight ounce glasses of water each day. If you drink lemon water, the citrus in the lemon will also help to stimulate your colon, and drinking that lemon water in the morning will help break down other foods and things that are stuck in the GI tract.

Tip #6:  Take care of your immune system for optimal gut and digestive health.

The stronger your immune system is, the better it’s going to be able to fight off the pathogens and all of the underlying root causes of the gut and digestive health issues that you may be experiencing.  Do things to boost your immune system such as take a liquid zinc sulfate, and vitamin C regularly.  Making sure you get enough rest each night is also important for the immune system.  

Tied to the immune system is the next tip which is managing the stress in your life.  This is something you’ve probably heard me talk about in other blog posts and elsewhere.  I’m an extremely huge advocate for addressing stress for long-term health and wellness. 

Tip #7: Keep your stress in-check to protect your gut and digestive health.

Stress is one of the biggest underlying factors that is standing in the way of people experiencing optimal health. Stress disrupts the functional interaction between the nervous system and the immune system. These systems are directly connected to your gut health. 

Make sure you’re doing things every day to check in with yourself.  If the stress in your life is out of control, consider visiting some of my other blog posts for tips for managing your stress.

Finding positive ways to deal with stress are going to be very very important and necessary.  Sometimes that means allowing yourself just to rest and take a step back. When you’re stressed you tend to hold tension in your guts and bellies.  

Doing this over time also trains your digestive systems to hold on to tension and stress.  As they do so they become more restricted and constrictive, creating more symptoms as a result of that tension. 

When you find yourself stressed throughout the day, place your hands over your abdomen and just take a deep breath in and fill your lungs all the way to the top as much as you possibly can, full of air.  Then open up your mouth and let all the air slowly empty out of your lungs.  Feel your hand as it rests on your abdomen, allowing all of the muscles of your belly and your abdomen to just relax completely and melt.  Make sure that you’re releasing and not hanging on to any tension or stress physically.  

Other helpful herbs and remedies for gut health are peppermint, coriander, ginger, caraway, cardamom, and fennel.  These are all beneficial for gut and digestive health.  

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