Best Way To Heal Your Gut

Where I Am Today:

I feel like a newborn baby. A completely different human. I look back on who I was when my GI was at its worst before gut healing protocol, I cant even believe that was me.

I would consider my GI to be mostly normal now. I can eat many of the higher FODMAP foods I had to steer clear of, like onions, garlic, asparagus, etc. The gas is completely gone, I have regular bowel movements, and my small bouts of constipation are short-lived. My anxiety has lifted, my energy is great, and my skin glows!

My thyroid function is in the normal range.

My hormones are still whacky, but Im fine with that being a work in progress. The process of balancing them is not an anxiety-ridden concept the way healing my gut was.

Im in a healthy, loving relationship with an individual who knows my health history and cares that I remain healthy. Hes the most honest and giving person I know and I cant believe I lucked out to have him in my life.

Follow me on for more health-related content and for updates on my health

You can read more about where Im at today here: An Update on My Gut Health Life After IBS.

I take it one day at a time. I try not to get stuck in the feedback loop of needing to control, needing to micromanage my health.

I notice if I eat too much sugar, I get incredibly depressed, so while I absolutely have a sweet tooth, I try to keep it under control. Im definitely an abstainer by nature, not a moderator, so for me it works best to eat zero sugar.

xoxo

Probiotics And Prebiotics: Two Gut

These two terms probiotics and prebiotics are becoming more widely known, so youve probably heard them.

Probiotics are beneficial good gut bugs. And prebiotics are food for these bacteria.

You can get both probiotics and prebiotics by eating the right foods.

Probiotics are found in fermented foods, as well as in some supplements. And prebiotics are found in certain fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The most central prebiotic of all is fiber.

S To Take To Heal Your Gut

At Academy of Healing Nutrition, we stress the importance of the microbiome, the healthy bacteria that live in our intestines and make digestion, absorption and immunity possible.

We know that a healthy gut underlies brain health, organ health, skin and hair health and immunity to illness because the nutrition that is digested and absorbed in the gut passes into our blood. The gut is a passageway into the body. At the Academy, we learn which foods and herbs are beneficial and how to correctly prepare foods that challenge gut health.

Below are a few of the most important steps one can take if they are looking to heal their gut naturally.

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Ways To Heal Your Gut

This post contains affiliate links. Learn what that means here. Also please note that I am not a doctor, and check out my disclaimer.

I started my health journey when I was diagnosed with Hashimotos. I thought that thats what it was always going to be about healing Hashimotos, healing hormones, and balancing my thyroid. I was in denial that I had digestive issues my whole life I thought they were normal, and that it had nothing to do with my thyroid. However, nothing changed with my Hashimotos until I took control of my gut health and started the journey to heal my gut. I read all of the books, listened to all of the podcasts, saw all of the doctors, went to school to study nutrition, and slowly but surely, my very being morphed into a lifestyle rooted in gut health. Thus Im here to tell you how to do the same with 50 ways to heal your gut!

The common misconception is that gut health only relates to digestive health and that if dont have any obvious digestive issues like bloating or reflux, our gut health is fine. This is far from the truth! Our gut health is connected to everything in our body, such as

• Autoimmunity like Hashimotos

Its not just folks like me with chronic illness who need some gut healing! We could all benefit from some short-term gut healing, and a lifestyle thats more conducive to maintaining a healthier gut in general!

Try A Green Powder Drink Daily

If we were hanging back in the 1990s, I would suggest that you hold your nose and drink your green shake as fast as you can. Because historically thats been the only way to stomach this fairly putrid, but amazingly healthy concoction.

Thankfully though, green powders have gotten a lot more palatable thanks to smarter ingredient combinations and of course, better and better natural sweeteners like stevia.

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Eat More Whole Grains Nuts Load Up On Veggies Beans And Fresh Fruits

Here is yet another reason to eat fresh, whole foods. Barley, oats, quinoa, bulger, and other whole grains have fiber that we need to bulk up our intestines and help things to move through.

Whole grains then become a type of feed for the bacteria inhabiting the microbiome. It may sound strange that we have all these minute bacteria floating around in there, but they keep things running smoothly.

Eating more whole grains has been shown to increase the types and numbers of bacteria in our gut. The same is true of nuts, so pick up a variety of walnuts, pecans, pistachios or almonds, remembering that a serving is what fits into the palm of your hand.

Whole, fresh vegetables, beans and legumes, and a variety of fresh fruits serve as nutrition for the bacteria in our gut. Shop your local farmers market for fresh, whole foods in season and prepare your microbiome for your locale.

After The Starve & Kill Phases Reinoculate Your Gut

This is such an important step, because if we mess up here or simply avoid step 3 altogether then all the hard work weve done up until this point may end up being for nothing.

You see, in order to support healthy candida levels , we need to reinoculate our gut with good bacteria. This ensures the good bacteria, just like bouncers at a club, will be strong enough in numbers to support a healthy balance of the candida population going forward78. Meaning we will have no need to constantly be fighting candida with antifungals.

To reinoculate your gut all you need to do is

1) eat probiotic-rich foods like fermented vegetables several times a week and

2) consider taking a 40-50 billion CFUs probiotic supplement with 10+ different strains, like this probiotic my research team at Essential Stacks and I developed.

IDEA #13

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What Is Yeast Overgrowth

Your gut is home to a trillion microbes and to a form of yeast called Candida albicans. In a healthy gut, the presence of Candida is unremarkable but when it starts to overgrow, you experience discomfort including but not limited to tiredness, headaches, constipation or diarrhea, trapped wind, joint pain, and an increased craving for sweet food.

Enjoy A Glass Of Green Juice

Green vegetables are rich in living phytonutrients and are highly alkalising, assisting your body to cleanse, heal and nourish in a perfect environment. They can also assist the body to detoxify.

Enjoy Healthy Chef Everyday Greens daily, a superfood blend containing cold-pressed greens, probiotics and L-Glutamine to support digestive health.

Also Check: How To Get Rid Of Candida In The Gut

If You Like Beer Then Try To Find A Gluten Free Beer

Sadly, normal beer should be a permanent no go for us leaky gutters. Seriously. It is literally the worst alcohol you can drink as it combines gluten and yeast and sugar all into one horrible package.

If you decide that the nice bitter taste of beer on a hot summers day is just too good to say adios to, then search out a gluten free beer.

Let me firstly wish you good luck in finding one that tastes good.

And secondly, let me remind us that gluten-free beers are still made from grains, still come packed with yeast and although not as bad as gluten-based beers, they sure as heck arent helping our guts stay in good health.

So my best advice is to just avoid ALL beer indefinitely.

Admittedly, I personally have a gluten-free beer a couple times during summer. But thats just about it.

Healthy Gut Happy Human

In most cases, supplements arent needed to support a healthy gut. They can help, but what you eat is by far the most important factor.

New York Times columnist Jane Brody sums up good gut-health advice, saying: People interested in fostering a health-promoting array of gut microorganisms should consider shifting from a diet heavily based on meats, carbohydrates and processed foods to one that emphasizes plants.

If you aim to follow the recommendations in this article, youll be supporting better bathroom habits, a healthier immune response and even a better, brighter mood. Take care of your gut, and it will give you the TLC you need.

Let us know in the comments:

• Do you have any tips for good gut health?
• What do you think are the best foods for gut health?

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The 2 Best Tests For Leaky Gut

These tests are definitely interesting, but can be quite expensive and sometimes inconclusive. So as with everything, speak to your doctor to see if they make sense for you.

Hormones And Hormone Imbalance: An Overview

Hormones are chemical signals in the body that help regulate a variety of internal processes that contribute to your mental, emotional, and physical wellness. A hormonal imbalance means there is either too much or not enough of a certain hormone in your bloodstream.

Because hormones influence such a wide scope of physiological functions, even the smallest imbalance can have serious health implications. For example, all of the following issues are commonly associated with a chronic, untreated hormonal imbalance:

• Abnormal metabolism
• Unexplained weight fluctuations

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Then: Pancreas Liver Gallbladder

Along the way, the pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and bile duct play important roles in our digestive process. The pancreas secretes digestive enzymes into the small intestine to help break down proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, while also producing the hormones insulin and glucagon to help regulate our blood sugar. The liver, which is the largest solid organ in the body, is the bodys primary site of protein-building. The liver produces a green liquid, called bile, which is secreted into the gallbladder, which when needed releases the bile into the small intestine to help break down dietary fats. In turn, the small intestine sends carbohydrates, fats, and other nutrients to the liver, where they are converted into protein and glucose, to be used as fuel for the body.

Do Breathing Exercises Before And After Each Meal

100% natural solutions to health problems are the best. They cost nothing and theyre always available to you. And this probably rates up there with the most effective.

The benefit to your leaky gut from this idea is that deep breathing before and after a meal will reduce stress on the body so it can focus on digestion. And as a side effect it will get you in the zone to eat mindfully, eg chew more, eat slower etc.

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Symptoms Of Leaky Gut

The symptoms of leaky gut syndrome can vary. Some of the common ones include the following:

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• Food sensitivities

One of the biggest warning signs that you may have a leaky gut is that youre experiencing multiple food sensitivities.

Partially digested protein and fat can seep through your intestinal lining and make their way into your bloodstream, which will cause an allergic response. This isnt a severe food allergy that would cause your throat to close up, but the allergic response can lead to one of the symptoms mentioned above.

If left untreated, a leaky gut can lead to more severe health issues like inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome , SIBO, arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, depression,anxiety, and autoimmune diseases such as Crohns disease or Hashimotos. These symptoms are general, making the diagnosis difficult. You may consider taking the leaky gut test, which is a urine exam that some labs now offer.

Super Fruits To Improve Gut Health

These super fruits are prebiotic foods for good bacteria in the gut. Add them to your healthy gut diet to restore your intestinal lining, strengthen your gut wall, and combat inflammation.

Find out the perfect foods for your gut bacteria with the Atlas Microbiome Test and get personalised weekly recommendations to improve digestive health.

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If You Can Breastfeed For At Least 6 Months

A babys microbiome begins to properly develop at birth. However, studies suggest that babies may be exposed to some bacteria even before birth .

During the first 2 years of life, an infants microbiome is continuously developing and is rich in beneficial Bifidobacteria, which can digest the sugars found in breast milk .

Many studies have shown that infants who are fed formula have an altered microbiome with fewer Bifidobacteria than infants who are breastfed (

38 ).

A number of studies have shown that vegetarian diets may benefit the gut microbiome, which may be due to their high fiber content.

For example, one small 2013 study found that a vegetarian diet led to reduced levels of disease-causing bacteria in people with obesity, as well as reductions in body weight, inflammation, and cholesterol levels .

A 2019 review noted that plant foods are rich in specific nutrients that can increase levels of beneficial bacteria and decrease harmful strains of bacteria to support gut health .

However, it is unclear if the benefits of a vegetarian diet on the gut microbiome are due to a lack of meat intake or if other factors may also play a role.

Summary

Vegetarian and vegan diets may improve the microbiome. However, it is unclear if the positive effects associated with these diets can be attributed to a lack of meat intake or if other factors may be involved.

I Often Hear People Say L

But the minute they mention the amount they are taking, I straight away know why.

You see, when it comes to leaky gut in order to get the positive effects from L-Glutamine you cant simply take 1-2g a day. Instead, you may need to consider taking a high dosage and then a significant maintenance dosage.

Of course, it is worth saying that some peoples bodies just dont agree with L-Glutamine. And so as with everything on this site, it is worth talking about to your doctor first.

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Garlic: A Pungent Spicy Vegetable Closely Related To Onions

The ultimate in food flavorings, this tasty additive is also great for your gut health.

A 2013 in-vitro study in Food Science and Human Wellness found that garlic boosted the creation of good gut microbes. The research showed that garlic might also help prevent some gastrointestinal diseases.

So go wild! Throw garlic into many of your favorite foods. And try to include some raw garlic, too, because it has the most prebiotic benefits.

Ways To Improve Your Gut Bacteria Based On Science

There are around 40 trillion bacteria in your body, most of which are found in your gut.

Collectively, they are known as your gut microbiome, and theyre incredibly important for overall health. However, certain types of bacteria in your intestines can also contribute to many diseases.

Many factors, including the foods you eat, can impact the type of bacteria found in your digestive tract.

Here are 9 science-based ways to improve your gut bacteria.

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Download The Healthy Gut Diet

This includes the best foods for gut health and your daily plan to heal your gut naturally.

For a more comprehensive 28 DAY EATING PROGRAM FOR GUT HEALTH, downloadThe Healthy Chef Appand and start your 7-day free trial. Follow the eating plan and recipes and follow wellness tips from our nutritionalists. The recipes included in the 28-day program are also low FODMAP and gluten free.

Enjoy your journey of healthy eating with balance, wisdom and moderation.

My Gut Healing Protocol:

This is the protocol Dena developed for me to help heal my gut. Im keeping it vague because I dont want anyone to repeat my protocol without working closely with a medical professional. Everyones microbiome and healing process is unique. I still take all of the same supplements I began taking during the killoff phase in order to give my gut the support it needs to heal.

• Antibiotics to kill blastocystis hominis and h. Pylori. I used Praziquantel which is commonly prescribed for blasto and some other parasites. Again, I went the pharmaceutical route instead of using natural antimicrobials.
• Probiotics to restore my gut flora.
• GI Revive a combination of L-Glutamine, marshmallow root, and slippery elm to heal my leaky gut. This supplement has been truly transformative for healing my gut.
• Beef gelatin to help heal leaky gut
• Iron Supplement to bring up my ferritin levels.
• Digestive Enzymes and Ox Bile with every meal, to help break down protein, carbohydrate, and fat.
• Magnesium to support good digestion, sleep, and hormone health.
• Electrolytes for hydration and brain health. I didnt realize I was chronically dehydrated until I started adding electrolytes to my water and instantly had more energy and focus.
• Colostrum to boost my Secretory IgA levels. I use colostrum derived from goat milk because I find I tolerate goat dairy better than cows dairy.
• Low-inflammatory diet, moderate exercise, avoiding the foods Im sensitive to.

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