Changing your Microbiome to improve your Health

Gut Health - Time to make a change!
The really exciting news regarding your microbiome is that it only takes 3 days of eating for health to change.  It does take longer to heal the gut lining itself (3 months to a year depending on actions taken) but in the meantime you will start to feel better both physically and mentally! Cravings will dissipate, weight will drop off, hormones will balance, mood will improve, inflammation will lessen, you will get better sleep, and lastly, gas and bloating will disappear.  Hopefully, feeling this much better will be the incentive to keep you on track.  
Here are my recommendations for healing the gut:  

1.  Feed your gut prebiotic foods which are the foods that feed the healthy bugs in your gut.  Specifically, eat pomegranate, apples, asparagus, banana, beetroot, cabbage, garlic, leeks, oats, snow peas, and shallots/scallions.  A little more unusual but equally effective are green banana flour,  chicory root and dandelion greens. 
   
2. Eat probiotic foods such as yogurt, kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, miso, and pickles. These foods have live microorganisms in them or beneficial bacteria which have profound effects on all systems in your body.  Without the prebiotics, probiotics are not as productive.  You need both. 
   
3. Eat foods high in digestive enzymes like pineapple, papaya, mango, raw honey, bananas, avocados, kiwifruit, ginger and most fermented foods as listed above.  Our bodies need digestive enzymes to break down food into smaller molecules and a lack in this area can result in gas and bloating or increased food intolerances.  If you do not have a gallbladder you should be taking digestive enzymes daily.  
   
4.  Eat fiber rich foods such as beans, whole grains, apples, spinach;, broccoli, flaxseeds, raspberries, carrots, chia seeds and quinoa.  Fiber increases the transit time of food being digested and ensures regular elimination. Food left too long in the body allows more toxins to be released into the blood.  
   
5. Skip the sugar and artificial sweeteners as they cause gut dysbiosis, an imbalance of the gut microbes.  Sugar feeds the bad bugs and smothers the good ones creating ama or yeast in the body.  Artificial sweeteners destroy the gut lining and increase certain strains of bugs that are linked with metabolic disease.  Aspartame has been shown to raise blood glucose levels just like regular white sugar.  
   
6.  Go on a chemical free diet - chemicals in our foods, household products and in the environment can negatively affect our microbiome by killing microbes, changing their growth rate and changing or killing off the nutrients in the gut.  All those vitamins and micronutrients may never be absorbed into our systems if the toxins kill them off first. Soak your fruit and vegetables before eating as it helps remove pesticides and kills bad bacteria.  
   
7. Eliminate Gluten - this is still a controversial topic but more and more research is pointing to the benefits of eliminating gluten for the health of your gut microbiome and general gut health . Gluten triggers the immune system to react and it reacts with inflammation or irritation to the small intestine. Digestive dysfunction like gas and bloating are often the result.  
   
8. Consider intermittent fasting -  if you want to heal your gut then you need to give it a rest from the constant barrage of foods; we are not only eating too much we are eating constantly and our bodies can not cope. They  are spending so much time digesting they never have time to repair and heal.  Try not eating any food after 7 p.m. and leave at least 8 to 12 hours before breaking your fast.  
   
9. Reduce stress - the root cause of all disease can be attributed to stressors.  Psychological stress isn't the only type that affects the gut microbiome.  Environmental stress, toxic overload, sleep deprivation and anything that disrupts the circadian rhythm can negatively affect your gut microbiome.  Not providing your body with the proper nutrients puts an incredible physical stress on the body as does eating the wrong foods. Reduce stressors and learn to cope with those you can not change.​
   

Heal the gut and you heal the body. This may be one of the most important journeys you take on your way to good health.  It involves some dedication and lifestyle changes but it can be done.  You will see symptoms, aches and pains and even some diseases disappear with a healthy gut.  

Please share and stay tuned for part 4, supplements for the gut.