Our digestive system is a beautiful, robust landscape full of microorganisms that, when in a good balance, serve our bodies to keep us healthy and happy. When those trillions of bacteria, viruses, and yeasts are out of balance, it can cause a variety of bigger picture issues. From mental health to digestive health, hearth health and so much more, being proactive with our digestive system is imperative. So what do you do to improve gut health? Let’s take a look at some simple things you can do at home and in your day-to-day life that can help keep your digestive system healthy.

Gut Health – a Quick Explanation

It’s widely accepted in the Integrated Wellness field that our digestive system and gut health have a huge impact on our overall health. At IWC, we look at your overall health instead of just treating individual symptoms through the use of functional medicine. When it comes to the microbiome inside of our digestive tract an unhealthy balance of microorganisms can lower our immune response, allow bad bacteria and viruses to impact other areas of our body, and can make us susceptible to illness and infection. 

Below are some great ways to help improve gut health through diet and other factors anyone can handle right at home.

• Cut back on refined foods and processed sugars – Most processed foods contain high amounts of sugar – it’s why we love them so much. Our brains crave that sweet, easy to eat food. But too much sugar can cause an increase in harmful gut bacteria, and these increases can impact our brains and mood. 
• Reduce stress – This one is unfortunately sometimes easier said than done, but higher levels of stress in your life negatively impacts those tiny microorganisms working so hard to keep us healthy. For more about how stress impacts our digestive system, read our blog here. 
• Get enough sleep! – Deep sleep is imperative to overall mind and body wellness. Deep sleep is the time when our bodies repair and heal, and without it, our stress levels go up, and our gut health declines. 

Probiotics for gut health are a great way to reintroduce good bacteria back into your gut microbiome. A few great probiotic foods include greek yogurt, kefir, and fermented foods like kombucha and kimchi.

• Use green cleaning products – While a clean home is important, using harsh disinfectants can kill off good bacteria and can impact what we touch, and in turn what we put in our bodies. Using products that are less harsh can improve your gut health. A recent study observed that infants exposed to harsh disinfectants had a higher occurrence of type 2 diabetes and other associated health issues.
• Get enough exercise – Exercise has been shown to improve gut health independently of diet and nutrition! Exercise is great for anyone of any age, but even being moderately active can assist your body stay healthy from head to toe. 
• Consider a probiotic and supplements – Adding probiotics to your diet is a great way to reintroduce good microorganisms back into your body. A good source for probiotics is greek yogurt.

These are simple additions to your daily life that can help boost and improve gut health, especially if you know you have some imbalances taking place in your digestive system. If you’d like a consultation with us here at the Integrated Wellness Clinic, we’d love to help! Getting your gut working the way it’s meant to is just the first step in starting your journey to wellness and good health with functional medicine!