How To Heal Your Gut With 10 Easy Steps At Home

Last updated on : December 09 2022

Stomach ache

Introduction

Your body contains approximately 40 trillion bacteria, most of which you can find in your gut. They are collectively known as your gut microbiome and are extremely important for overall health. On the other hand, specific types of intestinal bacteria can contribute to various diseases, according to Midss experts.

Your digestive system processes the foods you eat into the nutrients your body requires. If you overlook gut health, your body may have difficulty absorbing those vital nutrients.

You can influence the type of bacteria found in your digestive tract through various factors, including the foods you eat and how you live. Making positive changes can assist your digestive system to work more efficiently and enhance your overall health and sense of well-being.

Are you interested in finding out how to begin? To keep things going smoothly, try incorporating strategies like those below to heal your gut into your daily routine.

How To Heal Your Gut

Your lifestyle and food choices can impact how your body digests what you eat. Here's how to heal your gut at home:

1. Consume A Wide Variety Of Foods

In your intestines, there are hundreds of types of bacteria, each of which plays a particular role in health and needs different nutrients to grow.

Experts believe a diverse microbiome is healthy because the more good bacteria species you have, the more health benefits they can provide.

A diet rich in different food types can result in a more diverse microbiome. Sadly, the traditional Western diet is limited in variety and high in fat and sugar. Only 12 plant and five animal species are thought to produce 75% of the world's food.

Nevertheless, diets in some rural regions are frequently more diverse and richer in various plant sources. And researchers have found that people from rural Africa and South America have much greater gut microbiome diversity than people from urban Europe or the United States.

2. Include Prebiotics And Probiotics In Your Diet

Probiotics are the same good gut bacteria as yeasts found naturally in your digestive system. They protect the body from antibiotics, poor diet, and stress.

Furthermore, probiotics can improve nutrient absorption, help break down lactose, boost your immune system, and may even help treat IBS. People should consume probiotic foods and take probiotic supplements daily, such as low-fat yogurt or other natural supplements.

Prebiotics feed probiotics, allowing them to support healthy probiotic bacteria in the gut. Prebiotic foods, in addition to probiotics, can aid digestion. You can find prebiotics in raw fruits, vegetables, and whole grains such as bananas, oats, onions, and legumes.

3. Eat Lots Of Fruits And Vegetables

The best sources of nutrients for an excellent microbiome are vegetables and fruits. They contain many healthy dietary fiber, which your body cannot digest.

On the other hand, certain beneficial bacteria in your gut can digest fiber, which promotes their growth.

Beans and legumes have a high fiber content as well. High-fiber foods that are beneficial to your gut bacteria include:

Beans
Raspberries
Broccoli
Apples
Whole grains
Bananas
Chickpeas
Artichokes
Lentils

According to one study, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables inhibited the development of some disease-causing bacteria. Artichokes, apples, almonds, blueberries, and pistachios can all boost Bifidobacteria levels in humans.

Bifidobacteria are good bacteria because they can reduce intestinal inflammation and improve gut health.

4. Consume Fermented Foods

Fermented foods have gone through fermentation, a process in which yeast or bacteria break down the sugars in them.

Fermented foods include the following:

Kimchi
Tempeh
Yogurt
Kefir
Sauerkraut
Kombucha

Many of these foods are high in lactobacilli, which are good bacteria. Even so, many yogurts, particularly flavored yogurts, are high in sugar.

As a result, it's best to choose plain, unsweetened yogurt or flavored yogurt with minimal added sugar made entirely of milk and bacteria mixtures, also known as "starter cultures."

5. Practice Intermittent Fasting And Stay Hydrated

Fasting even a few hours a day provides a well-deserved rest to your digestive system and an opportunity to recover. Aim for a minimum of 12 to 16 hours of fasting daily, but consult your doctor first.

Drinking plenty of water is also beneficial to your gut health. Fibre draws water into the colon, resulting in softer, bulkier stools that pass through more easily.

6. Consume Whole Grains

Nuts

Whole grains are high in dietary fiber and nondigestible carbohydrates like beta-glucan. These carbohydrates are not absorbed in the small intestine and instead make their way to the large intestine, where they promote healthy bacterial growth.

According to research, whole grains may promote the development of lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria, and Bacteroidetes in humans. In these studies, whole grains also increased feelings of fullness and decreased inflammation and certain risk factors for heart disease.

7. Consume Polyphenol-Rich Foods

Polyphenols are plant compounds with numerous health benefits, including lower blood pressure, inflammation, cholesterol levels, and oxidative stress.

Polyphenols are not always digestible by human cells, and as a result, many make their way to the colon, where gut bacteria absorb them.

Polyphenol-rich foods include the following:

Green tea
Dark and cocoa chocolate
Onions
Red wine
Almonds
Broccoli
Almonds
Blueberries

Cocoa polyphenols can increase the amount of Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in humans while decreasing the amount of Clostridia. Moreover, these microbiome changes might result in reduced triglycerides and C-reactive protein levels, a marker of inflammation.

8. Avoid Fatty Foods

Fatty foods generally slow down the digestive process, making you more prone to constipation. However, because it is vital to get some healthy fat in your diet, it is suggested that you pair fatty foods with high-fiber foods to help things move along more smoothly.

9. Manage Your Stress And Exercise Regularly

Too much stress or anxiety can cause your digestive system to go overdrive. Find stress-relieving activities you enjoy and engage in them regularly.

Moreover, you may reduce constipation through regular exercise, which keeps foods moving through your digestive system.

Being physically active can also help you maintain a healthy weight, which promotes good gut health. Make it a point to incorporate regular exercise into your weekly routine.

10. Avoid Bad Habits

Smoking, eating processed foods, excessive caffeine, and alcohol consumption are all bad habits.

Liquor, cigarettes, and excessive coffee or other caffeinated beverages can all interfere with the proper functioning of your digestive system, resulting in stomach ulcers and heartburn.

Signs Of An Unhealthy Gut

You are not alone if you have digestive problems. Digestive diseases, from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to acid reflux, affect nearly 70 million Americans yearly.

When your gut is working correctly, a healthy balance of bacteria helps your body process and obtain energy from the foods you eat, clear toxins, fight disease, and improve your mood.

Here are some signs that you may have an unhealthy gut.

You Are Frequently Exhausted

People who suffer from chronic fatigue may have gut imbalances. According to one study, nearly half of people who complained of fatigue also had IBS.

You Have A Stomach Ache

Frequent discomfort, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, acid reflux, and heartburn may indicate that your gut is struggling to process food and eliminate waste.

You Are Intolerant To Certain Foods

Harmful bacteria may cause food allergies in the gut. If you have difficulty digesting certain foods, you may have food intolerances. Gas, bloating, diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal pain may result.

You Have Difficulty Sleeping

The gut produces most of your body's serotonin, which affects mood and sleep. As a result, your sleep may suffer when harmful bacteria or gut inflammation occur. Insomnia or poor sleep caused by an unhealthy gut can lead to fatigue.

You Have Extreme Food Cravings, Particularly For Sugar

Too much sugar in the diet can result in an overabundance of harmful bacteria in the gut. High sugar intake, particularly high-fructose corn syrup, has been linked to inflammation in the body, putting you at risk for other diseases.

You Have Skin Rashes

Poor gut health may cause some skin conditions, such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis.

You Have Unintentionally Gained Or Lost Weight

When you have an imbalanced gut, your body may have difficulty absorbing nutrients, storing fat, and regulating blood sugar. Bacterial overgrowth or a lack of nutrients can cause weight loss or gain.

You Suffer From Migraines

Headaches and gut health may be linked, especially if you experience nausea or vomiting with migraines. According to research, people with frequent headaches are more likely to have gastrointestinal problems.

You Experience Frequent Mood Swings

Research indicates that gut issues and nervous system inflammation can cause anxiety and depression.

Conclusion

Gut health issues are becoming more common, with symptoms such as bloating, IBS, inflammation, reflux, and constipation affecting many people and impacting their quality of life.

Your gut bacteria are crucial to many aspects of your health. Numerous studies have demonstrated that a disrupted microbiome can result in various chronic diseases.

Eating a variety of fresh, whole foods, primarily from plant sources such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans, and whole grains, is the best way to maintain a healthy microbiome.

How To Heal Your Gut With 10 Easy Steps At Home

Introduction