Love Your Guts

It is an act of love to choose wellness. Wellness is a series of positive, life supporting decisions we make, or don’t make everyday, all day long. Being well takes proper nutrition, exercise, a good attitude and the practice of hobbies and activities that bring us satisfaction and joy. Sometimes our path to wellness requires a wellness facilitator; sometimes it includes medication and counseling. Many of us have a road in front of us that includes chronic illness which produces its own challenges. A main component of our health is our immune system, sometimes referred to as our second brain or our digestive system. No matter what you need to Love Your Guts!

The Gastrointestinal Tract is one of the largest organs in our body. The GI tract is the pathway food takes from the mouth, through the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestine within where the nutrients are extracted for the needs of the body. In our lifetime, we take in 30-40 tons of food that our stomach and intestines breaks down, processes, sorts, and then uses or eliminates. Our bodies have 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells on the outside and inside them (many of them right in the GI Tract) working for us and protecting us. Beneficial microflora or microbiome that live in and on our bodies need a stable environment where they can grow and flourish. Taking antibiotics and similar meds, experiencing a bout of illness that includes diarrhea, fasting and cleansing all deplete the good bacteria in our intestines and require us to rebuild our beneficial bacteria back up.

Toxins produced by an imbalance of good and bad bacteria from illness, fasting, and cleansing can lead to inflammation and disorders such as leaky gut syndrome. These disorders can weaken our immune system, cause hormone imbalance, eczema, insomnia and mood disorders like anxiety. Beneficial bacteria in your intestines aid in digestion, manufacture nutrients, protect against food-borne pathogens (like salmonella and E. Coli) and help regulate body weight.

When you think about restoring your gut bacteria, you might think that taking probiotic supplements is the only way to go but if you only choose this route, you are short-changing yourself from the beautiful benefits of having a well-rounded diet that will fuel your wellness, your workout and your amazing life.

Using antibiotics when we are sick is one thing that helps us thrive and live but using antibiotics kills not only infections but healthy bacteria, drinking highly chlorinated water, drug therapies, colonics and even a bad case of diarrhea can wipe out the beneficial intestinal flora that also help you maintain or regain your health. Regardless of your viewpoint on fasting and cleansing; restoring the balance in your intestines needs to be an important part of your life after you partake in behaviors that reduce the beneficial bacteria, whether is was by choice, necessity (in the case of a routine colonoscopy) or illness.

Traditional fermented foods are rich in beneficial lactic acid-producing bacteria. In the digestive tract these bacteria help ferment carbohydrates that we can’t digest. The byproduct of this process prevents harmful organisms from growing, while good bacteria can become established.

Eating a small amount of fermented foods once or twice a day is a positive goal to set for your diet.

Foods that Help Rebuild Good Gut Bacteria

Bone Broth is full of minerals and beneficial amino acids, including glutamine which has been shown to help rebuild the epithelial lining of the gut. >>>Download a Bone Broth Recipe here
Fermented and Cultured Foods: Kefir, yogurt, miso, kim-chi, sauerkraut and other pickled vegetables.
Prebiotic Foods or foods high in soluble fiber: Flax and chia seeds, beans, legumes, apples, oats and oat bran.
Raw Veggies and Fruit

Foods that Should be Avoided When Rebuilding Good Gut Bacteria

Sugar
The bacteria that thrive on refined sugars are not the ones we want more of.
Red Meat
Beef is a great source of protein, minerals and nutrients and is a good part of your diet once or twice a week, but eating too much red meat causes an unfavorable shift in your intestinal bacteria. While you are rebuilding your Good Gut Bacteria its ok to take break from it; Going meatless is a great way to encourage yourself to try new foods and explore your food options.
Undercooked Eggs and Seafood
Once you have built up a robust population of friendly gut bacteria you will be more resilient toward any risks eating these foods may bring.

At first you might think that removing or limiting certain foods from your diet takes away your options. You might feel frustrated by this. I would like to encourage you to see that by occasionally swapping a food that was a staple in your diet with new options, opens your mind to an abundance of new foods to try. Foods you can enjoy while you rebuild your gut are plentiful: green smoothies with kefir, raw spinach and flaxseed, oatmeal with yogurt and fruit, a fresh salad with a miso vinaigrette or kimchi omelet. Eating these types of foods will help your guts be happy and when they are happy, you are happy. Incorporating fermented and cultured foods, foods high in soluble fiber and raw veggies and fruit into your everyday diet will keep you strong and help you maintain your life of wellness and make those times when you allow yourself a treat, just that much more special.

At Wellness Works NW we want to help you learn new ways of choosing wellness. If you would like to meet Karen G Clemenson for a free initial consultation please Contact Us.