Start your day with lemon water and pink salt. This can be cleansing and awakening for the digestive system.
Have a smoothie for breakfast to ease your stomach into the digestive process. Smoothies should have a balance of carbs (fruits, veggies, milk) protein (powders, milk), and fats (avocado, nut butter, coconut oil).
Space your meals 3-4 hours apart to help regulate blood sugar and hunger/satiety hormones.
Do not drink fluids with your meals. This can be disruptive to the warm acidic environment required for digestion. instead, drink water between meals and 30min before/after eating.
Reduce and/or eliminate (if possible and safe for you to do so) gluten and dairy. These can be inflammatory foods for those struggling with gut health issues especially if you have an allergy or intolerance.
Eliminate or reduce artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols. These synthetic compounds can be difficult for the gut to break down.
Focus on fiber rich foods. This is what the gut loves to eat. men need around 35-40g per day and women need 25-30g/d but if you can tolerate more, have at it!
Intermittent fasting (when done right) can help reduce bloating, improve blood sugar levels, and assist in autophagy- the body's way of cleaning and removing dead/damaged cells to make way for new healthy cells.
Sometimes greens powders and probiotic supplements can make things worse if you already have a gut imbalance. Try quitting these supplements and letting your body do its thing naturally for a few months, not just a few days.
The most important tip- rest, recover, sleep, reduce stress. A chronically stressed body leads to a chronically inflamed body. None of these tips will work if you're constantly stressed. Sometimes the biggest step forward we can take, is a drastic step back.
BONUS TIP: eliminate or reduce alcohol. Alcohol provides zero benefits for the body (aside from potential therapeutic benefits) and it’s really just a toxin the body has to prioritize breaking down, which interferes with other metabolic processes.
At the beginning of 2019 I was so frustrated with my body and how it was responding, rather not responding, to anything and everything I did to try to heal myself from chronic dieting . I could eat the healthiest foods and still blow up like a balloon instantly. I’d diet and exercise only to feel worse and more inflamed after. And we all know to eat 'healthy' we should avoid processed foods, get enough sleep, get fiber, get daily movement and drink more water but none of that was working either. I realized I couldn’t heal on my own and sought help from an integrative health practitioner @tayloredwellbeing who changed my life and the way I ate for the better!
These tips are the central ones I learned and have implemented into my daily life and routine. I’m not perfect everyday and don’t always nail these to a T, but if I feel off, bloated, or lethargic I know exactly how to heal myself!
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