Digestion Got You Down?
If you’re like me, you may have noticed that when you feel sad or worried your gut acts up – slow or rapid motility, bloating, changes in stool patterns, or abdominal pain. Or when your gut is suffering, it affects your mood and energy. During most of my teen and young adult life, I struggled with gut issues and those gut issues absolutely affected my mental health. Luckily, my gut health improved through changes in diet, but I still have to be careful. Careful what I eat, careful to manage my stress, make time to stay connected with friends and family that fill my cup, moving in ways that bring me joy. If this is true for you as it is for me, we are in good company. The link between lifestyle, gut health, and mood keeps getting stronger as research grows in this area. One of the key things that you can do to encourage a healthy gut-brain connection is nourish your gut’s microbiome. Check out the tips below to start boosting your own gut health!
If you’re doing the basics for good gut health but still struggle, then let’s sit-down to explore things like food sensitivities, digestive support, bacterial overgrowth, or targeted probiotics.
Tips to Boost Your Gut Health
Stress Resilience Practices
Yes, that’s right it’s not always about food. Stress resilience practices (mindful breathing, meditation, prayer, Tai chi, yoga) help us tap into our “rest & digest” parasympathetic nervous system regulating motility, stomach acid levels, digestion, and support a healthy gut microbiome.
Practical Tip: Practice 30-60 seconds of focused breathing before eating.
Mindful Eating
Eating slowly, mindfully, and with gratitude and curiosity supports our parasympathetic nervous system (rest & and digest). It can also help decrease overeating and binge eating, both of which are challenging on digestion as well as blood sugar balance, and the gut microbiome.
Practical Tip: Try chewing your food 8-10 times before swallowing.
Eat Fiber to Feed Your Microbiome
Our paleolithic ancestors consumed 100+ grams (gm) of fiber per day, now most Americans eat less than 15 gm/day; we need at least 25 gm/day. Think vegetables, leafy greens, berries, beans, sweet potatoes. But, why?
The good gut bacteria rely on fiber to stay alive. In turn, our microbiota provides several services to our body: degrades toxins; metabolizes nutrients; lowers inflammation; supports feel good brain chemicals; suppresses carcinogens; maintains the health of the gut lining; and even influences hunger and satiety signals.
Practical Tip: Eat 2-3 fiber rich foods per meal.
Eat Fermented Foods
Fermented foods include yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, and kombucha. However, not all fermented foods contain live active cultures by the time they get to the grocery store shelf. Your best bet is to choose fermented products from the refrigerated section and check the product labels to ensure they contain “live active cultures”
Practical Tip: Add 1-2 spoonfuls of kimchi to eggs or stir-fry.
