10 Ways to Improve Gut Health from a Registered Dietitian

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Sharing below 10 ways to naturally improve gut health – a very important aspect for overall health!

What is Gut Health?

The gut, or gastrointestinal tract, is a complex system that contributes to a healthy immune response, heart health, brain health, mental health, proper digestion and absorption of food, and possible prevention of certain cancers and autoimmune diseases. Good gut health can be defined by more good bacteria than harmful bacteria found within the gut flora, located in your intestines. When you have a healthy gut, digestive issues and stomach pains will not be a common occurance.

What Are the Signs of An Unhealthy Gut?

Signs of an unhealthy gut may include symptoms such as an upset stomach (gas, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea), unintentional weight changes, sleep disturbances, and skin conditions such as acne, to name a few.

10 Ways to Naturally Improve Gut Health

Side note: all 10 tips are crucial for improving gut health and are not listed in order of importance.

1. Consume a variety of well balanced meals – focus on consuming an adequate amount of protein, healthy fats and complex carbs within every meal and snack you consume.
2. Increase your consumption of fermented foods, probiotics and prebiotics – fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, and kefir are considered probiotics; apples, bananas, onions and garlic are considered prebiotic foods. These dietary compounds have been found to be beneficial to the gut flora.
3. Lower your stress levels – journal, mediate, pray and work on breathing techniques. All four can drastically lower your stress levels.
4. Get adequate sleep – review my blog post on 5 tips to get better sleep.
5. Limit alcohol intake – alcohol has been shown to increase intestinal bacteria and cause intestinal inflammation. Limiting alcohol can be a great way to improve gut health. Try out my Appletini Mocktail or Sunset Sweets Mocktail recipes!
6. Be sure to stay hydrated – read more on this topic here.
7. Spend time with loved ones – this can be a great way to reduce both stress and inflammation within the body.
8. Spend time outdoors – I truly believe nature can do wonders for healing. What better way to spend your time than in the great outdoors?! This is also a great way to reduce screen time.
9. Limit the amount of added sugars and processed foods you consume – this can be major in improving gut health! Review my blog post on certain brands I recommend due to their clean ingredient lists.
10. Get your body moving! Exercising not only enhances the number of good bacteria found in the gut, post-meal movement can also aid in digestion.

Sources

Bishehsari, Faraz, et al. “Alcohol and Gut-Derived Inflammation.” Alcohol Research : Current Reviews, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5513683/.

“Improve Gut Health: Recognize the Signs of an Unhealthy Gut.” Healthline, Healthline Media, https://www.healthline.com/health/gut-health#foods-for-gut-health.

“What Is Gut Health?: Dietitians on Demand.” Dietitians On Demand | Professional Recruiting Services for Contract and Permanent-Hire Positions., https://dietitiansondemand.com/what-is-gut-health/.