Do you feel like you’re doing everything right to heal your gut but still not feeling your best?
Maybe you are having frequent situations where you are running to the bathroom, or you still wake up every morning feeling uncomfortably bloated.
No matter what anyone tells you, this is not normal! Your gut is considered your second brain for a reason, listen to it.
If you don’t feel right in your body despite all your efforts, it may be time for a different approach. Keep reading for the causes of persistent gut issues and how to get answers to finally improve your gut health and live symptom-free!
Psst… Head over to our services page to take a new approach and get the results you’ve been looking for with the help of our specialized dietitians!
What is Gut Health?
Your gut, also known as your digestive system, is a complex system that allows you to break down and absorb the food you eat. This is just the beginning of your gut’s functions, however.
Your gut not only digests and absorbs nutrients, but it serves as a communication system through the gut-brain axis.
This allows the gut to serve important functions in many other areas of your body including:
Immune System (Close to 70% of your immune system resides in your gut!)
Mental Health
Skin Health
Hormonal Balance
Toxic Exposure
The list can go on and on, as this just names a few of the extended functions of your gut.
Why is it Important to Heal Your Gut?
In your gut resides both good and bad bacteria that make up your microbiota. This balance of bacteria is what keeps your gut healthy and functioning properly.
When the bacteria become imbalanced, too much bad bacteria outweighs the good bacteria, it is known as dysbiosis and can result in a slew of issues including:
Increased inflammation
Decreased immune function
Hormonal issues
Digestive issues (gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation)
Nutrient deficiencies
Mood disorders (depression, anxiety)
Weight gain
Skin problems (eczema, rosacea)
Thyroid problems
It is important to keep your gut bacteria in good balance to promote optimal functioning of all your body’s systems. Your gut has such an integral role in so many areas it is somewhat impossible to feel your best in other areas of your health without proper gut health!
So, how do you heal your gut and get rid of these symptoms?
Top 4 Tips to Increase Gut Health
Healing your gut is no simple process. Many people want a simple answer or to take some magical pill that will dissolve their bloat overnight.
The truth is every gut is unique, therefore, what works for one person may not work for you.
There are, however, certain diet and lifestyle factors you can start to implement that will increase your gut health!
Here are my top 4 tips:
Diversify your diet. A healthy gut relies on diversity in your diet to thrive. Your gut microbiome feeds off of the foods you eat. In order to create a good balance of bacteria, you need to be feeding your gut different sources of beneficial foods so the good bacteria can grow.
Increase your fiber intake. When you diversify your diet, consuming different fiber-rich foods should be your top priority. Aim for around 25 grams a day. Fiber has been shown to protect against many chronic health conditions like obesity and diabetes. In the gut, it helps to feed the good bacteria and thicken the mucosal lining, preventing nutrients from leaking from your gut into other areas of your body.
Eat fermented foods. Fermented foods are packed with probiotics which are essential for gut health. Probiotics are live bacteria that introduce beneficial bacteria to your gut microbiome. These are found in foods like kefir, sauerkraut, greek yogurt, and kombucha.
Practice stress management. Stress has a profound effect on the intestinal permeability of your gut as well as the microbial balance in your microbiome. Practicing stress management techniques like deep breathing, meditation, exercise, and stimulation of the vagus nerve can help to promote better gut health.
What to do When your Symptoms are Persisting
While all of the tips mentioned above are very effective for most people, there is still a large sum of people who experience persisting symptoms despite their full effort. If you can relate, keep reading!
I know how it feels to be doing everything you are told to do yet still experiencing no relief or answers as to why this is happening or what is wrong with you. This is why I have developed my practice around helping women FINALLY get the solution and support they deserve.
Many times, this means starting out with an elimination diet to determine food triggers until you get further testing done to reveal the root causes. A skilled dietitian can help guide you through this process and make it less intimidating than it may seem!
How to Get Answers
When nothing seems to be working, you have to look deeper. These symptoms are not normal and are being caused by some issue that needs to be uncovered through root cause testing.
At New York City Nutrition, we utilize both a Stool Test and a GI Map to understand exactly what is going on inside your gut to create an individualized plan to heal. These tests capture the health of your gut through its bacterial makeup and, when read by a health professional, provide clues to what could be the cause of your symptoms.
A lot of times, when you embark on a gut health journey and are doing all the things but still experience symptoms, it is a larger issue at play, which is why the Stool Test and GI Map are so important to run. Most commonly seen in my practice are forms of opportunistic bacteria that overgrow in your microbiome. H. Pylori is one of these bacterias affecting 30-40% of the US population and creating IBS-like symptoms.
H. Pylori can cause further gut disturbances like SIBO as well. You must first address these issues before you can expect to feel or see any changes in your gut health, no matter your diet or supplement regimen!
Let's Talk Probiotics
While probiotics are absolutely crucial for gut health, they are not the be-all or end-all solution to heal your gut. Especially when there are deeper issues like H. Pylori/SIBO occurring, a probiotic will simply not solve all your problems.
Not all probiotics are the same. The quality of your probiotic can make or break the effectiveness it has on helping your gut.
Probiotics are live bacteria. Therefore, the number and types of bacteria within the probiotics all work uniquely and have different effects.
Finally, do not underestimate the power of prebiotics. While probiotics get most of the attention, prebiotics are the food for probiotics, making them just as, or if not more important! You can get prebiotics through a variety of food sources as well.
Heal Your Gut: The Takeaway
I will be the first to tell you gut issues are not something to mess around with. They are not a quick fix, nor something you should consider normal or just something you have to deal with!
There is relief!
You can get to the root cause of your issues and take back your health like so many of my clients have by running root cause gut testing.
If you are sick of the endless effort and frustration you have put towards getting rid of your symptoms without any success, head on over to our services page to schedule your free discovery call today! Your issues may be stubborn, but have hope that when treated from the root, you will feel relief!
