Gut health is foundational to overall health and happiness. The balance of your inner terrain can affect hormones, weight, mental health and moods, sleep, food cravings, and ultimately, length and quality of life.
The human digestive system is made up of the GI tract plus the liver, pancreas, and gall bladder. The GI tract, or digestive tract is a series of hollow organs joined together in a long, twisting tube that extends from the mouth to the anus. These hollow organs are the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines, rectum, and anus. The number one job of the digestive system is to process food into energy for the body. The nutrients from digested food will also aid in cellular growth and repair. Bacteria in the gut — also called “flora” or the “microbiome” are very important for your overall health and wellbeing. They are the treasure found deep in the bowels (literally) of your digestive tract.
Stress can wreak holy havoc on your digestive system — being stressed can literally give you stomach pains, diarrhea, constipation, and even make you throw up! But stress is more than just a short period of intense pressure and/or drama. Stress occurs whenever you treat your body in ways that it wasn’t meant to be treated. When you eat the wrong things, or not enough of the right things; when you don’t move enough or when your spine is immobile and stretched like a rubber band; when you don’t get enough rest, when you don’t practice good, healthy emotional boundaries with others in your life; when your finances are out of control; when you drink too much, smoke too much, eat too much fast food, consume too much sugar, and neglect exercise and the study of nature; when your life is out of balance in any way — it equals STRESS on your digestive system, and it will show up in some not very pleasant symptoms.
The first step in maintaining a healthy digestive system is to establish and maintain a healthy gut biome. The gut biome is the balance of good and bad bacteria that exists in your GI tract. Called your “second brain,” the gut biome is a great determiner of health. Autoimmune diseases and even mental illnesses all start with an unhealthy gut.
10 WAYS TO IMPROVE GUT HEALTH
- Eat for health; not for taste.
- Eat more of the right kind of fiber.
- Eat more vegetables with flavonoids.
- Get more sleep!
- Eliminate artificial sweeteners.
- Avoid leaky gut.
- Eat organic produce.
- Eat grass-fed meats and dairy.
- Cut back on alcohol.
- Manage your stress levels.
Improving Liver Function
Your liver is arguably your most important organ. Of course we need all our organs to work in harmony, but when your liver is not working at peak performance, it’s hard to live a happy or healthy life. Your liver works hard every day — not only to handle any toxins that come into your body, but also to convert everything you eat and drink into usable packets of energy & nourishment for every cell in your body. When the liver can’t detoxify harmful substance, the immune system perceives the rising level of toxins as a threat. This causes inflammation and an autoimmune response in the body. Ultimately this can lead to food allergies, seasonal allergies, and autoimmune diseases.
Adopt an Anti-Inflammatory Diet Low Sugar · Organic · High Fiber · High Antioxidant · Full of Healthy Fats · Cage-Free Eggs · Grass-Fed Meats · Nuts & Seeds · Avocados · Coconut Oil
Avoid the Consumption of Toxins Sugar · Refined Grains · Vegetable Oils or Fried Foods · Soda or Anything Artificially Sweetened · Too Much Alcohol · Too Much Caffeine · Tobacco Products · Drugs or Pharmaceuticals · Heavy Metals or Fluoride
Eat Foods that Counterbalance the Stress on Your Liver Bitterness or sourness is usually a sign that beneficial enzymes are present. These enzymes nourish digestive organs – liver, gallbladder & spleen. Sour foods are high in essential minerals that act as a counterbalance to reduce heavy metals in the blood.
Probiotic Foods: Kombucha · Kefir · Cultured Veggies · Bitter Greens [Mustard Greens], Chicory Arugula, Dandelion Greens and Collard Greens
Cruciferous Vegetables: Chlorella · Cabbage · Cauliflower · Brussels Sprouts · Kale · Broccoli
Fresh Herbs: Turmeric · Parsley · Cilantro · Oregano
Antioxidant Fruits: Blueberries · Raspberries · Melons · Pineapple
Local Raw Honey · Green Tea · Coconut Oil · Apple Cider Vinegar: Help reduce inflammation, detoxes the liver & helps with digestion.
Pain of Peptic Ulcers
One very painful disorder of the digestive system is the peptic ulcer. Sores, or ulcers occur in the lining of the stomach or in the first part of the small intestine called the duodenum. Sufferers may experience a burning, aching pain that feels like hunger in between the belly button and the breastbone. Sometimes this pain extends all the way into your back. Symptoms may also appear as heartburn, bloating, nausea, or vomiting. If you don’t deal with the stress at the root of the problem, it’s like putting a piece of black tape over the “check engine” light in your car.
Taking NSAIDs like Aleve and Ibuprofen can cause ulcers without any warning. Even if you religiously eat food when you take them, they can still cause perforations, sore, and ulcers in the digestive tract. Most ulcers, however are caused by stress from H. Pylori bacteria. Unless this bacterium is treated, it will continue to create sores (ulcers) in your digestive tract. Although many ulcers heal on their own, don’t ignore warning signs. Left untreated, ulcers can lead to intestinal bleeding or perforation, or scarring that blocks the passageway from the stomach to the small intestine.
In addition, the presence of H. Pylori bacteria in your body can cause a B12 deficiency if the H. Pylori bacteria damages the parietal cells which produce intrinsic factor required to absorb B12 from your food. In fact, many people suffering from pernicious anemia (severe inability to absorb B12) have the H. Pylori bacteria in their bodies, but it has been undetected as yet. If left untreated, this bacterium can set up a long-term inflammatory response in the body. Italian researchers found a positive link between the presence of H. Pylori and ultimately contracting heart disease. So grabbing a pack of Zantac (or any other acid reducer) to eliminate heartburn or treat a gnawing pain in your stomach is a dangerous game of Russian roulette.
If you are regularly taking acid reducing medications, you won’t be absorbing the nutrients from your food that are necessary for your health! Acid isn’t the problem! If you are taking NSAIDs, you must stop or at least slow down. You aren’t doing your stomach any favors. If you only take them occasionally, but still have ulcer issues, then you probably have the H. Pylori bacteria messing things up inside. Even deeper than that; why is that bacteria in there in the first place? Usually it is as a result of an intestinal imbalance or overgrowth. That is where you must start treating your ulcer—at the root of the intestinal imbalance.
1 Drink 12 glasses of filtered water every single day.
2 Stop drinking all milk, juice, and coffee.
3 Take a good quality probiotic every day.
4 Stop all sugar until the problem gets better (sodas, sweet tea, processed foods, cereals).
5 Take vitamin C regularly as it destroys the H. Pylori bacteria.