4 Ways to Improve Digestion and Gut Health

As a Holistic Lifestyle Expert and Registered Holistic Nutritionist, I don’t think you can ever do enough to ensure that your digestive system is in fabulous health.

The vitality of our digestion system plays a significant role in your immune system as well. More than 70% of your immune system lives within your gut micro-biome and it has an internal ebb and flow that is essential to both protecting your body and to work synergistically with your breath, your food intake, good bacteria, and movement to reduce and kill off any bad bacteria, parasites, and junk that comes into your body through your food, water, and environment. When there are too many bad bacteria through antibiotics, medications, corticosteroid creams, processed foods, too many animal products, dairy and sugar, the bad bacteria spreads, multiplies, and creates big problems.

We don’t realize that our digestive system is quite literally the foundation of our entire health and wellness; working alongside our nervous system and every major organ system within our body to provide us with the wellness and vitality we’re all after.

Here are just a few of the digestive issues you could be dealing with:

• Bloating and gas
• Stomach pain
• Indigestion
• Reflux and acidity
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Food sensitivities or allergies
• Headaches
• Mood swings, anxiety and/or depression
• Inability to focus or stay engaged.
• Insomnia
• Bed wetting
• Eczema, psoriasis, hives and acne

So what can be done?

1. Avoid the irritants SAD GAS: Soy, artificial sweeteners, dairy, gluten, alcohol and sugar.
   These six foods right here are the game-changers for my private clients. Unbelievable freedom will happen in your body when you begin to clear out the biggest culprits behind bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, eczema, acne, mental fog, anxiety and insomnia. TRUTH. Trust me and trust the process. When you are eliminating these foods you cannot even have a morsel of them during our guided period of time. Even the littlest bite can throw your system off and re-activate inflammation and trigger an autoimmune response. I have worked with so many families and individuals and have had the most incredible digestive turnouts you could ever imagine.
2. Ensure proper hydration. Without enough water in your body daily, it will be virtually impossible for you to have regular bowel movements, detoxify your system, absorb nutrients optimally, or to feel energized. For Children aim for 1-1.5 litres daily and for adults at least two to three litres of pure, good quality water daily. Water-rich fruits and veggies plus organic herbal teas, coconut water and healthy non-dairy based low-sugar smoothies will also help you achieve your hydration goals.
3. Eat the rainbow. (that grows from nature not a factory). Begin introducing more fresh vegetables to your family and small amounts of fruit. Try smoothies, baking and pureeing with them as well as getting your children involved in the meal shopping, prepping and cooking process. Also try buying organic and non-GMOwhen you can, the EWG has a great resource to help you know what to select to work within your budget and what is available locally too
   It is incredible to watch the energy, mood and digestion plus the sleep of a child change when we remove the major gut and body irritants and begin to supply their system with more whole foods. Problems that we thought could never be helped begin to resolve themselves once the body has the right tools and resources to draw from. Each day in practice I watch children overcome and heal from; constipation, eczema, anxiety, depression, inability to focus, chronic ear infections and colds, poor sleep and so much more simply by giving their body nutrients.
4. Include a daily probiotic supplement. Probiotics are hugely important in your digestive health. These good bacteria enhance the breakdown and absorption of vitamins and proteins, and help to reduce the bad bacteria and viruses that live in our gut. Choose a product that is refrigerated and has at least 20 billion cultures per capsule.

Your digestive system is a gift…treat it well.