J.2/ Happy Gut
Do experience bloating, painful bowel motions, reflux, food sensitivities, or maybe you just want to improve your gut health, this information is for you
‘Everything leads back to the gut’ have you heard this saying before? As a Naturopath is all too true, most clients I see experience some form of gut imbalance, therefore to treat someone for stress, fatigue or hormonal health I also need to make sure their gut is in good working order. I treat the patient as a whole, so that might mean working on a few body systems not just focussing on the symptoms but rather healing the person as a whole. The gut is truly the centre of your whole body!
When the gut is imbalanced the symptoms can be quite mild or very extreme and in some cases interfere with daily life. To heal the gut it all starts with what you put into your body! A diet full of variety with lots of fruit and vegetables, a decent amount of protein, just enough fibre, limiting processed foods, limiting alcohol and caffeine; is an ideal place to start. As you start eat well your body will be able decrease inflammation and start to heal. Adding in fermented foods such as yoghurt, kim chi or sauerkraut will help to replenish your gut flora. Of course drinking enough water does wonders for your gut as well so make sure you stay hydrated.
In some cases even if you’re eating a ‘perfect’ diet you may still be experiencing gut symptoms, in these cases we need to look deeper into the situation. There might be an underlying condition effecting your gut health or even a food intolerance, this involves a good case history and a detailed food diary to understand what may be the underlying issue.
For clients that I see where diet change is merely not enough to heal their gut, there are a wide range of herbal liquids and supplements to aid the healing process. Gut healing powders are my go-to, they decrease inflammation, heal the gut lining, help with bowel motions, bloating and aid the digestion process. Next up is usually a course of probiotics to ramp up that good bacteria in the gut, this helps digest food, heal the gut lining and balance all the bacteria in your digestive tract. There is also a range of nutrients that can be helpful in this process, some nutrients reduce inflammation, help to make the gut lining stronger, aid digestion and aid bowel movements.
Gut health is one of my favourite things to treat as it makes such a huge difference to people’s lives, sometimes it can be the most simple changes that can help. What you put into your body, your stress levels, how much exercise and fresh air you get, all play a huge role in your gut health.
