Reviewed by Dianne Hinton, NP, PA of Forum Health Modesto
You might not have been aware of this before, but your gut microbiome is comprised of trillions of organisms and bacteria that live in your digestive tract, which are essential to many healthy processes in the body.
In fact, your gut health is directly linked to your brain health, and researchers are now looking into treating numerous brain illnesses by addressing the problems in the gut microbiome. That said, if you have been experiencing unwanted weight gain, poor immune function, indigestion or irritable bowel syndrome, depression or anxiety, you might need to focus on healing your gut.
Here are our top five ways to do that naturally at home!
1. Ditch Sugar and Processed Foods
You probably know by now that consuming too much sugar and indulging in processed foods can jeopardize your long-term health. What you might not have known, however, is that sugar and processed foods are ruining your gut health by promoting the growth of unhealthy bacteria.
If you want to indulge your sweet tooth every once in a while, that’s perfectly fine, but remember to avoid artificial sweeteners and use natural alternatives. Using natural sweeteners and staying away from processed foods will allow the healthy bacteria in your guy to flourish, relieving many symptoms and improving your day-to-day quality of life.
2. Enrich Your Diet With Prebiotics and Probiotics
One of the best ways to promote the growth and flourishing of healthy gut bacteria is to add more prebiotics and probiotics to your diet. Prebiotics are the compounds and nutrients in healthy foods that promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria, while probiotics are fermented foods that already have healthy bacteria in them.
When you consume probiotics like kefir or sauerkraut, for example, you are literally consuming healthy bacteria that regulate bowel movement and improve your gut microbiome. On the other hand, prebiotic-rich foods that are high in fiber, for example, will aid bacteria growth in the gut and suppress the production of bad microorganisms.
3. Leverage Functional Medicine
Unlike traditional medicine, which is disease-oriented and only treats the symptoms, functional medicine uses a holistic approach to healing the mind and the body. In other words, functional medicine aims to uncover the deep, underlying causes of chronic and acute conditions to heal the body instead of just trying to eliminate the symptoms.
That’s why functional medicine is one of the best ways to heal the gut and promote lifelong gut health. While traditional medicine is all about band-aid, short-term solutions, functional medicine is all about safeguarding your lifelong well-being.
4. Avoid Unnecessary Antibiotics
Sometimes, doctors will prescribe antibiotics to treat more serious illnesses and bacterial infections. That said, it’s important to avoid any unnecessary antibiotics if you can, because as much as they are helpful in treating certain conditions, it’s well known that antibiotics can wreak havoc on your gastro-intestinal health.
This is because antibiotics kill the good and the bad bacteria in your gut in an attempt to eliminate the condition, which means that your gut is left deprived of those essential microorganisms. This could lead to acute and chronic conditions if left untreated, but prevention is always better. If you can, try to avoid excessive antibiotics use as much as possible.
5. Choose Organic and Seasonal Foods
Eating seasonal foods is one of the best ways to keep your body in tune with the world around you and support and healthy lifestyle on a daily basis. More importantly, though, eating seasonal and local foods that are grown organically is the best way to get nutrient-dense foods into your diet.
Organic foods are loaded with healthy micro and macronutrients that nurture your gut microbiome and support the growth of healthy bacteria. What’s more, these foods provide a lot of energy for your daily activities, and they help eliminate mental fatigue, anxiety, and many other conditions.
Your gut microbiome plays a vital role in your overall health and quality of life, which is why it’s so important to stick to healthy lifestyle habits to keep your gut bacteria in check. Now that you know how to heal your gut naturally, you can finally focus on achieving your long-term health goals.
