Is Your Gut Health Causing Weight Gain?

8 steps to a healthy gut, I know this is something so many people struggle with, which is digestive health.  So, how can you create a healthy digestion without supplementation?   

A healthy gut is key, when it comes to metabolism, weight loss, and health in general.  Here are 8 easy ways to get your gut heal back on track.

1. Chew Your Food. Believe it or not, it's the least expensive, most effective way to boost your gut. Think about this. Now, listen, there's an enzyme in our saliva called ptyalin. You see, carbohydrates are a major challenge with digestion. That's why the low carb diet, the paleo diet, the maker's diet, the GAPS diet, it's all about reducing certain carbohydrates. Specific carbohydrate diet, specific carbohydrates. When you consume starches, the digestion begins in the mouth. So here's the tip. Chew every mouthful of food 50 to 75 times, my aunt always said 100. So chew your food. It will be one of the most important things you do for your gut
2. Monomeals. So monomeals is a great way of really simplifying digestion. In order for your body to break down starch versus, let's say, a protein, your body has to produce very different enzymes, and it takes a different pH to break down these foods. This is a big principle within Chinese medicine. There are really two things that they follow when it comes to this. They believe in something called, monomeals.  They believe many of the enzymes in the food, they call it one pot not only because everything is in one pot, but because the food's become one. They believe it's easier to digest that way. It's almost like eating like a baby. When somebody's really sick and there are a lot of digestive issues, you want to almost go back to eating like a baby.  Now, I don't agree that combining fruits and vegetables is bad and meats, necessarily. But if you're seriously compromised, consuming monomeals can be great. So if you're someone who's really not feeling well, that's a great way to ease your body's burden and digest quickly.
3. Fermented food. There are a lot of great fermented foods, first of all, but sauerkraut is amazing. Kimchi, pickled vegetables as they call it, are wonderful for the body. Pickled ginger is great. Wasabi is a fermented food. Miso is really good. Miso is fermented soybean paste, and so many people get hang up on, I don't even want to look at soy. Soy is not your enemy if you consume it in a fermented form, organic, and whole food. Then there's fermented beverages. Apple cider and coconut vinegars are really good. Kombucha is really good. Bottom line, consume more fermented foods. You know what else is fermented that people don't really talk about, olives.
4. I believe blueberries are to the gut what cranberry is to the urinary tract. Now, blueberries are amazing. We know they have what? Antioxidants. The blue color comes from anthocyanins. Those are really great. Blueberries are good for the brain, but they're great for the gut because of the antioxidant-pectin combo. They have a pectin content and additional soluble fiber that helps carry waste out of the body. They’re great for heavy metal detoxification as well. Blueberries are one of the highest group sources of resveratrol.
5. Essential oils. No surprise here, I don't think. It's peppermint oil. Peppermint oil has significant research on its ability to calm an angry gut. I think that qualifies for a great benefit. When I say angry, what do I mean? Peppermint oil can benefit your digestive track.  Peppermint tea or herbal infusion is good, but when you think of an angry gut, think of cooling peppermint. There are many other oils that are great for digestion too.
6. Ginger is the spice of 100 uses as it relates to the gut. We're most likely to hear about ginger's benefits for nausea, particularly morning sickness. Ginger is really amazing. If you're looking for something to calm upper GI issues, a ginger infusion or a ginger tea, ginger syrups are wonderful. Ginger extract. I make an herbal decoction or infusion every day, and ginger is one of the key four spices in there. Ginger and turmeric are cousins, and we happen to love that family.
7. A rebounder. A lot of people overlook certain aspects when it comes to their digestive health.  So 10 minutes twice a day, a mini trampoline helps to move the lymph, but it also helps to move the gut. If you really want to get your bowels moving, try this. Even our 6-year old loves it!
8. Hydration, last but most important. You could say water, but it's hydration. A dehydrated gut is a gut that doesn't move. Think about the fecal matter that's sticking there and staying there. It's dehydrated. It sucks in water, and a dehydrated gut is a constipated, slow-moving gut. So consume more fluids, water, juices, fermented beverages, and juicy foods and fruits.

Now off to bettering your gut health!  Let us know what you decided to incorporate.

In Health & Peace