Your Gut Needs You To Be Kinder To It: Here's How
This is a contributed post.
When you keep your gut healthy, you keep the rest of your body healthy. It’s really that simple.
Looking after your digestion helps your energy stores, it increases how full you feel, and it keeps your intestines, kidneys, and colon all in good condition.
And when you’re kind to your gut, your gut is kind to you in return. No bloating, easier movements, and less fatigue after a heavy meal.
So when your gut has gone neglected for a while, it’s more than going to let you know about it.
Maybe your stomach has been feeling unsettled recently, or like you can’t eat anything without getting a big gas build up. If that’s the case, your gut could be asking you to treat it a bit kinder.
And thankfully, there are quite a few ways to do that.
Be Careful About Your Protein Intake
Protein is good for the muscles, it’s more filling than just a plate of carbs, and it helps you to feel like you’ve got the right amount of energy for the day. These are all great big green ticks in its favor.
Protein can also easily be over consumed, especially if you’re an active person trying to increase your gains. And when you eat too much protein, your gut can come off all the worse for it.
Just like everything else in life, protein needs to be consumed in moderation. Too much of anything can unbalance your gut, leading to inflammation, pain, and the kind of stools you’d rather forget ever happened.
So when it comes to protein, stick to your recommended amount whenever you can. And remember, you can’t just pack more and more of it into your diet and hope it’s doing you some good.
Especially if your protein consumption is pushing out essential nutrients that your gut needs more of.
Eat More Fibrous Vegetables
Speaking of essential gut-health nutrients, it’s time to double check your fiber intake. Fiber is the number one nutrient for the gut, as it aids every single element of digestion.
All the way from breaking down foods to absorbing the right stuff to passing out the rest, fiber is king in the digestion world.
And if you think about it now, are you really getting as much fiber as you need from your regular diet? Most adults need around 30g of fiber per day - where does your fiber intake top out?
Either way, vegetables are one of the best places to find some healthy fiber. Broccoli is a bit of a fiber ‘super food’, and it’s also one of the easiest vegetables to both buy and work into your meals. The same goes for peas, which can be very easily tipped into a meal prep box for a bit of extra fiber goodness.
You’ll also find a good amount of gut-healthy fiber in fruits too, so feel free to mix in some apples, oranges, and bananas as well.
There are quite a few high fiber foods you can try out, however, so don’t feel too pressured to suddenly pack your diet with leafy greens. Get fiber onto your plate wherever you can, and the more diverse your fiber sources, the better it is for your gut in the long run.
Have a Bit More Olive Oil
Olive oil is a bit of a super-powered ingredient when it comes to your gut health. It’s one of the healthier oils available for human consumption as is, but it really does outshine the rest when thinking about the digestive system.
For one, it’s an anti-inflammatory product. Olive oil can help take down the inflammation throughout the body, both in your muscles and your gut.
But one of the best things olive oil can do is literally lubricate the digestive tract. With a bit of olive oil in your diet, you can help your stomach and intestines work smarter, and not harder.
You could even take an olive oil shot on a regular basis, if you wanted to. That’ll save the pain of trying to work a bit more olive oil drizzle into your usual meal prep.
Drink!
Water is essential for gut health. If you’re not drinking enough water, you won’t be having a very good time on the toilet!
You also won’t be absorbing as much fiber as you first think either, so if you’re increasing your fiber intake but not your water intake, you’re right back at square one.
Your gut needs fluids to turn the solids you eat into nutrients it can break down. It then needs more fluid to move any wastage through your system and out the other side.
And if you’ve ever experienced constipation before, you already know just how important it is to get your 1 to 2 liters of water per day.
If need be, get yourself a refillable bottle, make sure you fill it up every single morning, and then slowly work your way through the contents throughout the day.
Take this bottle everywhere you go, and don’t be afraid to top it up if you’re feeling thirsty either. Your body is asking for water, so give it some!
Be Kind to Your Gut
When you are, it gives it back ten times as much. With a healthy gut on your side, no meal will leave you feeling ‘off’, and you’re less likely to have reactions to certain foods. That’ll make those diet cheat days all the more rewarding when they come around.
It won't make allergies disappear, but if you’ve been feeling lactose intolerant recently, and then make a few changes that help your gut work better, you might find that intolerance disappears completely.
Of course, if you’re experiencing long term (or chronic) gut and digestive issues, you should see a medical professional.
But if you’ve been experiencing small bouts of tummy trouble, or feel a bit more bloated than usual, it’s likely down to an imbalance. Fix that and you could be as right as rain again.
Related:
