Tag: probiotics

Gut Health

I think I may have written about the stomach bug that hit my friend and I while we were in Italy – and I seem to have a recurrence going on. So I started taking probiotics and I’ve been reading up on gut health.

Gut health seems to make the news fairly regularly these days, but if you don’t know it refers to the balance of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, known as the microbiome in your digestive system. Studies have shown that when the balance gets off, it can lead to things like constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, abdominal pain, acid reflux, headaches, poor sleep, and even joint pain. So keeping that balance is good for your overall health!

Lots of things can contribute to poor gut health – starting with too little sleep and other bad habits like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Antibiotics can also be a factor – so if you’ve been prescribed medication for any sort of infection from conditions like acne to sinus issues, the odds are you could get a stomach upset with it (which is why you are told to take the medication with food to try to mitigate that). But diet is definitely the biggest driving factor. Eating too much processed food, sugar, saturated fats, and additives/preservatives will definitely drive up the bad bacteria in your gut.

So how do you get your microbiome back into balance? It all goes back to a healthier lifestyle:

  • Eat less processed food, more fiber, more fresh fruits and vegetables and limit sugary foods. Whole grains and fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi are particularly helpful.
  • Take a probiotic supplement. There are lots of them available – like Align or Olly Probiotic gummies. You can also find yogurt with probiotics – try Activia or greek yogurt. You can tell if your favorite yogurt has probiotics by reading the label – you want one that says “live yogurt cultures” or even better “lactobacillus acidophilus.” Need to sneak the probiotic into your diet? You can substitute sour cream with one of the healthy plain yogurts – you won’t notice a difference in flavor and you get the bonus of those cultures!
  • Exercise more! You don’t need even need a gym – you can just walk more. Maybe throw in some weight bearing exercises like squats and lunges. Hit those 10,000 steps a day – but if you can’t do that, try to increase your daily steps every day any way you can. Park farther away from the store or walk around the block. You can work up to the 10,000 steps easily. Need something more fun? Try dancing to 2-3 songs at least once a day! Just get moving! Bonus – it will help relieve stress which also contributes to poor gut health.
  • HYDRATE! Drinking adequate amounts of water helps your overall health in a lot of ways but will contribute to better gut health as well. But remember – boosting your consumption of coffee, tea and soda doesn’t count. Caffeine is a diuretic so drinking it actually takes water out of your system.
  • Get on a good sleep schedule. Planning for 7-8 hours of sleep per night can help get your system sorted out. So put those devices down about an hour before you want to sleep and develop a routine that allows you to get the rest your body needs.

Want more info about your gut health? Check out these links to get started!