Gut Health
Did you know that your gut is the foundation for health? Your microbiome alone contains 100 trillion living microbes. Compare that to the 10 trillion human cells in your body, you are, in fact, 10 times more bacteria than human. Approximately 80% of your immune system comes from your gut. You also produce more serotonin and dopamine in your gut than you do in your brain! To say your gut is important for vibrant physical and mental health is an understatement. The more bacterial diversity you have in your gut, the better your health. A thriving microbiome full of diversity and abundance of healthy bacteria is the overall goal.
There are a lot of things that can have a negative impact on your gut health. Here are a few things to take into consideration if you want a healthy microbiome.
1. Medications
One of the most common side effects of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications is compromised intestinal barrier. In other words, medications can make your gut more permeable, leading to “leaky gut syndrome.”
Antibiotics, for example, are amazing and I’m grateful for them when absolutely necessary. However, in my experience, antibiotics are overprescribed.
Here’s the deal, antibiotics kill the bad AND the good bacteria in your gut, basically stripping your gut of the microorganism protection that is our immune system. I’ve experienced it with my boys when they had ear infections as kids. Continued use of antibiotics killed my son’s immune system and disrupted his microbiome, which led to other health issues like acid reflux, bowel disruption, brain fog and so more.
I always try natural options first. Try 2 drops of Oregano Essential Oil and OnGuard Essential Oil internally in a Veggie Capsule 3x/day and/or apply 2 drops on the bottoms of the feet diluted with 1 tsp of coconut oil 3x/day. If you absolutely need to take an antibiotic, take it with saccharomyces boulardii. This is a probiotic that is acid-resistant and not affected by antibiotics. My favorite brand is Seeking Health. You can purchase it here.
2. Manage Your Stress & Sleep
We are all meant to handle stress now and then, but when stress becomes chronic and you experience consistently high levels of the primary stress hormone cortisol along with decreased oxygen delivery to the gut, you can cause serious damage to your gut. The emotional turmoil of chronic stress can directly impact gut inflammation. Here are a few of my favorite solutions to manage sleep & stress:
Get a routine - A nighttime routine is the best way to prime your body for sleep. Create a timeline of patterns each night; eat dinner, prepare for the next day, get in bed, read or listen to an audio book, take a bath or other night-time self care routines, plan for lights out, all around the same time. This gives your body clues that it’s time to wind down.
Meditation/Gratitude - These are the two biggest things that have helped me and my kids when they struggle. Right before bed, it can be as simple as closing your eyes and naming 3 things you are grateful for that day. Meditation is easy as an app download and closing your eyes. Keep it simple, especially if you’re new to meditation.
Binaural beats - If you haven’t heard about binaural beats, you’re missing out. Binaural beats induce the same mental state associated with meditation. Different frequencies help with different states in the body. I listen to Meditative Mind YouTube Channel Play the frequency for your needs and you will feel amazing sleep benefits!
Diffuse your essential oils - Diffusing essential oils provides relaxing benefits all night long. When you inhale essential oils, they are processed by your limbic system and you receive an immediate response. The response you receive (uplifting, energizing, calming), is determined by the chemistry of the oils you’re inhaling. By diffusing through the night, you receive those benefits all night long. My favorite calming/nighttime oils are Balance, Serenity, Vetiver, Adaptive, Copaiba. I also love Adaptive Capsules, and Serenity Softgels to aid in restful sleep. Get a full SLEEP KIT HERE.
Turn off the electronics - That includes the phone, tv and lights. All of the electronics I just mentioned light up your brain. Lights can affect your circadian rhythm, tricking your brain into thinking it’s still daytime and reduces hormones like melatonin, which help you relax and sleep. If you’re going to listen to something on your phone, like a meditation app, put the phone on your nightstand and switch the phone light off.
3. Eliminate Toxic Chemicals
We also live in a world where everyone is sanitizing everything all the time, oftentimes with toxic chemicals. Toxins can build in our bodies over time and disrupt our microbiome which affects our health in so many ways. Here are a few of my favorite cleaning products that are very effective but also non-toxic/plant-based.
OnGuard Hand Sanitizer - This sanitizer does not strip our natural defenses.
Abode Multi-Purpose Cleaner - This plant-based formula is free of phosphates, sulfates, sulfates, phthalates, dyes and chlorine.
OnGuard Sanitizing Wipes - 99.9% effective against most common germs. Make with OnGuard essential oil and infused with aloe leaf.
4. Eat LIVE food
Gut microbes need food to survive, and they eat what we eat. To maintain a diverse gut biome, we need to feed all our gut bacteria, not just some. We do that by consuming whole, real food. As much as possible, select organic items, pastured meats and dairy or preferably raw dairy, if it’s available in your area. These items are shown to provide more nutrients and healthy bacteria for your gut.
Real, whole foods support the foundational nutritional needs of your body and your microbiome. Refined, processed foods and foods that contain unnatural additives and preservatives provide little nutrition and they can cause an overgrowth of bacteria and yeast, leading to gut imbalance and health issues. Boxed or canned foods I call “dead” foods because the nutrition in these processed items is seriously diminished. Dead foods = diminished vitality.
5. Supplement with Probiotics
Another way to replenish your microbiome is by supplementing with a high-quality probiotic. For full effectiveness of probiotics, you also need prebiotic fiber to help assimilate into the body. There are so many probiotics out there but they are not all the same. Most probiotics dissolve in your stomach acid; you need probiotics in your GI tract for effectiveness. My favorite probiotics are PB Assist+ (for 10+) and PB Assist Jr. for under 10 years old because the outer capsule is prebiotic fiber that dissolves in stomach acid and the probiotic dissolves in your gut, where it’s supposed to.
Fermented foods can also replenish the gut. Cultured dairy such as kefir, yogurt and cheese, fermented vegetables like sauerkraut, cider vinegars, kombucha, and more. These foods are all made through the process of fermentation and introduce a massive and diverse quantity of beneficial bacteria to the gut.
This may seem like a lot of information…it does take some awareness and intentionality, but once you start to notice a difference in your awareness, regular bowels, increased energy, you will make it a priority. By taking care of your gut, you can live your life full, with energy and vitality, and who doesn’t want that?!
