3 Tips To Improve Your Gut Health

Does Thanksgiving always leave you a little too grateful and looking for ways to reduce the post festive food bloat!? Our Glory nutrition experts Chelsea and Dinah share their top 3 tips to getting back on track by improving your gut health.

You know when you have that “Gut Feeling” about something? That is your second brain talking, that’s right your gut = your second brain. The mind-gut connection is not just metaphorical. Our brain & gut are connected by an extensive network of neurons & a highway of chemicals & hormones that constantly provide feedback. There are bacteria all throughout our gut which can be friendly and not-so-friendly; an essential part of having a healthy gut is ensuring a balance between these. Friendly bacteria are important in the gut for many reasons including optimal immune function, comfortable digestion, and moving food throughout our system. So how do we help the good guys thrive and crowd out the bad? Here are our top 3 tips to rebalance and improve your gut health.

1. Eat Unprocessed Foods
   Get back to eating a whole food plant based based diet including whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. The prebiotics found in fiber rich foods, like fruits and vegetables, feed the good bacteria and help probiotics flourish inside your gut. 

2. Increase Your Intake Of Probiotics
   Probiotics can be taken through a supplement, fermented drinks or by eating fermented foods. Fermented foods such as Sauerkraut, kimchi and yoghurt, and fermented drinks such as kombucha, kefir and Glory’s Gut Shot all contain natural sources of probiotics which work to nourish the good bacteria in your gut. These foods will help you better digest your food, reduce gas and bloating, and help you get more nutrition from the food you eat. All you need is a small amount of any of these foods daily to create positive change within the gut. 

3. Relax & Unwind
   We’ve all heard a million times about how stress is bad for our health – but how exactly does this relate to our gut health? Stress negatively affects our digestion process by reducing blood supply to the gut, reducing function of the muscles needed for elimination and reducing secretion of digestive juices. Including activities that help you zen out such as walking, spending time outdoors, yoga, meditation or playing with a pet will all help contribute to a healthier gut!

Chelsea is a Registered Nurse who is currently extending her education studying at The Institute of Holistic Nutrition and is a nutrition expert at our Kitsilano store.

Dinah is a graduate of Holistic Nutrition at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and is a nutrition expert within the Glory kitchen.