How To Improve Gut Health Without Supplements
One question I get all the time is if it’s possible to improve gut health without supplements.
My answer is always this: I absolutely love using supplements, but you don’t have to!
While supplements can help support your health, they might not always be an option.
here are some of my best tips for how to improve your gut health without using supplements.
- Actually chew your food!
- Reduce liquids before, during and after eating
- Relax!
- Eat your veggies
- Avoid the Junk
Actually Chew Your Food!
If you want to improve your gut health without supplements you have to start by improving your digestion. And one of the best ways to do this is to simply chew your food more! I know it sounds incredibly simple but it can be a total game changer.
Ideally you should aim to chew your food 20-30 times per bite. Doing this will not only make your food easier for your gut to digest, but it will slow down the process of eating. This is going to allow your gut to digest your food at a more efficient rate.
Reduce Liquids Before, During, and After Eating
When you eat, your stomach produces acids and enzymes that break down your food so that it can be digested. But if you flood your stomach with liquids while you eat, those digestive juices might have trouble getting the job done, and could lead to any number of digestive problems.
By limiting your drinks around mealtimes, your stomach juices can do the work they need to do to break down your food without getting diluted. Ideally, you want to reduce the amount of liquid you’re drinking during your meal, and for about 45 minutes after you eat.
Relax!
In today’s busy world, so many of us have a habit of rushing through our meals, or eating as fast as possible in our car or at our desk. This is a big no-no for better digestion!
Stress can slow down or even shut off your digestive process which leads to bloating, constipation, heartburn and gas down the line. So it’s super important to make sure you’re as relaxed as possible when you eat.
Instead of rushing to cram lunch in while you’re muted on a conference call, or multi-tasking in traffic while you eat, or wolfing down your food in between activities, take a moment to sit with your food and take 5 big deep breaths to calm your system before you start eating.
Eat Your Veggies
Vegetables and fibrous are the best foods you can eat to build better microbial diversity, which is going to mean a healthier gut.
Aim for 4-6 cups of veggies daily. (You can try my 3 Ingredient Soup to Get Your Veggies here!) If that sounds impossible, start by trying to get veggies at every meal.
Also make sure to eat a variety of probiotic foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha, keir, beet kvass, and kimchi. You can make your own at home or purchase them premade from the store.
Getting probiotic foods into your body will boost your population of beneficial gut microbes that support a healthy gut.
Avoid the Junk
And of course, avoid processed foods and alcohol as often as possible, and limit the amount of sugar you consume. These things can wreak havoc on your gut, and can have negative effects on other aspects of your health as well.
Start implementing these 5 simple tips today to start improving your gut without supplements.
And if you want to improve your digestion, get my free
101 Gut Healing Foods list. Different foods can affect your health both positively and negatively….but small adjustments can lead to big changes!
With this list of 101 foods, you’ll know exactly what to focus on to begin to heal your leaky gut so you can eliminate bloating, headaches, skin conditions, alleviate autoimmune flare-ups, and overall feel better and more comfortable and confident in your body.