If you’ve been suffering from an upset stomach, weight changes, or possible food intolerances, you may have some gut issues. Luckily there are seemingly small, everyday things you can do to improve your overall gut health, which we’re about to go over. But first, let’s discuss a few signs of an unhealthy gut:
- Frequent gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and heartburn.
- Unintentional weight changes.
- Insomnia
- Skin irritation such as eczema.
- Migraines.
- Changes in mood.
If you are suffering from any of these symptoms, keep reading, friend. We’ve compiled a small list of super simple ways to improve your gut health. And as an added bonus, most of these things are just good for your body in general, so you might as well give these tips a shot.
Take probiotics daily
If you’ve suffered from gut health issues for any amount of time, someone has more than likely mentioned the ‘p’ word, but probiotics boost the good bacteria in your gut, making them pretty vital for overall good gut health. And the best part? Probiotics are easy to come by, you can snag them at healthy good stories, your local drug store, or online.
Go exercise
Exercising gets your body up and moving and that includes your colon, and a healthy colon leads to regular bowel movements, and we probably don’t have to go into the details of how and why regular bowel movements are an overall good thing.
Get some sleep
Believe it or not, lack of sleep can have major effects on your gut health. For best results, make sure you are getting 7 – 8 hours of sleep at night. If you have trouble sleeping, considering talking to your doctor about a solution.
Beware of over-consuming sugar
Eating too much sugar will throw off your gut microbes altering not just your gut health, but your brain and behavior as well. A little sugar is okay, just make sure not to go overboard.
Drink plenty of water
Sure, this is probably a no-brainer, but if you’re like us, drinking enough water is a little easier said than done, but drinking enough water in a day balances out the good bacteria in your gut. This is just one of the many benefits of drinking enough water, and such a simple way to improve your gut health.
Eliminate trigger foods
There are many foods and/or food components, such as gluten or dairy, that are common triggers for people and their gut discomfort. Try eliminating certain foods from your diet, one at a time of course, and see if no longer consuming these foods helps. We recommend keeping some kind of food diary so you know just how long you were without certain foods. This will be vital information for your doctor.