Do you suffer from gut issues? 

Constipation, chronic diarrhea, gas, stomach pains, or bloating? How about acid reflux, nausea, or GERD? Do you deal with any skin issues, food sensitivities, acne, low energy, or joint pain? And did you know that mood issues like anxiety and depression are also related to your gut health?

I spent years wrestling with many of the symptoms listed above before I learned to optimize digestion, eliminate foods I was sensitive to, and eat in a way that supports on-going gut healing. 

You may know that your gut, aka your microbiome, is made up of roughly 40 trillion microbes consisting of  bacteria, viruses, yeast, and fungi. This “guild” of microbes works together to communicate to the rest of the body. Often referred to as the “second brain,” your gut influences every single organ system in the body, including your brain, GI tract, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen, gallbladder, etc. 

Your gut governs everything from mood and metabolism to inflammation and immune response. Now, this is amazing news because when you work to balance your microbiome, you create a beautiful cascade of healing that reaches every single system in your body! 

One of the fastest, most effective ways to tend to the garden that is your gut microbiome, is to eat a healthy diet. Focus on adding in a variety of plant foods, things like dark leafy greens, sprouts, microgreens, juicy fruits and veggies, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes. All of these foods contain fiber, which provides food for the healthy microbes in your gut, helping them to proliferate and balance out any of the less beneficial bacteria. 

Aim to eat roughly 30 different plant foods a day! In as little as four days, you can start to impact the state of your microbiome for the better. 

Not sure how to do that? Start drinking my Radiance Green Smoothie and you’ll be nearly a third of the way to the goal. Include a raw Rainbow Salad (recipe available in my Plant-Powered Life Guide) for lunch and a veggie stir-fry for dinner and voila! 

It’s also vitally important to avoid gut disruptors. Things like processed food, glyphosate and other pesticides and herbicides, emulsifiers (thickening agents like carrageenan found in most store-bought nut milks), and taking too many antibiotics and over-the-counter NSAIDs.

While this may feel overwhelming and stressful at first glance, try to approach this as a process. Take one thing per week and give it an upgrade.

Here’s an example of how you might do this:

Week 1 focus on upgrading your breakfast to include more dark leafy greens and fruits.

Week 2 upgrade lunch to a big salad.

Week 3 add more veggies to your dinner plate.

Week 4 clean out your kitchen pantry of process food and ditch all processed junk food.

Week 5 clean out your medicine cabinet. 

And so on…

If you’d like support in the process and need a guide, reach out to me here and let’s set up a time to chat! 

Now, there is another crucial component to gut health that’s not often discussed and that’s what I’d like to explore next.