Your health is dependent on many things. A major contributor is definitely the status of your gut.
Your gut health can affect your mental and physical health in various ways. If your gut is out of balance, it can feel like your whole world is too.
It’s incredible to think that the trillions of viruses, fungi, and bacteria that thrive in your gut can play such a vital role in different body functions. Because of this, it is essential to keep the balance of these microbes in the gut. Problems occur when a blowout in one or more species occurs, which alters the healthy ratio. Here are some tips to help you keep a healthy ratio.
Eat A Balanced Diverse Diet
One primary function of your gut is digesting all the foods that go into your stomach. Keep the gut healthy by eating fresh, whole, and unprocessed foods. Processed foods and others high in sugar and artificial sweeteners are bad for your gut. It is also important to diversify the foods that you eat to encourage the diversity of the gut microbiome.
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and more fiber. Incorporating prebiotics and probiotics will also help the good bacteria to grow and keep the gut microbiome balanced. Some of the foods that are good for the gut are whole grains, nuts, yogurt, kimchi, kefir, miso, bananas, and cheese.
Exercise Regularly
Physical activities help with proper digestion, which is good for the gut. When you exercise regularly, you improve your gut health and increase the diversity of bacteria species. It also helps you keep a healthy weight and avoid obesity. It is suggested to engage in moderate-intensity exercises for at least 150 minutes each week.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Your circadian rhythm also has a role to play in keeping the gut healthy, which is why it is important that you get enough sleep every day. Disturbed and poor-quality sleep can impact the gut microbiome negatively. Sleep quality and quantity affect your metabolism, mood, and cognitive functions.
Reduce Your Stress Levels
Stress can disrupt the balance of microorganisms in your gut. For your health’s sake, it is important that you reduce or properly manage stress. Doing the first three tips in this list will assist in bolstering your system to better deal with stress. You can also do meditation, journaling, and yoga to reduce your stress levels.
Improve Your Dental Health
Your mouth is the entryway to the gut. It is where the foods and drinks you consume pass through. Food debris, sugar, and other chemicals may remain in your mouth, and bad bacteria can grow between your teeth. If you don’t keep your teeth clean, these bad bacteria can find their way to your gut and the bloodstream. Make sure that you brush your teeth at least twice a day and that you floss daily. Drink plenty of water, and rinse your mouth after eating sugary foods. Visit your dentist twice a year for a checkup and dental cleaning.
Keep Yourself Hydrated
Water is beneficial to the lining of the gut and in keeping the balance of bacteria. It also helps with the digestion and for ensuring stools pass through the colon easily. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day to keep yourself hydrated and to promote a healthy gut.
Eliminate Bad Substance Usage, In Particular Alcohol And Cigarettes
Smoking and drinking alcohol have adverse effects on the digestive processes and the balance of the gut microbiome. They can alter the composition of the gut microbiome by reducing the number of essential bacteria. In turn, risks of intestinal problems increase, which could lead to chronic and systemic illnesses, such as irritable bowel disease and cancer.
Summary
You may find a lot of products, such as probiotics, supplements, etc., promising to keep the gut healthy. These products can assist in maintaining optimal gut populations, but they can’t make up for the impacts of an unhealthy lifestyle.
Keeping a healthy gut starts with changing your lifestyle and diet. Follow the tips above, and you’ll be on your way to having a better, healthier gut, and better overall wellbeing also.
