Is Your Gut Making You Sick? 5 Simple Steps To Gain Energy and Lose Weight
Your gut health determines how well you absorb nutrients from foods. A damaged gut can lead to cravings, weight gain, digestive pain, and a whole host of other problems such as allergies and even cancer! End feelings of sluggishness and chronic illness with these 5 simple steps.
We all know that true health starts from within, but the “core” of your wellness might surprise you.
It’s in your gut! Your digestive system, including your stomach and intestines, plays a large role in fighting off illness, regulating weight, and balancing energy, among other essential functions.
In fact, your gut is connected to everything that happens in your body!
But many people with symptoms of illness, weight gain or low energy don’t realize just how important the gut is when it comes to overall health. To name a few, digestive problems can lead to allergies, autoimmune diseases, mood disorders and cancers.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Have you ever doused lotion over red, itchy skin to no avail? Are you using harsh chemicals on acne only to make it worse?
- Do you suffer from lethargy or depression and rely on caffeine, energy drinks, and “comfort food” to get through your day?
- Does it seem like you can’t loose weight, no matter how much you restrict your caloric intake?
The solution might be as simple as listening to your gut and adjusting your diet.
More than 100 million Americans have digestive problems of one kind or another1. Astoundingly, two out of the five best-selling drugs in America are for digestive problems, and cost billions of dollars. And many over-the-counter drugs at your pharmacy can often worsen the problem instead of solving it!
If you’re feeling “off” and aren’t sure how to regain vitality and take control of your weight, look to your gut. We’ll tell you how.
Your Gut is Connected to Everything
Your gut is directly lined to the health of your entire body. That’s because the health and efficiency of your get determines what nutrients are absorbed from the foods you eat and what toxins, microbes, and allergens are blocked.
Dr. Mark Hyman, a pioneer in functional medicine, explains how the gut works:2
- The gut is filled with bacteria – three pounds of it! The good, gut-friendly bacteria, such asLactobacillus acidophilus, keep you regulated and healthy. We call this bacteria, “probiotics.” Too much of the bad guys, such as candida or yeast, can throw off your whole system. Balance is key.
- Your body and entire immune system are protected from all the nasty chemicals and toxins we ingest by a super-thin lining in your gut. If that barrier is damaged, your immune system can flare up and cause inflammation.
- Your gut must function efficiently in order to keep toxins contained and dumped into bile. If you get backed up and constipated, you can become toxic and put your health at risk.
- Your gut is responsible for breaking down food and nourishing your body and brain. The goal is to reap the highest amount of vitamins and minerals from the foods that we eat.
If, like many Americans, you consume a high-calorie, high-sugar processed food diet that’s low in fiber, you probably experience symptoms of poor digestive health.
Other factors that put you at risk include:
- Overusing medications, especially antibiotics
- Undetected gluten intolerance. One percent of the American population suffers from gluten sensitivity and even more are likely undiagnosed.
- Chronic, low-grade infections that promote and overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine.
- Too much mercury or mold toxins.
- Stress! Stress negatively affects about 75% of the global population. Americans aren’t the only ones who are overwhelmed putting their health at risk.
5 Simple Steps to Help Boost Your Energy and Lose Weight
Get rid of your chronic symptoms and stop battling low energy and weight fluctuations! Give these five steps a try, and see for yourself:
1. Stop or dramatically reduce your intake of refined carbohydrates and sugar.
The bad bacteria in your gut thrive off of sugar. So take away its food source by removing sugars from you diet.
Check out the 25 Reasons Why You Want to Dramatically Reduce or Avoid Sugar in Your Diet.
Improving your digestive health is easy with fermented foods and drinks! Make your own fermented foods and drinks easily at home with Body Ecology’s Culture Starter and Kefir Starter. Each Starter box allows you to make up to 42 different one-quart batches of either kefir or cultured veggies, so it’s an economical way to great health! Follow the simple instructions in the box and you’ll be on your way to improved health and well-being today. Try Culture Starter and Kefir Starter and take charge of your gut health.
2. Rebuild your Inner Ecosystem with Probiotics
Fermented foods and drinks rich in healthy microflora are ideal for your gut. There are plenty of probiotic supplements on the market, like yogurt and even probitiotic ice cream but their quality is debatable and unregulated.
Instead, try making your own fermented foods and drinks. You can make young coconut kefir with Kefir Starter or cultured vegetables with Culture Starter for delicious and health-promoting probiotic-rich options.
Or if it’s convenience you want, go for naturally fermented probiotic liquids. These high quality probiotic liquids are ideal for on-the-go schedules, not to mention, a great replacement for health-damaging sodas and energy drinks.
Probiotics are an ancient health secret that our ancestors in just about every culture around the globe used to stay healthy and hearty. Now that’s a tradition worth bringing back!
3. Eat whole, organic, unprocessed foods
There’s nothing more likely to derail a healthy diet than processed food.
So much of the mass-produced, packaged “food” we have available today is stripped of nutritional value and only makes you crave more sugar. Lurking behind the pretty packaging is nothing more than preservatives, additives and chemicals.
Next time you go to the grocery store, try sticking mostly to the perimeter of the store, where the whole foods and produce are likely to be found.
With the money you’ll save on “convenient” food, you’ll have more left over for dark leafy greens, wild caught salmon, quinoa, and herbs!
4. Eliminate food allergies
Are you allergic to gluten but don’t know it? Celiac Disease is possibly four times more common today than it was 50 years ago!
If you have certain food sensitivities, it may be your body’s way of telling you that all is not right. You can try an elimination diet, or you can stick to grain-like seeds, such as quinoa and amaranth.
People who are lactose intolerant (and even those who aren’t!) can benefit from young coconut kefir as a way to return dairy-loving bacteria (and thus the ability to digest the proteins in milk) into your gut.
To learn more, read: How Fermenting Takes the “Allergy” Out of Soy and Other Foods
5. Get enough sleep, reduce stress, and take time for exercise
Ultimately, your body cannot perform at it’s best when you’re exhausted. Take time for relaxation and exercise. When you reduce stress, get plenty of zzz’s and exercise, you are going a long way toward improving your digestive health.
When your inner ecosystem is healed and vitality is restored, you’ll see just how easy it is to loose weight and keep it off when your digestion is functioning as efficiently as possible.
So what are you waiting for? There’s no better time than the beginning of a new year to commit to a lifestyle of health and happiness!
Sources:
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/is-your-digestive-system_b_313247.html
- ibid.