Step 2 of this months goal of #eatingforhealing is to focus on your gut health. We hear about it all the time, probiotics…take probiotics and you will have a great gut environment.
Sooooooooo if that was true, we would all be happy healthy holistic humans right?! There is so much more to learn about our gut than just the balance of the microbiome…dont get me wrong, its SUPER important, but there is more help needed! The gut & brain have a “share space” agreement..the brain has its own nervous system (the central nervous system), that in essence keeps us alive, safe and operable (to what extent depends on the amount of inflammation in the brain & body) most of us have an idea of how the CNS works, but I bet you didn’t know that your gut has its own nervous system too…the Enteric Nervous system…thats how important your gut environment is! It has it’s OWN nervous system..no other organ but the brain has one. Not to mention that the ENS can override the CNS by being in stressful situations!!! Ever had your “stomach tied up in knots”, or had to “get the guts up to do something”, or you just had that “gut feeling”? And I bet you’ve noticed how differently your gut reacts when it’s stressed, bloated, gas, running to the loo…not running to the loo for days on end(and then having to hunker down harder than you did when you pushed out your first born) and being super disappointed with the end result. Well whilst you are sitting on the throne(you may be there for a while…)here are some things that you should know to get acquainted with your second brain.
1. Its lining is mostly made up of collagen.
Yup the stuff that makes your skin look young & plump lines your digestive tract. As we age we stop producing so much of it…and it is very susceptible to inflammation….so the delicate lining can become compromised and even used as a food source by bad bacterias causing micro tears in the intestinal wall.
2. You need the right amount of good bacteria in the gut to create balance.
Balance is where it's at….too many “bad guys” caused by stress, the wrong types of food(lets just say anything processed & full of sugar) and drink and you could end up with Small intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth(SIBO) that will eat your good guys, the intestinal lining & make you crave sugar like Pooh bear craves honey, making the gut suffer even more.
3. Timing is everything.
Your body cannot digest food & sleep at the same time. So if you eat too close to bed time; within 3-4hours of turning out the light; then your body will store the left overs in your stomach, rotting away until you drag yourself out of bed the next morn.
This action throws your whole body into circadian mismatch and you no longer match up with the planets time where you live, causing hormonal imbalances leading to lack of sleep, sore neck & shoulders, more gut issues like constipation or diarrhoea, bloating, weight gain, lowered resilience to stress…the list of symptoms of circadian mismatch are as long as my arm!!!!
4. You really do need probiotics! And most of the time you can get enough through consuming fermented foods on a daily basis that are high in our good bacterias like, kimchi, jun, kombucha, keffir, dill pickles(dont get the ones that have sugar added in at the end of the process either…how will you know? They will be sweet instead of vinegary), sauerkraut or fermented veggies, yoghurt( if you are really inflamed in the gut…then try an alternative to dairy)..If you do not get enough of these things daily and you suspect that you may have SIBO then go for a supplement with a high variety of both Lactobacilius & Bifidiobacterium and one that has saccharomyces boulardi that will help to kill of the bad guys.
5. Fasting is key
Giving your gut a break from constantly having to process & digest is a great way to get back into the Happy, Healthy, Holistic Human game. There are countless studies on fasting & the incredible benefits that it has for the body, including #agingyoung. There are a few ways that you can do it…… Circadian fasting: Cut your eating window down to the daylight hours, so no eating after 6pm at night in winter time. You can even reduce your non fasting time down to a 12hr, 10hr or 8hr window. So if your last meal was 6pm the night before a 12hr window of nutrition would mean that your next meal would be at 6am, 10hr would be 8am and 8hr would be 10am.
Full day fast: Can really help to heal the gut fast. Consume no solids, just butt loads(see what I did there?!) of water(you can totally do the rose water), bone or veggie broth & herbal teas.
6. Drink enough water! If ya don’t poop, you die……..if you don’t drink enough water, you don’t poop…..get the picture?! The gut needs a lot of fluid to function properly, in fact the main job of the good bacterium in your large intestines is to pull the fluid out of your fart pebbles before it exists stage left and then recycle that back to your kidneys to keep your body hydrated. Not enough water down there means you are already chronically dehydrated. If you think that you may need more support for fasting we love using Isagenix cleanse for life powder that helps support the body to easily & gently detox, toxins & heavy metals from the body. It is something that we implement on a daily basis too. If you suspect that your body is inflamed & you find it hard to lose weight, to move like you used too or you cant sleep or are fatigued then please chat to us as we can help set you up for a gentle & easy to do 30 day cleanse.
7. Watch your emotions Knowing when you are stressed is something that we have totally ignored as we are constantly reminded that stress is a “normal” and even celebrated thing in our society. Where a little stress is good for the body & keeps us on our toes, too much constant stress weakens our body & brain causing an emotional WW3 to take place…but we are bombing ourselves instead of the enemy(or your husband and kids!!!). Find ways to lessen the stress load in your life... delegate, learn to say NO, meditate, take time out for you to recharge...dont tell me you don’t have time for that….sickness & disease is no respecter of person!!!
Always trust your gut…it knows what your head hasn’t figured out yet!
CHALLENGE: Have a crack at fasting this week, do either a one full day or start implementing the circadian fasting protocols.
Make collagen your friend & make up big batches of bone broth and rose water.
If you are not feeling your best self & know that you are aging before our time please don’t hesitate to contact either Juels or Kristy for either Personal Training, AMN or nutrition. We are here to help you to #ageyoung If you would like to know more about Isagenix 30 day nutritional cleanses please have a chat to us & you can take a look right here--> https://glenpellow.isagenix.com/
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