Gut Healing Tips

Optimizing your digestion is an excellent way to support the GI tract and immune function. The GI tract begins with the mouth and ends at the rectum. The system used to break down and digest your food is complicated and amazing. Enzymes and acids are needed in the correct amount in very specific areas. The intestinal lining needs to stay healthy to absorb the nutrients from your food. The large colon contains many different colonies of bacteria called the microbiome. Most of them are helpful, some are helpful as long as they don’t over colonize (mutualistic), and a few are pathogenic, or poisonous. The food you eat has a direct impact on the enzyme and acid levels in the stomach and nourishes or starves the good microbiome.

Simple sugars starve the healthy microbiome. As they slowly starve to death they will begin eating the mucosal lining of the gut, causing many different gut issues. This also allows the mutualistic bacteria like candida to over populate and cause yeast infections in different parts of the body.

Step 1 – Improving Oral Health

• Reduce sugar and processed food intake
• Rinse your mouth with water after meals
• Chew sugar free gum with xylitol
• Add liquid minerals to water and drink throughout the day, swishing through your teeth to remineralize them
• Brush your teeth twice a day
• Floss daily, using non-toxic dental floss
• Use natural mouthwash
• Consider using a tongue scraper
• Try oil pulling several times a week. Swish a tablespoon of unrefined sesame or coconut oil in your mouth 10 minutes before brushing teeth. Do not swallow the oil.

Step 2 – Support Healthy Stomach Acid Levels.

Symptoms of low stomach acid are bloating, indigestion, & heartburn.

• 1⁄2 organic lemon squeezed into 1⁄2 oz of organic cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil. Add a dash of cayenne pepper and ginger, stir well and drink. Do this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach 5 mornings a week.
• Add 1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar to 4 ounces of water. Drink 15-30 minutes before meals as desired. This may also be used for heartburn after meals. Use a straw to avoid damage the enamel on teeth.
• Use digestive bitters that contain at least some of these herbs – dandelion, fennel, ginger, beet root, goldenseal, milk thistle, peppermint, wormwood, yellow dock
• If symptoms persist, consider Betaine HCL. Ask your health coach or nutritionist about proper use.

Step 3 – Intestinal Lining Repair and Support

• Sip bone broth. Drink 8-12 ounces a day
• Incorporate collagen or gelatin into your diet. Both are powerful in rebuilding and soothing the gut lining.
• Eat more glutamine rich foods which is a key amino acid for gut repair. Chicken, fish, eggs, cabbage, spinach, parsley, and asparagus contain glutamine.
• Add prebiotic foods to your diet. These include garlic, onions, leaks, asparagus, and bananas.
• Include plenty of omega 3 rich foods. These are anti-inflammatory and very supportive of gut health. Some of these are salmon, mackerel, avacados, eggs, olive oil, chia seeds, flaxseeds, and walnuts.
• Fuel your gut with short-chain fatty acids which help maintain and heal the gut lining. This includes fiber rich food like rolled oats, potatoes (cooked, cooled & reheated), brown rice (cooked, cooled & reheated), sweet potatoes, and lentils.
• Boost your gut with zinc which is essential for tissue repair. Food containing zinc are pumpkin seeds, oysters, cashews and chickpeas.

Supplements to consider for gut healing

• Aloe Vera juice 1-2 oz a day on an empty stomach before meals
• Leaky Gut Revive by Amy Myers
• Designs for Health GI Revive
• Microbiome Labs MegaMucosa

Step 4 – Support Healthy Gut Bacteria 

Temporary symptoms like bloating or skin changes may occur as your microbiome adjusts. If this happens, take a break and then start in more
slowly.

• Add fermented food to your diet. These are probiotic rich foods that feed your healthy microbiome. Fermented food includes sauerkraut, kimchi, unsweetened yogurt with live bacteria, dairy or water kefir, miso, tempeh, and kombucha.
• If fermented foods aren’t your thing, try a high quality probiotic supplement. Start slowly and work your way up to full dose. Check with your health coach or nutritionist on the best type of probiotics for your specific needs.