As we’ve all come to realize, the journey to good gut health is an everyday affair. We have to be a bit more mindful in not only what we eat but how we treat our bodies as well. The good news is, we can make fairly simple adjustments in our daily routines that can help lead to healthier outcomes.
The top things we focus on when working towards good gut health are consuming more fiber, exercising daily, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated. Again, this doesn’t have to be a major overhaul in how you live, just take reasonable and attainable steps towards forming new, healthy habits.
While the things listed above are clearly action items that will help bring your gut into balance, we also have another strategy that requires almost no effort: avoidance. Here’s a list of things that if you can avoid, can make for a happier gut.
Stress
Stress can trigger unwanted digestive symptoms such as cramps, nausea and even diarrhea. See, your brain and gut are in constant communication with each other. So, when you’re overwhelmed, upset or otherwise keyed up, it impacts your digestive system. Stress can also have a profound effect on how and what you eat. When you’re stressed, you might eat too little or too much, or even rush your food. And speaking of food, you might “stress” eat, selecting poor food options in an attempt to soothe emotions instead of hunger.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics cure many diseases by killing the bad bacteria causing the illness. However, antibiotics can’t discern between bad and good bacteria (probiotics that exist in your gut). By unintentionally killing the good bacteria, it can cause an imbalance in your microbiota leading to constipation, or diarrhea. During these times, nurture your gut with vibi+® and live bacteria found in yogurt.
Anti- Inflammatory and Antidepressant Drugs
These drugs can help us during times of pain, headache, sadness… but they come with a price. For instance, NSAIDS or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can block enzymes that protect the lining in our stomach which can lead to inflammation in our gut.
When it comes to antidepressants, two of the side effects most reported by consumers are nausea and diarrhea due to their selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) that can cause disruption in the gut.
Alcohol
Drinking alcohol can have a direct influence on how many and what kind of bacteria live in our gut, in a negative way. Obviously, we want to keep the good and bad bacteria in balance, however, drinking alcohol can lead to an increase in inflammation in the gut which essentially means the good bacteria are outnumbered by the bad ones – we don’t want that.
Also, drinking alcohol can damage the wall lining our gut, which can lead to poor absorption of vitamins and minerals too.
Menstruation
Ok, here’s one you probably can’t avoid if you’re a woman. Unfortunately, many women experience symptoms during their cycle period. Some more severe than others, but the most common are cramps, bloating, flatulence and even diarrhea.
Most of these symptoms are out of our control due to your uterine muscles contracting in order for your cycle to happen. And then there’s also the fluctuation in your hormones, which throws everything out of whack. The good news is, keeping a healthy gut routine can lessen some of the severity of these symptoms.
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