Top 3 Elements of Optimal Gut Health
Do you know what the top three elements of a fully functioning gut are?
- Digestion
- Absorption
- Elimination
Let’s take a closer look at these crucial components.
Acid is Needed for Digestion
Your stomach actually NEEDS acid for proper digestion! So often, people experience reflux or heartburn or indigestion… and it burns! So the logical thought is that you have too much stomach acid.
This is actually not often the case. More often, there is not enough stomach acid to properly kill bad bacteria and break down the food in your stomach, and then stimulate the release of other digestive enzymes in the small intestine.
The upper part of your GI tract is like a beautiful orchestra all working together – and stomach acid is a key component of that! So, what are some great ways to naturally boost your stomach acid?
- Try eating your meal in a relaxed state of mind, savoring each bite!
- Take your time eating, rather than finishing your meal in 5-10 minutes like most Americans do. Allow 20-30 minutes to eat.
- Lastly, chew your food 30-40 times per bite.
Maximizing Absorption
If you’ve been dealing with gut issues for a while and have changed your diet to include more nutrient-dense foods (check out my blog post about eating the rainbow + download my free eat the rainbow tracker here!) but are still experiencing these symptoms of poor gut function such as
- bloating
- fatigue
- diarrhea
- constipation
- heartburn
- gas
or poor nutrient absorption
- brain fog
- fatigue
- brittle nails
- thinning hair
- dull skin
chances are that you aren’t fully absorbing the nutrients from foods you eat. This problem can arise from a few places:
- your diet isn’t as high in nutrients as you think it is (track nutrient density with my rainbow tracker here!)
- your body is not properly digesting and breaking down those foods so that they can be absorbed, from low stomach acid or other digestive enzymes
- or you may have some other things going on in your gut such as inflammation or imbalance of microorganisms that need some TLC and professional guidance
It takes a lot of time and money and energy to cook and prepare healthy foods; but if it’s not being put to good use in your body, what’s the point, right?
If your body isn’t able to absorb the nutrients, then it won’t matter. If you have a car and there is a gas leak and you can smell it and notice it, are you going to keep putting gas in the gas tank? Or are you going to fix the hole that’s actually in the tank? Probably the latter. It’s the same with your gut! A leaky gut and lack of absorption needs to have a root cause and a trigger. It’s my job to find those frustrating causes.
Optimize Elimination
Do you monitor your elimination? What is the color of your stool?
Here’s a helpful tip:
- medium brown is ideal
- Stool that is light tan, has bright reblood, black are not good. When it comes to the shape of your stool, we don’t want bunny droppings or undigested food in your stool. Floating stool indicates excess oil or grease in stool. Learn more about your body and become more self-aware in order to take action!
