Holiday Season Gut Health Check

For many people, the holidays are a time filled with good company, fond memories and delicious food. Unfortunately, all this delectable food can wreak havoc on your digestive system. Gut health is central to keeping your body in working order. Nearly 70 percent of the immune system is housed in the gut! As your stomach breaks down the food you eat, it absorbs nutrients that support body functions like energy production, hormone balance, skin and mental health and even waste elimination.

Try out these tips for better gut health.

Eat a High-Fiber Diet

A proper fiber diet helps food move through your digestive tract, meaning you’ll be less likely to become constipated. Try incorporating more grains, vegetables, legumes and fruits into your diet to encourage proper digestion.

It’s important to consume both insoluble and soluble fiber since they help your body’s natural digestion process in different ways. Insoluble fiber helps add bulk to stool while soluble fiber draws in water to prevent stools from becoming too watery.

Limit Fatty Foods

Fatty and processed foods tend to slow down the body’s digestive process, which can make you susceptible to constipation. While fat is an important part of the diet, limiting your intake of these foods is a good idea to promote a healthy gut. When consuming meat, opt for lean cuts such as pork loin and skinless poultry instead of a steak and pair it with high-fiber veggies that can ease the strain on your body’s natural digestive process.

Processed foods should also be avoided as they can inflame the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. Your gut may misinterpret what you’ve eaten as an “attacker.” This can set off an inflammatory response, causing your body to fight these foods as if they were an infection.

Stay Hydrated

Water is essential to a healthy body no matter the circumstances and a healthy digestive system is no exception. Fiber pulls water into the colon to create softer, bulkier stools. This allows them to pass more easily.

Incorporate Probiotics

Healthy bacteria are naturally present in your digestive tract, however, people who’ve recently taken antibiotics or have had recent health problems may not have the optimal amount. Supplementing your body’s natural production of probiotics with a supplement can encourage a variety of beneficial effects on your natural digestion process and promote good gut health.

Check out Probiogen’s selection of probiotics for digestive health by clicking here!

How do you keep your gut healthy?

References:

G. Vighi, F. Marcucci, L. Sensi, G. Di Cara, F. Frati. Allergy and the gastrointestinal system. Clin Exp Immunol. 2008 Sep; 153(Suppl 1): 3–6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515351/