How to have a healthy gut biome

Ayurveda teaches that all disease begins in the gut, whether it’s anemia or eczema, it all comes back to the gut. Clearly things like IBS and chrons start with digestive disruption but so do diseases you might not immediately link back to the gut!  What we eat and how well our bodies assimilate that nourishment is what it all boils down too. So let’s talk about how we improve our bodies' abilities to process and digest what we’re taking in. 

After all, you are not what you eat, you are what you can digest. 

How do I know if I’m not digesting correctly? 

There are a few signs our body gives us that tell us what's going on in the digestive tract. If we learn how to listen to these subtle cues, we can have a better understanding of what’s happening inside our gut. 

I want you to look at your tongue, this is an extension of the digestive tract that we can see. 

Is there a coating? 

Do you have a metallic taste on your tongue? 

Do you have bad breath?

Is there redness? 

Does your tongue have scalloped edges? 

All of these are clues to what’s happening on a deeper level. 

Coating = toxins in the GI tract

Taste = trace mineral deficiency

Bad breath = slow and unproductive digestion

Redness = inflammation in the gut 

Scallops = malabsorption

What else can we look at to determine digestive irregularity? 

I want you to look at your Elimination. The qualities of our waste can inform us on the quality of our digestion.

Hard, dry, pellets, difficult, dark color = dry colon 

Solid, large and bulky, cracked, slow transit time, strong odor = fermentation in the gut

Liquid, soft, very fast transit time = inflammation 

Undigested food = malabsorption 

The goal for elimination is a smooth banana shape, cinnamon brown in color without strong odor.  

Other signs you may not be digesting properly are gas, bloating, indigestion, acid reflux, burping, fatigue after eating, pain or bleeding, constipation, diarrhea and even brain fog.  

Now that we have some ideas on what’s happening inside, let's check the do’s and don’t of proper digestion. 

DO

• Start the day with warm lemon water
• Eliminate daily
• Eat seasonal, fresh, organic foods
• Eat a variety of food, aim for at least 100 different foods a year. This increases the variety of microbes in the gut lining and we want as much diversity there as possible. 
• Consider eating as local as possible to increase nutrient density and even wild foraging. 
• Eat fruit alone
• Have small doses of probiotic foods like kefir, kimchi, kombucha and yogurt.
• Take magnesium (i suggest magnesium glycinate an hour before bed)
• Drink warm, nutritive beverages like herbal tea and cacao
• Reduce stress, when the body is stressed, it ignores digestion and focuses on survival
• Scrape your tongue each morning and put effort in oral hygiene
• Stop eating when you’re 80% full, allow space and room for digestion to occur. 
• Take necessary vitamins and minerals including vitamin D, vitamin C, B vitamins, magnesium, potassium, zinc, etc. 
• Pay attention to your protein and fiber intake
• Include a variety of tastes in your meals including bitter, sweet, astringent, salty, sour and pungent. 
• Stay away from food dyes and high fructose corn syrup.

DONT

• Eat processed food
• Consume tons of dairy and sugar, this can increase fermentation in the gut
• Drink ice cold beverages (unless you're in extreme heat!), this slows digestion
• Eat before bed, this includes snacks and treats, you want ample amount of time before breaking fast in the morning.
• Ignore signs the body is struggling with digestion, remember to check in with your body by looking at the signs above.
• Consume large amounts of alcohol, this breaks down the gut lining and leads to leaky gut. 
• Over or under hydrate, the proper amount is usually your body weight in half and then in ounces. If you weigh 200 lbs, you want to aim for 100 ounces of water. 
• Drink water with meals, this can dampen or even drown your digestion. Instead try to have a glass of water before you consume your meal. 
• Eat hard to digest foods like raw coniferous and a lot of red meat
• Consume unhealthy oils including soybean, corn, safflower, sunflower, grapeseed, hemp, and flaxseed oil. These contain high PUFAS which are not good for the gut lining. Instead focus on EVOO, ghee, avocado and coconut oil.  

Healing digestion 

• Bone broth, heals and seals the gut lining (bye bye leaky gut!)
• Diet (follow the do's and don’ts above)
• Support digestion with proper herbs like turmeric, ginger, lemon, cumin, coriander, fennel seeds and black pepper.  
• Eat foods high in antioxidants like berries, dark chocolate and dark leafy greens
• Move your body, a morning stretch, walk or dance makes your gut happy. 
• Get some quality time in the sunshine
• ADAPTOGENS -  the work that adaptogens do for the body is unparalleled. Working DIRECTLY with the hypothalamus, they play a key role in the secretion of many hormones that aid in the regulation of digestion. Helping the hypothalamus to operate correctly secures proper function in the body. Adaptogens do a lot of the dirty work for us, and in a safe effective way. 

Here are some of my favorite adaptogens and how they help increase a healthy gut biome.…. 

Ashwagandha: Ashwagandha has the amazing ability to calm the nervous system which is imperative for healthy digestion. If our body is in “fight or flight”, it will not process food. We must be in a “rest and digest” mode for this to happen. Ashwagandha is therefore strengthening to the gut in a more indirect way but an important one, nonetheless. We couldn't live without this powerful adaptogen. You can enjoy it daily in a nourishing cup of Kapow Cacao.   

Licorice: A known demulcent, meaning it soothes and lubricates, licorice root aids a healthy gut biome by easing inflammation in the gut lining. It coats and protects the walls of the GI tract. It is also an amazing synergizer, meaning when used in conjunction with other adaptogens, it pulls them together into a great source of unified power, increasing their effects in the body.   

Amalaki: Or indian gooseberry, helps the body absorb and assimilate nutrients. This is important, because what good is all the healthy food we eat if we can't assimilate that into our bodies? It also supports healthy elimination by regulating bowel movements. It improves metabolism because it has a cleansing and healing effect on  the digestive tract.  We love to blend this super adaptogen in our Epic Elderberry immunity shot. 

Goji berry: Goji berry is known to reduce cholesterol and blood sugar. It compliments a healthy gut biome by providing fiber and antioxidants. Goji also boosts immune function and 80% of immune cells in the body are found where? That’s right, the gut. Scientists are leaning more and more into the notion that your gut is actually what controls your immunity. Goji berry also promotes healthy skin, and ayurveda reminds us that healthy skin comes from the inside out. Healthy gut = healthy skin.  This is why you will find the mighty berry in our Radical Beauty shot.  

Schisandra: Schisandra is protective to the gut. It’s commonly known for its ability to improve liver function, but liver function is directly related to digestion. Furthermore, research showed that schisandra can inhibit inflammatory bowel disease by regulating the composition and metabolism of gut microbiota, and indicating that schisandra may be used as adjuvant therapy for IBD patients.

Reishi mushroom: Reishi is a mushroom that encourages prebiotic and probiotic bacteria diversity in the gut. This is due to it’s beta-glucans, soluble fiber that comes from the cell walls of the fungi. You may have heard of them being linked to raising immunity and decreasing the risk of heart disease. It's a powerful addition to our Kapow Cacao. 

In conclusion, there are many many ways to improve your gut biome and small choices lead to big changes. Choosing a fresh apple over processed chips will win in the gut every time. So as I tell my clients, make good choices, your body will thank you with health instead of disease. 

In good health,

Amanda