This is one of my favorite topics to talk about. I truly believe that ALL health starts in the gut. Skin conditions, hormone imbalances, inflammation and pain, even cancer can be corrected by healing your gut. (I am not a health practitioner and this information is simply informative and based on my own findings.)
Every thing we put in our bodies either causes balance (healthy) or imbalance (unhealthy). PERIOD. This is true regardless of age, sex, race, genetics etc. Some people can handle certain foods and chemicals that other people can't. But it still causes either balance or imbalance.
For example, artificial sweeteners are a synthetic chemical that is toxic to the body. Some people get extreme inflammation from it (me) and others only get minor inflammation that they don't even notice. Either way, inflammation (imbalance) is there.
Or my favorite is gluten. Let me just say, every single human being is sensitive to processed foods with gluten. Read that again. Processed foods with gluten cause inflammation for every person who ingests it. Some just respond worse than others. There are people with an autoimmune disorder that are actually allergic to gluten and should avoid gluten in all forms. There are many that believe it's how the grains are grown and processed that actually causes people to have a sensitivity to gluten (not talking about celiac disease). I do believe it's important to go gluten free for at least 30 days while healing your gut. But I don't think every person has to be 100% gluten free 100% of the time. I'll get in to this more in a few.
Many people think they need tons of probiotics to heal the gut. For me personally, my gut flora was not an issue at all. And for many people it is not the issue. If you have ever taken antibiotics and not followed up with a good probiotic then yes, you most likely need a probiotic. Once your gut flora is balanced it should regulate itself.
The best way to heal your gut is to stop putting things in it that cause imbalance. It's really that simple and yet also not easy for most. Most people panic at the thought of giving up their favorite foods. So don't. Think of your absolute favorite food that you know is not good for you. Now, tell yourself you will never HAVE to give it up. (you may choose to later) That will be the 1 food you can hold on to as long you want. (I do suggest only eating it once a week, but you can start by cutting to 3 days a week, then 2, then 1)
Now choose 4 foods you know you should give up. Then over the next 4 weeks give up 1 of those foods each week. You will not put it back into your diet after the week.This just helps so you aren't giving everything up at once. See how you feel after 30 days.
Maybe choose Monday as your give it up day. So every Monday you commit to giving up 1 bad food. Here's the trick to make it easier, choose 1 day a week you can eat whatever you want. Maybe Saturday. On Monday you will tell yourself, "I am choosing not to eat bread until Saturday" The reason I call it a trick is because the mind is so powerful. If you say you can't have bread ever, you will crave bread 24/7. But if you say you CHOOSE to not have it until Saturday, your brain will remain stress free over it. Every time you choose to not eat bread, be proud of yourself. The happiness will become the new conditioning response. NEVER beat yourself up if you cave. Just start over. It's all about tricking the brain.
If you need help figuring out foods to give up please feel free to email me. I am more than happy to help with this. I have been in natural health for almost 20 years and have helped many people with this. (I was in gym biz for 21 years)
Tip: give up anything with any artificial ingredients! (Artificial sweeteners, coloring, flavoring etc)
Foods that I gave up after figuring out they are not good for me, eggs, corn (especially pop corn), and gluten pasta and bread. I limit dairy and processed foods in general. I have had a pretty clean diet most of my adult life but still had horrible gut health. Thanks to the products I take I can now eat any of the above 1-3 times per week with no issues. I still stick to once a week in general.
I have tried so many products to help heal my gut imbalances and there have only been 3 products that I have found that have worked for me. I have literally tried many probiotics, digestive enzymes, fibers etc. Most of them made me feels worse. I don't know why these products are so effective for me but they have completely changed my life! (I don't get paid for sharing these products)
I take DIGEST up to 6 times a day. Especially when I first started on it. I would take it every couple of hours. With food, without food, whenever! After about a month I cut back to 3-4 times a day. On days I know I am going to eat bad I take more, and the next day. On really healthy eating days I might only take 2. There's no magic number, take it when you feel bloated or uncomfortable and take with each meal. I have 1 bottle I keep with my "before bed supplements" and 1 bottle in my purse so I always have it with me.
I take TruColonRelease 1-3 times a day. For the first month I tried to stick to 2-3 times if I remembered Now I take it at bedtime only unless I eat really bad then I will take an extra with that meal.
I take Butyrate (Calcium/Magnesium) every night before bed. Most days I just take 1 but I have actually started thinking about taking 2 for the added magnesium.
These 3 products have literally changed my life. I had cut back my bad foods before starting these. It wasn't until I added these that I really felt a difference in my digestion. I've been taking them about 6 months now!
Set a timer on your phone to remind you to take them if you need to. Do whatever it takes to remember. If you want to start with just 1 of these products, start with DIGEST.