A Nutritionist's Take on: "How do I heal my gut?"
"How do I heal my gut?," or "How do I improve my digestion?" are probably two of the most common questions that I get asked as a holistic nutritionist who specializes in gut health.
It's the question that I used to scour the internet for HOURS for, looking for "the answer" to, when I was struggling with my digestion.
Because it's something that I'm so frequently asked about, I figure it would be worthwhile to put some recommendations somewhere they could live in the internet ether, for you to refer to as needed.
So here we go.
In this article, you'll find my take on the things you can put in place (starting today!), to start healing your gut, and improving your digestion.
One caveat before we get into things: there is absolutely no one-size-fits-all approach to supporting a healthy digestive system. Our gut is a complex system, and there are many factors that can contribute to its function, beyond what I'm able to fit into just one blog post. This is what makes working with clients in practice so beautiful: we get to dive DEEP into their unique situation, health history, concerns, and even run testing that can provide us with tangible data to work with.
That being said — there's SO much you can do from the comfort of your own home to support your gut. This post will help you with just that.
So Where do you Start to Restore your Digestion?
The first place I'd recommend to start is addressing what I call the 6 "foundations."
This is something I talk about at nauseam, but it's for a good reason. Before you get into of the nitty-gritty, "sexy" gut healing efforts, a solid foundation has to be in place.
You wouldn't invest a ton of time and money into your dream home, built on a sub-par foundation, would you?
The same sorta thing goes for your health. We've gotta go back to basics.
Here are six key areas you can get started with:
addressing mental & emotional health and wellbeing
nervous system (stress) support
meal timing + mindful eating
blood sugar management
nutrient density & hydration
digestive function support
If you're struggling with your digestion at ANY capacity — meaning no matter what signs and symptoms you're experiencing (like constipation, diarrhea, IBS, bloating, distention, gas, abdominal pain, acid reflux/GERD, etc.) — this is a GREAT place to start.
Especially nervous system support. I would argue that that is probably the most important thing to make sure you're prioritizing to support not only your gut, but your overall health and wellbeing, too.
Nutrition and Lifestyle for Better Digestion
So beyond these 6 foundations, what are some other things you can do from home to help restore your gut, and support your digestion?
Let's dig into them:
Meal Timing
Meal timing is really important when it comes to digestion, and our energy levels.
When we eat a meal, it can take upwards of 2 hours to digest. After our food is digested, there is something that occurs called "the migrating motor complex" or MMC, for short.
This is a "sweeping" motion that acts like a janitor in the GI tract, sweeping things along (things like leftover food particles, dead cells, pathogens, metabolites, etc.), so that they can be excreted from the body via stool. It’s get’s rid of all the stuff that we don’t want hangin’ around. Thanks, dude.
The only caveat here, is that this function ONLY occurs when there's no incoming food. Think back to our friend the janitor. They can only do their job well when the halls aren't full of kiddos running around on their way to class, right? Same same for the MMC!
When we snack frequently, it doesn't allow this MMC function to happen. Stuff in our gut doesn't move along the digestive tract in a timely manner. This can lead to constipation, bloating, distention, altered motility, a "back up" in the gut, and can contribute to imbalances in the microbiome.
Ideally, we want to try to eat every 3-4 hours to allow this function to happen. Long enough for the MMC to do its job, while not leaving toooo much time between meals that you're left hangry.
If you're bloated, experiencing abdominal pain, and/or experience constipation.. definitely give this one a go!
Eat Mindfully
This is such a powerful practice to support optimal digestion. Mindful eating can involve a few practices that really support how our body digests our food.
The following are a few that you can start experimenting with at home:
Breath work prior to eating. Taking a few deeeeep belly breaths before your meal, allows your body to get into the parasympathetic nervous system — which is our "rest and digest" system. This is the state in which we can digest our food, and taking the time to settle in and breath deeply before a meal, really aids in this process.
Try 5-6 deep breaths before each meal.Eating without distractions is another really powerful and simple tool. Ideally eat without working, checking your phone, laptop, watching tv, etc. As much as you can be present and focus on eating, the better!
Distracted eating can contribute to bloating because excess air may be swallowed, indigestion and malabsorption because the food isn't chewed enough to be broken down completely by the rest of our digestive tract, and may cause overeating when we aren't listening to our body's hunger and satiety cues, which can cause distention, indigestion, and discomfort.Chewing slowly, and thoroughly. This is a huge one! As I briefly mentioned above — when we aren't chewing our food, it can become a burden on our digestive tract. Chewing our food adequately starts the breakdown process of the food, allowing enzymes like salivary amylase to start its process in the mouth, lessening the work that other enzymes that break down proteins and fats have to do further down the digestive tract.
Chewing properly can help lessen the occurrence of bloating and distention, enable nutrients to be absorbed and assimilated efficiently.
Tip: try to chew your food until it "liquefies" in your mouth — that's approx 30-50 chews, friend!
Eat for a Healthy Gut
There is SO much you can do through nutrition to support optimal gut health, and help heal a troubled gut. Let's dig into some of the ways you can do that:
Stick to good quality whole foods as much as possible
Whole foods are basically foods found in their whole, "natural" form.
Think: produce like fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, tubers, herbs and spices, cold-water fish, and quality sources of organic meat, eggs and dairy products
Why is it important to eat whole foods?
They provide us with the most bio-available forms of proteins, carbohydrates and fats (which we need to make digestive secretions, enzymes, to feed our microbiome, etc.)
These foods don't include things like processed oils, additives, fillers, refined sugars, and chemicals, that can cause oxidative stress and inflammation in the body (which can harm the digestive tract and disrupt the microbiome). Instead they're full of nutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals that the body requires to thrive
A variety of plant foods feeds the gut microbiome — making it rich and diverse. Different bacteria eat different plant foods; having a variety of whole foods in your life will make these little ones very happy! And you'll reap the benefits! Win win IMHO.
Many of these whole foods have powerful properties that can help fight things like inflammation, support healthy hormone function, a healthy metabolism and keep your blood sugar balanced.. which all support how our gut functions
Specific nutrient dense whole foods for gut health:
offal like beef liver
seeds (like chia, flax, hemp, pumpkin)
garlic
green herbs (like parsley, cilantro, dill, rosemary, oregano)
cruciferous veggies (brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, broccolini)
beans and legumes (black, chickpea, lentil, navy, kidney, split pea)
whole/ancient grains (spelt, teff, buckwheat, wild rice, forbidden rice, quinoa)
wild caught fish (salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines)
eggs
berries (blueberries, haskap, raspberries, blackberries)
leafy greens (spinach, collards, dandelion, leaf lettuce)
a variety of veggies (artichoke, asparagus, bell pepper, squash, pumpkin, mushroom, beet)
Feed your Microbiome with Prebiotic Fibers and Polyphenols
Prebiotic fibers are specific fibers that are known to feed the beneficial bugs that live in our microbiome. Definitely incorporate more of these into your daily nutrition.
Prebiotic foods to incorporate:
leeks
garlic
onion
chicory (dandy blend)
cooked and cooled potatoes
cooked and cooled rice
Jerusalem artichoke
asparagus
green banana
plantain flour
apples
berries
Polyphenols are a group of compounds found in plant foods. They offer high levels of antioxidants, and a wide array of benefits for the body. They're particularly supportive for the microbiome. It's a great practice to try incorporating as much of these into your everyday as possible!
Think: dark coloured produce, and "eating the rainbow." Different coloured foods offer different polyphenols + nutrients for the body.
Foods high in polyphenols:
berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, haskap berries, strawberries)
herbs and spices (fresh and dried)
dark leafy greens
cacao
good quality coffee
Support your Gut with Fermented Foods
Fermented foods are a great way to get extra fiber in, with an additional punch. They're high in bioavailable nutrients (due to the fermentation process), and they also provide the body with live microorganisms, which have been shown to positively impact the human gut microbiome.
Here are some fermented foods you can explore:
kefir
yogurt
sauerkraut
kimchi
natto
tempeh
pickled vegetables
pickles
beet kvass
miso
Incorporate Healing Foods and Nutrients
While incorporating more whole foods in lieu of processed foods is great for our gut (and our whole bodies) in and of itself, there are specific foods and nutrients that can provide your gut with some extra TLC!
Here are some things you can incorporate:
bone broth: bone broth contains gelatin, collagen, minerals, and amino acids like glycine and glutamine to support a healthy intestinal lining
turmeric: this anti-inflammatory powerhouse well, does just that, brings down inflammation
liver: this nutrition powerhouse is full of bioavailable iron, b vitamins, minerals, and amino acids
collagen and gelatin: both contain amino acids like glycine and glutamine that supports a healthy intestinal lining
ginger: an anti-nausea, carminative, anti-inflammatory herb, that lowers inflammation, and helps to relief gas, bloating, and nausea
berries: berries are high in antioxidants, fiber and polyphenols that help feed our good bugs
Incorporate Gut Healing Herbs
Herbs are another great way to get some extra gut-loving nutrients in. Herbs can be enjoyed fresh in your meals, as teas, or via supplementation (though I always, always recommend that you speak with a trusted health care provider before supplementing with anything!).
Here are some herbs you can explore:
ginger (anti-inflammatory, anti-nausea, carminative; great for bloating, nausea, gas, inflammation)
turmeric (anti-inflammatory; great for inflammation!)
chamomile (carminative, anti-spasmodic; great for cramping, expelling gas, bloating, abdominal pain)
aloe vera (anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, demulcent; great for acid reflux, constipation, gastritis)
fennel (a carminative; it's great for bloating, distention, and expelling gas)
peppermint (a carminative; it's great for bloating, distention, and expelling gas; careful if you have acid reflux with this one!)
dandelion root (a bitter, nutritive, cholagogue, alterative; helps with bile flow, liver support, and gastric secretions)
cardamom (a cholagogue, carminative, anti-spasmodic, anti-microbial; helps with bile flow, to release gas and aid in bloating, a relieve cramping)
When to Take the Next Steps
So what to do when you DO have much of these things in place, but still don't feel well?
That's when getting support from a practitioner, and potentially looking into testing can be helpful. If you have good foundations in place, but are still struggling with symptoms like IBS, bloating, gas, acid reflux, burnout, etc., then it could be time to look into whether there's an underlying gut dysfunction, infection, or hormonal imbalance that's responsible for how you’re feeling.
Certain tests can help to better identify nutrient deficiencies, imbalances in the microbiome, hormonal imbalances — quantitative data that can help inform some decisions about how to move forward!
Likewise, if you are in a position where you'd prefer to have more individualized guidance, and get support with implementing these foundations in a way that serves YOUR unique body, PLUS dive deeper into the root of what's going on — that can be a great time to dive into getting support as well.
Alrighty! So there we have it.
My take on where you could start to improve your digestion, if you're currently struggling.
As I mentioned towards the beginning of this article — in my opinion, it's VERY important to have these foundations nailed down.
Let's recap what we just covered to support your gut-healing journey:
start with really nailing down the foundations:
addressing mental & emotional health and wellbeing
nervous system (stress) support
meal timing + mindful eating
blood sugar management
nutrient density & hydration
digestive function support
practice meal timing
practice mindful eating
support your digestion nutritionally
incorporate healing herbs
If you find yourself in a place where looking for support from a practitioner seems like the best next step for you — then I'd love to invite you to check out my program, The Gut Restore Method, to see if it might be a good fit for you.
The Gut Restore Method is a comprehensive 1:1 program, where I help folks restore their gut, recharge their energy, and nourish their nervous system via a root-cause, functional approach ✨
