How to heal your gut the whole body way

If you are wondering how to heal your gut, you are not alone. One thing almost everyone struggles with is gut health.  

Whether people are aware of their gut issues or not is another story because people often live with gut issues such as belly pain, bloating, constipation, heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome, or other issues their whole lives.  They assume that it is “normal”  to feel this way.

If you are having most any kind of symptoms throughout your body, these can be a sign of digestive system imbalances too. 

Let’s face it: you may be having anxiety or stress due to gut health issues as well. 

People often believe “it’s just me” or “it’s my genes.”  

Luckily, there are a lot of things you can do that gently improve the health of your gut. Anything you do to improve your overall health usually starts in the gut. 

How to heal your gut the whole body way

To help you heal your gut, it is important to know how every system in the body is connected.  Your whole body is tightly connected to the health of your gut. 

Here are the organs that are connected to the gut: 

• Skin
• Brain
• Liver
• Heart
• Nervous system
• Muscles
• Immune system

Without a doubt, the health of your digestive system is arguably the most important system to focus on if you want to feel better.  

By understanding how each organ is connected to the gut, you can help to motivate the choices you make each day to be sound choices. 

Reducing intestinal permeability is critical

Research now shows that your intestinal permeability affects your ability to keep out foreign substances from the body and to help you function well [R]. 

The tight junctions between your intestinal cells control what gets inside your body and what stays out!  In the Whole Body Guide to Gut Health, my new book, many tools are given to help improve your digestive health by helping to reduce intestinal permeability.

Recipes and practical tips for gut healing are given, including tasty and easy soups, salads, and hearty main entrees that help you heal your gut. 

Taking time for your gut

By far the most important decision we make on a day-to-day basis is the food we put in our bodies.  If you focus on your gut health, you will be surprised at how much of a ripple effect it will have on everything you do.  

If you are wondering how to heal your gut, make sure to:

• Make wholesome meals
• Reduce stress
• Gently, but consistently exercise
• Identify food sensitivities
• Eat probiotic foods
• Consider supplements when necessary
• Get some sunshine
• Meditate

Sometimes this whole body approach can take some time, so it’s ok to take baby steps!  

In The Whole Body Guide to Gut Health, I give you 50 delicious recipes and a 14-day food plan that are all designed to nourish your gut.  Tips for reducing belly distress are given throughout each recipe too. 

Related: Do You Need Low FODMAP Tea for IBS? (thehealthyrd.com)

Food approach to gut healing

There is so much more to gut health than eating yogurt and fiber.  Eating for gut health is much more than low FODMAP diets too. 

Including healing foods at each meal can give your small intestine a boost of the nutrients it needs to heal and to send anti-inflammatory signals throughout your whole body.  

Some healing foods include: 

• Bone broth
• Fermented foods and beneficial bacteria
• Key spices and herbs
• Protein foods
• Zinc-rich foods
• Teas
• Magnesium-rich foods like leafy greens

Making sure that each meal counts with gut-healing foods can get your whole body and overall health back on track. 

You will be pleasantly surprised that your mental health can improve too.  My new book has lots of tips, food lists, and recipe adaptations to improve gut health.  

With these new tips, you can easily include healing foods into your daily routine to set you up for a lifetime of success. 

Related: Leaky Gut Eczema Connections

Keep foods tasty to stay the course

A common problem with diet plans and gut health books is that they leave you without the tools you need to succeed.  One important tool is to keep foods tasty so that you are more likely to stick with any healthy diet. 

Keeping a schedule and making a plan to cook gut-healing meals is so key.  

Make sure you are planning for other self care too, such as stress reduction and mental health.  

The Whole Body Guide to Gut Health gives a 14-day plan and and comforting recipes like these:

• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Vibrant Green Smoothie
• Hot and Sour Mushroom Vegetable Soup
• Sunrise Lemon Chia Pudding
• Shepherd’s Pie
• Basil Chicken Wraps with Flaxseed Tortillas
• Ginger Shrimp Stir Fry
• Reuben-Inspired Meatloaf
• Beet and Mint Salad
• Berry Compote

Fermenting foods can be a great way to help get your gut back on track too. One of the easiest foods to ferment is rice. Find out all about fermenting rice here.

How to heal your gut by removing food triggers 

Elimination diets can be helpful for healing your gut, but can also be daunting. Common triggers for gut imbalances include gluten, dairy, and soy.  By eliminating triggers that are causing inflammation, your gut lining can have a chance to heal.

The effects of processed foods on triggering belly health issues can’t be understated too.  But we are drawn to convenience foods and sugar for a reason-they are designed to be highly appealing! 

You can learn to love foods that don’t have a bit of processing in them and that help support healing.  Tips for success include filling up on nutritious and healing foods for the gut.  

Food intolerances like these can create inflammation throughout the body, but it takes some time to identify if these are issues.  The Whole Body Guide to Gut Health takes a gentle approach to elimination and makes this approach both livable and tasty. 

Just remember, be patient and forgiving with yourself no matter where you are in your journey. 

Add nutrients when needed

Using a functional medicine approach, the right supplements can be helpful when your body needs the extra nutrients and factors for healing. 

When you have gut imbalances or leaky gut, your body may need extra vitamins and minerals to repair too.

Vitamins, including vitamin D and natural B-vitamins, and minerals like zinc and magnesium can be helpful for repairing your gut.  To know if and when to add these supplements, make sure to check out this book. 

Related: Natural Antivirals: Foods, Herbs, Spices, and Nutrients

Tracking your symptoms

By taking note of how your whole body feels, you can start to pinpoint food sensitivities and trigger foods.  In the Whole Body Guide to Gut Health, tracking and identifying symptoms in your body helps you to have the most positive healing experience.  

Tracking your symptoms over time can help set you up for long-term success! 

My new book has a simple symptom tracker and gives you practical tools, including spices, herbs, and blood tests that you can ask your doctor about to help deal with gut symptoms.  

Whole body approach

When you focus on healing your gut, a whole body approach is often more effective than targeting any single organ.  

By taking time to address your stress, your physical needs, nurturing healthy bacteria in your gut, and your emotional needs, your body will get its best chance of long-term health. 

This holistic approach to health is very rewarding because it can help with hormonal issues, autoimmune diseases like psoriasis, colitis, helps the mood, and even supports your cardiovascular health. 

The book Whole Body Guide to Gut Health is unique in this way.  Rather than a singular focus, taking a broad lens approach to whole-body health helps you to put it all together for being the most vital you possible. 

Order the Whole Body Guide to Gut Health on Amazon or any major book retailer using ISBN 9781648766169.

Summing it up

By caring for your gut and nourishing it the whole body way, you can set yourself up for a lifetime of wellness and vitality.  

Focusing on a liveable plan and tasty foods helps to make this all possible.  

Always take time to nurture your health the holistic way too and your gut will thank you. 

“The Whole-Body Guide to Gut Health is a must-read for anyone looking to improve their gut. This book is exceptional, empowering, and life-changing as it puts you directly in control of your health. Heidi has in-depth knowledge of the gut and how it impacts every area of our health, weight, mood, and immunity. The gut is truly the epicenter of the human body in every way. You do not have to go on crazy diets or spend a fortune to become a healthier person―you just need the knowledge that this book offers.” ―Lori Shemek, PhD, award-winning, best-selling author of How to Fight FATflammation

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