There are so many ways that we can support our gut and keep our body’s healthy. On the flip side, there are equally as many ways that we can wreck it without even realizing. Indulging in unhealthy food on a regular basis, eating while stressed out, and enjoying dessert before protein are all ways that we can suppress our gut microbiome and prevent it from thriving.
Because I want everyone to have a glowing, healthy life, today’s blog is dedicated to sharing the best foods for gut health, what is gut health, and the top unhealthy habits to kick.
The Real Impact Of Diet On Our Gut Health
In general, people eat the same foods on rotation. This means that if you’re regularly ordering pizza and fast food, that makes up the majority of your diet. Processed foods, seed oils, and sugar are anti-gut health foods. They permeate our gut lining and can cause inflammation, leaky gut, and more. When these side effects start to occur, it becomes clear that gut health is the foundation for overall health. Once our gut is compromised, it can cause an avalanche of other issues. Acne and breakouts, stubborn fat, poor sleep, low energy and poor moods – to name a few.
5 Common Unhealthy Eating Habits To Avoid
Outside of junk food, there are a few eating habits that can affect how well you digest your food. Here are the top five unhealthy eating habits I think everyone should ditch today:
1. Eating Standing Up
When we sit down, our body enters rest and digest mode. This is the optimal position for eating because it signals to our body that we are safe, relaxed, and in a good place to digest our food. Even though eating standing up can be fun and easy at times, it’s not the best way to support gut health.
2. Eating On The Go
In similar fashion, eating on the go or in the car or during a meeting is not the best choice for optimal gut health. The goal is to create a calm state of being for our body. When we’re distracted or moving, we take the focus away from digestion and put our body in fight or flight mode. Take your lunch break, it’s the law. 😉
3. Not Chewing Enough
I’m totally guilty of this. I INHALE my food if I’m not being mindful. Chewing our food at least 15 times is a simple way to improve our gut health. If we don’t chew our food thoroughly, our body has to spend more time and energy to break it down for us. This can slow metabolism and cause our body to overproduce enzymes in order to be able to digest food fully.
4. Starting Your Meal With Carbs
Eating food in the right order can help improve gut health. Turns out our parents and grandparents were right when they said we had to have dinner before dessert! When we consume sugar and carbohydrates before protein and veggies, it can send us on a glucose roller coaster. Starting with a small salad or the fish or meat on your plate can help improve blood sugar balance and overall gut health.
5. Eating Close to Bedtime
When we sleep, we want our body in full recovery mode. If we eat too close to bedtime, then we burden our body with digesting our food when it should be resting. Try and give yourself at least three hours between your last meal of the day and going to bed. I’ve found this also helps me maintain my weight better, too!
How To Eat For Your Gut
The best way to support gut health is to ditch unhealthy food and focus on real, whole foods. Grass-fed meat, seasonal produce, and wild-caught fish are some of the best foods for gut health. Also, the way you start your morning sets the stage for the rest of the day. I like to enjoy a warm cup of Detox tea in the morning. It helps rev up my metabolism, and it contains 13 superfoods. Making this good-for-you drink first thing in the morning motivates me to make healthy decisions the rest of the day.
Another tip I like to tell people is to shop on the outer aisles of the grocery store. This is where you’ll find meat, fish, cheese, fruit, and vegetables – all of the things that can help support a healthy gut! The inner aisles are mostly unhealthy food like sugar-filled cereals, chips, and snacks.
Lastly, enjoy your life! I know it doesn’t seem like a food or gut-related tip but it is. Keeping stress levels low and living a happy life is the best way to improve your health. Do what you can, don’t dwell on what you can’t, and find gratitude in the little things. I promise this will make the biggest difference. If you need support on your journey, the SkinnyFit Facebook Community is an amazing resource. Check it out for daily inspiration!