If you ever felt something wasn’t right with your body, it turns out you’re more right than you know it. I recently came across a wonderful interview with nutrition researcher Paul Pitchford, and wanted to share some of the amazing insights from it.

You may be wondering what happens when our gut is telling us something’s wrong? For instance, we feel tired and sluggish. Emotionally, we’re pretty down or even upset (either way our mood isn’t what it should be). And of course our digestion isn’t performing as optimally as it should- think bloating, irregular stools, trouble digesting food, becoming intolerant to a variety of things we normally had eaten before without any problems…. All of these are signs that the gut needs our help.
Possible causes behind an imbalanced gut include:

• Overgrowth of bacteria, yeast, or parasites
• Heavy metal toxicity
• Stress
• Hormone imbalances
• Poor diet

Ever heard the term ‘gut instinct’, or listen to someone say that something felt so wrong that they could ‘feel it in their gut’? When it comes to our health, our gut instincts are strong indicators for the disarray that could be happening internally.

In our gut lives trillions of residents that work to keep us in tip-top shape, performing a variety of tasks such as digesting our food, producing vitamins, warding off potential invaders, and regulating our mood. [1] In fact, most of our serotonin is produced by the friendly bacteria in our gut- a whopping 95%! [2] Usually we think of our brain when it comes to this feel-good hormone, but this couldn’t be further from the truth! However, it doesn’t remove the mind from our gut instincts. In fact, our mind can make or break the longevity of our gut.

If our mind isn’t in the right place, whether it’s because of anxiety, depression, anger, guilt, sadness, etc, then it could affect the way we break down our food. We lost touch of an inner core that ties us to life itself. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it’s believed that whatever disturbs the mind disturbs the gut. That is why one of the prescribed methods of treating these disturbances involved addressing mental health. This required learning how to quiet the mind and enter a state of calmness. A number of exercises and practices can be done to achieve this- meditation, visualization, prayer, breath-work, as well as yoga, Tai Chi, and Qigong. The ultimate goal is to reconnect to one’s spiritual core, or sense of life. You don’t necessarily have to be religious, but should at least have a sense purpose and respect for all aspects of life. This in itself is a very deep concept, but hopefully you get the gist of what I’m saying here.

If you learn to control your mind, you’ll have a much better chance at healing and maintaining a happy gut, which in turn keep you happy through their various functions and connection to the brain.

Once you’ve got your mind set up, the next two steps involve your lifestyle. The first is exercise. Believe it or not, exercise helps to maintain a healthy gut! Think about it- you’re active, getting your heart rate up, and breathing very well. All of this encourages healthy circulation throughout the body, which of course includes the gut. You’re also warming up through your workouts, especially when you’re engaging your core to perform exercises like squats, deadlifts, and planks. That’s why it’s essential that you make exercise a regular part of your lifestyle. (So to all my ZGYM members, think of your workouts as a ‘physical probiotic’ for your gut!)

Number three is a no-brainer: fix your diet! Keep a food journal of what’s been going on your plate. Are you eating processed foods? What about problematic foods, like legumes, dairy, wheat, or soy? (Read up on my post about the Foods That Cause Bloating for more info.) A diet that is filled with these types of foods is most likely to wreak havoc upon your gut. The processed foods will without a doubt impact you. And the foods that are otherwise healthy and complete won’t do you any favors if you’re body is constantly rebelling against them in the form of bloating, cramps, and digestive struggles. All of these factors contribute to inflammation, which has been linked to nearly every kind of ailment you can imagine.

So toss out the junk, and rule out any foods that don’t agree with you. Then, transition to a diet that is based on whole foods. When your gut is in trouble, cool off the heat with a combination of Anti-Inflammatory Foods and those that are rich in both probiotics, such as fermented veggies, kombucha, kefir, yogurt, pickles, and miso.

Another tip is to cut back on the number of ingredients you’re consuming in a meal. When your gut is out of balance, the last thing you’d want to do is overwhelm it with an assortment of different foods. Keep things simple; stick with the basics, such as meal containing 2-4 items. Do this as you heal your gut and eventually you’ll be able to move on and enjoy richer, complex meals.

At the end of the day, you can’t go wrong with exercise and a healthy diet.

Finally, if all else fails, go and see your doctor. Have them check your body for infections and overgrowths, as well as heavy metals. Heavy metals have been known to disrupt the integrity of the gut, and could be the cause behind poor digestion and mental health (which we know are linked). If heavy metals are detected either through urine, blood or even your hair, then work with your healthcare provider to eliminate them. Part of your treatment may include looking at your environment for any sources of heavy metals. These can sneak up in pipes and cooking ware, so expect to find them in the most unexpected of places! While you’re treating the heavy metals, it wouldn’t hurt to include the following foods that can help your body during this process:

• Seaweed, Cilantro and Chlorella: These three are like magnets to heavy metals, binding to them and making it easier for your body to excrete (or detox) them. [3] [4] [5]
• Sulfur-Rich Foods: From garlic, onions and leeks to cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and sprouts, foods that contain sulfur also help to pull heavy metals out of the body. [6]

The next time you feel a “disturbance” in your inner force, consider tapping into your gut instincts. It turns out, your body has a whole lot to say, and it’s up to you to listen and follow through.

Sources:

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425030/

[2] http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/09/gut-feeling.aspx

[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924796308002972

[4] https://www.nihadc.com/library/detox-for-life-class-2-addit-resources/54-4-dosing-with-chlorella/file.html?accept_license=1

[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3654245/

[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19412854