Gut Health 101: The Key to a Happy Stomach and a Thriving Body

Your gut health plays an important role in your overall wellness, given how what you put in your body can affect your energy, immunity, weight, and many other aspects of your health. Taking good care of your gut can reduce your risk for many illnesses and diseases, including mental health issues such as depression.

It’s never too late to make a series of positive lifestyle changes that can boost your gut health. Read on to learn more about why gut health is important, along with three ways to achieve a happier stomach and a thriving body.

What Contributes to Poor Gut Health?

The gut contains about 100 trillion good and bad bacteria, which are collectively known as the gut microbiota. Your body needs to maintain a healthy balance of both types of bacteria to keep your immune system strong and ward off illness and disease. Having a higher number of bad gut bacteria can lead to health issues, including obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer, while having high levels of good gut bacteria can lead to weakened immunity and inflammatory tissue damage.

Certain lifestyle behaviors, along with the foods and substances that you put into your body, can disrupt the balance of your good and bad gut bacteria to cause a wide range of health conditions. Factors that contribute to poor gut health include:

Antibiotics, particularly clindamycin, clarithromycin, metronidazole, and ciprofloxacin
Poor nutrition and/or an unhealthy diet
Stress
Poor sleep hygiene
Lack of exercise
Smoking
Heavy alcohol use

3 Ways to Improve Your Gut Health

Improving your gut health can begin with a few simple lifestyle changes. The three building blocks of a healthy gut are good nutrition, regular physical activity, and self-care.

1. Improve Your Nutrition

Whole foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, and fish are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that can help balance your good and bad gut bacteria. Try to start eating higher amounts of these whole healthy foods, and reduce your intake of foods that are high in sugars and additives that can drive inflammation and multiply bad gut bacteria.

Eating probiotics is one the more effective ways to add good bacteria back to your gut. Probiotics are packed with up to billions of beneficial bacteria and may help reduce symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders, including nausea, bloating, and indigestion. Probiotics to include in your diet include:

Sauerkraut
Greek yogurt
Kefir
Miso
Tempeh
Kimchi
Kombucha

Water can also help you maintain a healthy gut, as it helps break down your food more easily to improve digestion. It also flushes bacteria and waste from your system. Aim to drink more water throughout the day and reduce your intake of sugary beverages such as soda, energy drinks, and fruit juices.

2. Exercise Regularly

Exercising regularly increases your blood flow and circulation, which, in turn, stimulates your digestive system and helps you stay regular. Low- to moderate-intensity exercises can be ideal for gut health, as high-intensity exercises can sometimes put undue stress on your body and slow digestion. Walking, running, swimming, and cycling are some of the many moderate-intensity activities you can do to maintain a healthy gut.

Any exercise can be better than none and can go a long way toward keeping your stomach happy. Find small ways to incorporate more activity into your days. For example, you might park farther away from stores when you go shopping and take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator.

3. Care for Your Mental Health

Stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions can involve disruptions in your body’s hormone balance and trigger inflammation that contributes to poor gut health. For instance, stress increases the body’s release of the stress hormone cortisol, which can weaken the walls of your gut and expose it to a higher number of harmful bacteria.

Practice good self-care to reduce stress. Try deep breathing or yoga, and spend plenty of quality time with friends, family, and your pet. Listen to relaxing music, take a warm bath, and learn to set boundaries and say “no” when it’s necessary.

When to See a Doctor

Make an appointment with your doctor if you think you may need treatment for a gastrointestinal issue related to poor gut health. Signs and symptoms of poor gut health include:

Heartburn
Indigestion
Abdominal pain
Constipation
Diarrhea
Bloating
Chronic fatigue
Difficulty sleeping
Extreme sugar cravings
Food intolerances
Unintended weight gain or weight loss
Headaches
Skin changes
Mood swings

Your doctor can perform an exam, discuss your symptoms, and talk about all your available treatment options. In some instances, your doctor may even refer you to a nutritionist or dietitian who can help you create a gut-friendly meal plan. The sooner you can get your gut health back on track, the better you’ll likely start feeling overall.