Do you suffer from cramping, abdominal pain, or a ratty bowel?

Is your belly swollen by bloat or upset by certain foods?

Do you feel tired or sad?

Your gut can negatively affect many aspects of your health. From digestive problems to a melancholic mood, low energy to increased pain. But there are proven ways to settle digestive distress and feel well again.

Here are our top 6 lifestyle steps to foster great gut health, naturally!

Exercise regularly

As you move your body, you also move your gut. This motion promotes digestive health.

How?

Research shows that exercise reduces the gut's transient time; the speed at which food moves through the digestive tract.

The study, Effect of moderate exercise on bowel habit, investigated the passage of food from mouth to exit. The authors found the average transit time was 51.2 hours at rest. This dropped to 36.6 hours when cycling for one hour per day, and 34.0 hours when jogging for one hour per day.

This is great news! The more time food takes to pass through the intestines, the higher the production of damaging bacterial degradation products; that is, more byproducts are created that can cause damage. Decreasing the transit time, though, appears to generate a healthier intestinal wall.

Exercise has also been shown to positively change the gut microbiome composition. The literal makeup in the types and numbers of bacteria in your gut. This is powerful because research shows that, “Body fat percentage, muscular mass and physical activity significantly correlated with several bacterial populations.”

Regular exercise, then, promotes a healthier transit time, healthier gut bugs, and a healthier digestive tract, with “side effects” like lower body fat and increased muscle mass.

Tip: Low to moderate-intensity options are great!

Choose your habits carefully

We all know that smoking and alcohol compromise our wellbeing. This is no different for gut health.

A study published in the journal, Microbial Ecology and Environmental Microbiology, investigated the outcome of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption on the gut’s microbial composition.

The authors found that, “Cigarette and alcohol consumption can alter overall composition of gut microbiota… [that] SCFAs decreased with smoking and alcohol consumption,” and that smoking had a greater effect.

SCFAs (short-chain fatty acids) are produced by bacterial fermentation of dietary fibers in the colon. They supply energy and nutrition to the large intestine, protect the integrity of the gut wall, and “talk to” several organs, including the incredible brain. This is thought to be why gut function may alter mood, memory, and cognitive function.

So if you want a well belly — and a well body — it’s time to limit or quit these bad habits.

Consider the medications you take

Do you take medications?

Meditations can cause mayhem in your gut.

Antibiotics, antidepressants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like celecoxib, ibuprofen, ketorolac, and naproxen each appear able to alter the types of bugs present in the gut. This can have profound impacts on digestive and general health.

Speak to your health professional and decide if there are better alternatives, or if you can go without a triggering medication.

Be conscious of your disinfectant use

Disinfectant use for household cleaning is common. But this may have unintended consequences for the digestive tract.

A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal looked at infant stools. They found “the abundance of specific gut microbiota was associated with household cleaning with disinfectants… in a dose-dependent manner.” In other words, the higher the amount of disinfectant they were exposed to, the greater the shift in the gut bugs.

Switching to effective eco-friendly products is wise.

Fix a leaky gut

Do you have symptoms like bloating, constipation or diarrhea, brain fog, headaches, skin problems, tender joints, or tiredness?

You may have what natural health experts call a leaky gut.

To learn why this condition occurs and more detailed remedies, read our in-depth article, Leaky Gut: What Is It, What Foods Cause This Common Condition, And How Can You Heal Your Digestive Tract?

That said, there are steps to “fix the holes” including:

1. Limit or avoid trigger foods like:

— additives
— excessive fat intake
— gluten
— processed foods
— refined sugar

2. Manage your stress levels with approaches like:

— sufficient sound sleep (poor sleep by itself may alter the makeup of your microbiome)
— mindfulness and meditation
— journalling
— Yoga
— fun, immersive hobbies

3. Increase your intake of healing nutrients with foods like:

— fruits
— vegetables
— leafy greens
— sprouts
— grasses

Supplementing with a healing nutrient-rich organic product like SuperGreens may be helpful. As poor gut health can reduce the ability to absorb nutrients, supplementation is often a sensible step.

Supplement with SuperGreens

The gut needs optimal nutrition to thrive!

Fiber, fruits, veggies, greens, and sprouts are nourishing choices.

Onest’s SuperGreens contains a unique formulation designed to support optimal nutrition intake. This power supplement includes:

— Organic grass and greens blend
— Organic cruciferous vegetable blend
— Organic carotenoid-rich vegetable blend
— Organic sprouts and sea vegetable mix
— Organic fruit and vegetable blend

As Roberto S. said, “I try different kinds of super greens but Onest is the best one I’ve ever had! You can feel the benefit right away! Helps my digestive system and chocolate tastes really good!”

Get started with your SuperGreens now!

The takeaway

Gut problems can be troublesome. Cramping, abdominal pain, an irritable bowel, bloating, food intolerances, fatigue, mood changes — and more — can result. Yet, the right lifestyle steps may prevent damage and aid recovery.

Exercise regularly. Choose your habits carefully. Quit smoking and limit alcohol intake.

Speak to your health professional about any medications that could be upsetting your digestive tract. See if there is an effective, suitable alternative.

Consider switching your household cleaners from disinfectant-type products to eco-friendly options.

If you suffer from a leaky gut, take steps to heal this condition. Limit or avoid trigger foods. Manage your stress levels. Nourish your body.

Supplement sensibly to boost your nutrition intake. SuperGreens is a popular, organic and tasty choice and a customer fav.

And stay positive. With the right steps, restoring a healthier gut is possible. Naturally.