Everyone is talking about gut health and if you’re not, it’s time to chat. With 80% of our immune system in our gut, it is imperative that we care for our overall health by starting with our gut. Patient I’ve worked with have been able to resolve their thyroid diseases, decrease their weight, balance their hormones, and strengthen their overall health when addressing their digestive issues. The cells lining our digestive tract renew themselves every seven days. Everyday you have the opportunity to implement simple lifestyle and diet changes to start feeling amazing. Here are five ways you can quickly boost your gut health starting today.

1. Consider supplementing your diet

Supplements do not replace a balance diet. However, our lives are busier, and our soils are depleted of nutrients. Supplementing with prebiotics which are non-digestive food ingredients increase the growth and activity of healthy bacteria in the colon. Eating enough food sources of prebiotic rich foods like asparagus, green bananas, oats, apples, flax, or garlic can be tough. Supplementing with prebiotic shakes and bars as the ones found in the Supergut shakes and bars can be key to further support healthy digestion, manage blood sugar, and maintain a healthy weight. A Supergut shake, packed with 20g of prebiotic fiber with an array of health benefits in the mooning is better than a cup of coffee.

I’m always on the go and I personally like to keep a few nutritious bars in the car in case of a mid-day slump. It’s much better than stopping at a gas station for a sugary bar when Supergut bars have 0g of added sugar but taste just as delicious. You can get yours here.

2. Sip on the right elixirs

We talk about apple cider vinegar (ACV); and lemon water, but we should talk more about ginger root aka Zingiber Officinale. Just 1g/day of ginger can help with nausea, vomiting, gut health, and overall body inflammation.

Ginger also increases the diversity of the good gut bacteria the same way your favorite probiotic does. These good bacteria in our gut play an important role in managing fats, bile acid and supporting healthy blood sugar.

You can drink ginger as a tea, juice or add it as a spice or whole root to your cooking. Ginger is a blood thinner so be sure to ask your doctor about how much you can consume.

3. Focus on a plant-based diet

I’m always asked what’s the perfect diet to support both the gut and hormone health. I always say to start with plants!

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, women should aim to consume 25g of fibers daily while men should aim for 35g. With that, 10-15g of these fibers should come from soluble fibers.

Soluble fibers, like those in oatmeal, apples, flax seeds, attract water and form a gel-like substance in the gut. They can slow down digestion and support fullness while helping with blood cholesterol.

Insoluble fibers, like spinach, kale or green beans, increase stool bulk to increase water in the colon, making is easier to have a bowel movement and help with constipation.

Add more fiber to your diet by aiming for a colorful plate full of different veggies every time you eat. Supergut offers a range of products including dairy-free shakes(20g of prebiotic fiber per serving), and Fiber Mix (8g of prebiotic fiber per serving) that can help you increase your fiber intake effortlessly.

4. Mind your lifestyle

The gut-brain axis is a hot topic because of how stress impacts our gut health. The Vagus nerve is our longest body nerve running from our brain to our digestive tract. This nerve stimulates the muscles in our stomach to contract properly and push food Ito the small intestine to further be absorbed.

Messages from what’s happening in your stomach are sent back to your brain and vice versa through this nerve. That “gut feeling” you sense if something bad might happen is attributed to this nerve.

Feeling stressed, experiencing bloating or constipation? Stimulate your Vagus nerve through singing, humming to yourself, taking deep breaths in though your nose and tout through the mouth, or massaging the front side of your neck to your Adam’s apple can receive some of these symptoms.

5. Get more house plants

Not only are house plants and flowers amazing for our mental heath, thereby reducing stress and keeping our indoor air pure, but they are key to our supporting our gut health.

Certain plants in the environment we live are important to enrich our indoor microbes. Plants in the house fight against bad bacteria. They stabilize the ecosystem, enhance biodiversity, and prevent outbreak of bad bacteria and viruses in our home.

Not sure what to grab on your next plant buying excursion? Snake plants and aloe plants are a great place to start. They are also impossible to kill.

If you were feeling stuck as to where to start with getting your gut happy, I hope you start with this short list and watch your gut overall gut and overall being improve in no time.

Checking out Supergut on your next shopping spree, you won’t be disappointed. If you try my favorite bar let me know how you love it.

This blog was written with the sponsorship of Supergut.com. Opinions are my own.