5 R's, simple steps to improve your gut
The best time to start making changes to your gut health is today, the next best time is tomorrow.
Are you at a loss to what to do? Do you not quite know where to start?
The answer is the following 5r approach. These are simple steps you can implement today. Of course, keep in mind that there may be deeper underlying causes to your gut symptoms, so further investigation might be needed!
These 5 simple steps are a great way to start.
1.Remove
Remove the foods from your current diet that cause negative reactions.
This could be foods you have a sensitivity to, and foods that cause excess inflammation and damage to the mucosal layer of your intestines and stomach. Apart from the main offenders above, I usually work to reset the gut by also removing:
Gluten
Dairy
Refined sugar
Processed foods
2. Replace
If you think: well, I can't have gluten, dairy, sugar and my favourite takeaway, then what CAN I have? This is where it gets fun! You will replace those foods with healthier alternatives, add foods that aid digestion, especially foods rich in digestive enzymes.
Don't be afraid to try out any new vegetables or grains for the first time. Focus on eating the rainbow and on what you can eat!
3. Re-inoculate
This is where you introduce gut-loving friendly bacteria to your diet. Either in the form of fermented foods or a supplement.
Some of my favourite fermented foods are:
Kefir
Sauerkraut
Kimchi
Kombucha
Read all about my top 4 fermented foods here.
4. Repair
the gut and its mucosal layer further through diet and lifestyle changes. This includes addressing stress levels, implementing a self-care regime, and continuing to eat foods that your gut loves. Some additional targeted supplements could give you extra support to help with the healing of your gut mucosal layer.
5. Retain
to strive for optimal health of your gut with nourishing foods, targeted supplementation, and lifestyle hacks. Good quality sleep, exercising regularly and managing your stress can have a positive impact on your gut and overall health.
There you have it, 5 simple steps to implement and improve your gut. When you use this approach, keep in mind that you will need to take this one step at a time, some of these steps should be followed for weeks or longer. One of my online programs goes through these steps in detail, get in touch for more info.