How To Keep Your Gut Healthy Over the Holidays
With the holiday season upon us, dreams of turkeys and pumpkin pies are not leaving anytime soon. As these heavy meals find their way to our dining rooms, the need for proper gut health is more and more pressing. There are many things you can do to take care of your gut, some more complicated than others.
Did you know that 90% of our serotonin is produced in our gut? Poor gut health can result in a magnitude of health issues including but not limited to: weight gain, increased stress, bloating, sleep problems, and sugar cravings.
The aim of this blog post is to cover various things you can do to manage and obtain optimal gut health, which is important year-round.
The gut-brain connection is very real and is responsible for how we digest our food and influences our mood, metabolism, hormones, immune system, skin, joints, and your overall well-being. You think of your brain and your gut as being separate but really, these two organs are connected physically and chemically through your nervous system and a lack of gut health can cause long term health effects on the body that you might not be aware of.
Many factors can lead you to be at a higher risk of poor gut health.
Some of these are smoking, lack of exercise, taking antibiotics, drinking alcohol, consuming refined sugars, high levels of stress, lack of fiber in your diet, and eating high amounts of protein. If any of those things sound familiar, looking into gut health is even more important and is something to take seriously.
Holiday Gut Health 101
1. Pro and Prebiotics are great to have in your diet because they help to keep the good bacteria present and working and crowd out any bad bacteria lingering around. Inflammatory foods such as gluten, refined sugars, large amounts of dairy, refined seed oils, trans fats, and highly processed foods kill the good bacteria that is present in your gut. Unfortunately, most of the popular foods consumed around the holidays contain many of these ingredients, throw alcohol into the mix and we end up putting our bodies through quite a lot. Don’t be afraid to keep probiotics and prebiotics handy. They are best taken with smaller meals, or my favorite is near bedtime. Make sure you drink lots of water while out and try to keep a mental note of what you’re eating so you don’t end up overeating. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the moment and not realize you’ve had three helpings of turkey, or an extra piece of pie. 2. Moderation really is key during the holiday season when it comes to food and alcohol because most gatherings are going to have a plethora of things to choose from. Since family and community are important and play a huge role in our physical and mental health, spending time at these gatherings is a key part of holiday happiness. That’s why making sure you’re enjoying holiday celebrations, while you’re remaining health conscious is such a key factor in these upcoming weeks. 3. One of the big things you can do to help keep your gut health is to manage your stress levels. Keeping your stress at bay is one of the best ways to keep cortisol levels low and achieve higher quality sleep which in turn helps your body process food better, getting more nutritional value from it.7. One of the best things you can do, and should be doing year round is keeping your body active. By moving your body, you’re moving what’s inside and allowing the natural flow to continue.
It may sound silly, but movement really is one of the most key aspects to health for any person on this planet. Movement is good for our physical, mental and emotional well being.
p.s. Just in case you are looking for a specific food, supplement, or any other wellness need, reach out to us here at 916-253-9276 and we would be happy to help you find exactly what you are looking for.
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