4 Steps To Get A Healthy Gut & Digestive System

Your gut is similar to the foundation on a house -- it truly is the "rock" on which the condition of the rest of your body depends.

And if it's not in tip-top shape, it's just a matter of time before the rest of YOU starts to "crumble."

The "cement" of your body's "foundation" (aka your gut) lies in your friendly intestinal bacteria. Right now, you have trillions of these little guys milling around down there--that's more than the number of cells you have in your entire BODY. Now, most people realize that your friendly flora helps encourage regular bowel movements, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

1. They make up about 70% of your immune system...so whether or not you get the latest bug, cold, virus, flu or infection around primarily depends on your flora count.
2. They help inhibit various diseases including CANCER--the number 2 killer in the US.
3. They surround and engulf dangerous pathogens you ingest from your food or the environment and "escort them out" when you have a bowel movement.
4. These guys help encourage a healthy cholesterol level by eliminating and even "eating" excess cholesterol--they're Nature's safe alternative to statins!
5. They help control the pH level of your intestines, which can help keep your digestion efficient and prevent gas, bloating and constipation.
6. They help keep your gut wall strong, which can prevent toxins from seeping into your bloodstream and causing pain and inflammation throughout your body.

Whew! I can not say enough about how we need to take care of our digestive system . Truly this is a key to health.

By now, I am sure you may be thinking, "Hmm, I wonder how my gut flora is."

It's not entirely obvious when there's a problem down there, after all, it's not like your gut gives you a nudge and says, "Hey, we're in trouble here."

Instead the signs are a little more subtle and you might not even realize they're related to your gut.

See how many apply to you:

- Frequent tiredness and/or fatigue
- Frequent constipation and/or diarrhea
- Repeated infections, including UTIs, vaginal yeast infections, bronchitis, upper respiratory infections, sinus infections, etc.
- Gas and bloating
- Memory problems, anxiety or depression
- Catch more than one cold per year
- High cholesterol
- Skin breakouts, cold sores
- Vague aches and pains that can't otherwise be explained

All of these are indicative of having dysbiosis in your gut -- in other words, harmful bacteria have taken over and outnumbered the good guys.

Imbalanced flora is practically a given:

- IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
- IBD (Crohn's and ulcerative colitis)
- Allergies and asthma
- Migraines
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Cancer
- Eczema and psoriasis
- Acne and skin rashes
- Autoimmune conditions

The good news is you can help restore the health of YOUR body's foundation--your gut--by using the "4 R" approach:

1- Remove

This involves removal and avoidance of things that can greatly harm your friendly flora.

These can include, but are not limited to:

- Foods that you are sensitive or allergic to
- Cigarette smoke
- Soda
- Excessive alcohol (especially beer)
- Refined carbs -- including sugar, flour, donuts, bagels, hamburger and hot dog buns, white rice, cookies, pastries, cakes, snack chips, pretzels, candy, etc.
- Antibiotics
- Acid reducing medications (both OTC and prescription)
- Regularly lacking adequate sleep

You can try my detox and 7-Day Plus Cleanse here. 

2- Replace

Help reverse dysbiosis by replacing and rebuilding your supply of beneficial bacteria, and this is done with a probiotic supplement.

Now as far as probiotics go, a multi-strain is your ticket for helping to restore a good flora balance.

Research studies have shown that it is important to use more than one strain of probiotic bacteria when tackling dysbiosis.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus acidophilus, have been shown to be extremely effective in fighting dangerous gut microbes.

And additional strains are necessary to support L. rhamnosus and L. acidophilus in keeping your intestinal flora in a healthy balance, ready and able to "keep the upper hand" over harmful bacteria, and strengthen your intestinal wall…So choose your probiotic carefully!!!!

3- Reinforce

Reinforcing a healthy flora balance means nourishing your friendly bacteria (while starving the bad guys!) and having smooth digestion to help keep your intestinal tract squeaky clean and avoid waste and harmful bacteria buildup.

This involves eating foods that naturally nourish your friendly flora like fresh vegetables and whole grains, plus keeping ALL of your meals easy to digest.

4- Repair

The final step of the 4 R approach to a healthy gut is to help repair any intestinal damage that you may have from harmful bacteria and medications.

In addition to a healthy diet like I mentioned in number 3 above, Omega-3 essential fatty acids have been shown to help enhance intestinal health.

Omega-3 EFAs ( essential fatty acids) are abundant in fatty fish, but since many people are not fish fans, and still many more are concerned about pollution and contamination, fish oil supplements are a convenient way to get the Omega-3 EFAs you want. Not only will it help enhance your gut health, but studies show Omega-3 EFAs are also helpful against excess cholesterol, joint aches and pains, brain health and even high blood pressure!

Remember, your gut is your body's foundation. If you don't have gut health, it's only a matter of time before the rest of your health starts to crumble with new pains and other symptoms cropping up every month or two.

Then they'll give your problems a name... the "diagnosis." Then they push the drugs (which often only cover up problems maybe with some symptom relief). Then comes rapid decline and agony of one horrible sort or another. Taking good care of your foundation will help keep the rest of the "structure" (YOU!) feeling good for years to come.

Put the 4 R's into place and I'm sure your body will thank you in countless wonderful ways. Many over the counter probiotics just do not have enough strains or enough of the friendly bacteria. I use Nutrametrix "Probiotics" which are easily digestible and have zero fillers. You can learn more about them here.

For additional alternative health and weight loss tips please visit my website here.