Most of us are known to experience digestive issues from time to time. Although the annoying bloating (and various other symptoms) can simply be a reaction to something you ate recently, they can also be signs of a much deeper problem: an unhealthy gut.
Differentiating one from another and finding ways to deal with it isn’t easy. Luckily though, there are tons of great at-home remedies and micronutrient superfoods we can use to help us control our symptoms and heal our body from the inside out.
1. Bloating and Gas
One of the most obvious signs of wonky digestion is bloating, caused by a buildup of gas in the gastrointestinal tract. When it occurs right after eating and goes away after a short period, the culprit is usually the type of food you just ate (some foods like cruciferous vegetables and legumes can cause more bloating than others). Even your eating habits can affect your digestion. Those who talk a lot during meals or swallow without adequately chewing their food inhale a lot of air with their bites, causing discomfort in the stomach and intestines.
If the bloating persists after a few hours, it might be a sign of inflammation and an unhealthy gut, leading you to analyze your current diet and lifestyle and focus on replenishing your gut flora with good bacteria.
2. Constipation and Diarrhea
When your digestion is on point, your stool should reflect it. Constipation and diarrhea are signs of something not being digested properly, nutrients not being absorbed efficiently, and a form of inflammation that occurred due to a presence of a toxin, bacteria, or another harmful compound.
Most commonly, diarrhea occurs when you’ve had food poisoning or a specific bacteria entered your organism and wreak havoc on your system. Constipation is usually a result of poor indigestion of a specific food, certain medications, lack of movement for a long period of time, or pregnancy.
If any of the two symptoms become chronic and often, they’re usually signs of an unhealthy gut and severe inflammation in your intestines. This can cause malnutrition, dehydration, hemorrhoids, and depletion of crucial micronutrients your body simply isn’t able to absorb from the food you’re eating.
It’s really important to address it as soon as possible and find the best ways to support your gastrointestinal tract with a specific diet, supplements, and serious changes in your lifestyle habits.
3. Skin Problems
Your skin is the reflection of your gut. More often than not, breakouts and skin impurities are signs that something isn’t working right on the inside. You could be lacking crucial nutrients, forgetting to drink plenty of water, consuming a lot of processed foods, or missing out on food variety and fermented ingredients.
Even if your dermatologist thinks your skin can be cleared with a prescription face cream and steroids, cleaning up your diet and making sure you’re staying hydrated will definitely help speed up the process and prevent any further inflammation and blockages.
4. Hormonal Issues
Women can often struggle with their cycle and irregular periods if their diet isn’t on point and their gut is unhealthy. Hormones need optimal doses of healthy fats, as well as vitamins and minerals to function optimally. If you don’t supply them through your diet, there’s a good chance your hormones aren’t getting what they need to function properly.
Make sure you get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated, clean up your diet, introduce probiotics, and take your micronutrients from whole foods. These are key to balancing out your hormones and healing your gut. A high-quality supplements like our Green Juice Mix can also help you fill in the gaps.
5. Poor Sleep Quality
Gut imbalances can also affect your sleeping habits. Most of the time, they’re related to stress and not allocating enough time for rest and recharge. However, an unhealthy gut can furthermore exacerbate insomnia and restless sleep, as the “rest and digest” mode isn’t able to work correctly.
In addition to that, the most important sleep hormone, melatonin, cannot be produced in the right quantities if there are signs of hormonal imbalance in your gut. This all affects the quality of your sleep and adds to stress and fatigue caused by sleep deprivation.
Your gut can be disturbed and inflamed in many different ways that can show up in different areas in your body. Unless there is an illness in play, the majority of the symptoms can be dealt with by fixing the root cause. Analyze your current lifestyle and eating habits and do your best to change them for healthier ones. Everything else is bound to follow!
How are you making sure you maintain a healthy gut? Share with us in the comments!