How Food Affects Your Gut
When trying to heal something, it seems as though many people decide first to turn to medicine. This is not always wrong. However, we have a resource that has worked since the beginning of time at our disposal.
Food is not a necessary evil or something to just get us through the day. Food is medicine, or rather, good food is medicine. When taking steps to heal your gut, you don’t have to spend a ton of money on unnecessary pills. You’ve already got a medicine cabinet in your fridge!
Changing Your Mindset About Food
Food can often be painted in a negative light. Fruits contain “too much sugar” or maybe a homemade pie has “too many calories.” I’m sure someone has said something negative about each of the foods we eat. However, all foods serve a purpose.
Educating yourself on the difference between natural sugars that are found in fruit, versus artificial sweeteners that are often found in zero-calorie foods and beverages, could help you make an informed decision about what to nourish your body with. Sure zero-calorie drinks may seem enticing because they claim to not make you gain weight. But those artificial sweeteners and additives can do much harm to your body.
Ditch the Fake Stuff
Have you ever looked at the ingredients label on the back of your favorite food? Have you ever scratched your head at half the ingredients listed on the said label? If you’ve answered “yes” to both of these questions, you’re not alone.
Our flour is now enriched with synthetic vitamins, our favorite processed foods are saturated with gums and preservatives that wreak havoc on our gut, and the dyes used to make our food look appealing are only hurting us.
Things that have been marketed as a healthier alternative are actually filled with chemicals and preservatives. Sticking to whole foods and removing foods that are highly processed and saturated with additives can change how your gut functions completely.
Using Food As Fuel
Our body thrives when it is getting a healthy amount of food each day. Although the amount of food we eat is very important, the quality of that food is just as important.
Fruits and Vegetables
You’ve heard it’s important to eat your veggies. But did you know that the pesticides used to keep the bugs out of your food linger around after the food is picked? These pesticides (that are known to cause cancer) are then consumed when we eat fruits or vegetables and harm our gut microbiome.
When possible, it’s important to always buy organic produce, as these are not sprayed with synthetic pesticides, but rather more natural alternatives. If you can’t manage to buy organic, try washing your fruits and veggies in water and vinegar for a few minutes. Don’t worry, the taste won’t be affected!
Meat and Seafood
High-quality meats and seafood will also play a role in your gut health. Farm-raised salmon might seem like a healthy option, but these salmon are fed food that is full of dye. Because they are raised in such close quarters, they basically feed off of each other’s waste. This makes them an ugly grey color. Because of this, manufacturers have added dye to their food so that they look more appealing. These dyes are harmful to our gut, so it’s always best to try and buy wild-caught fish.
Grass-Fed Organic meat is also a better option than the conventional stuff in the store. These animals have only been fed grass that has not been contaminated with pesticides. They are also not fed GMO feed. While these higher quality meats can be more expensive, they do much better for our health than the other stuff
Dairy
It seems as though everyone knows someone who is lactose intolerant. While this is probably true for some, the cause may also be poor-quality dairy. The way our dairy is processed strips it of many of the enzymes that are needed to be able to digest it. Switching to cultured dairy can be very helpful because it carries all of the necessary nutrients and bacteria required to break it down. This means your gut isn’t working overtime trying to digest conventional milk.
Contact us
Taking steps to clean up your lifestyle no matter how small will always be beneficial. At Intuitive Health Restoration, we work on any issues the body may have during the healing process your body is making. A well-rounded program works the best. One that cleans the gut, the organs, promotes drainage and handles the neuroendocrine system. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take a positive step towards health restoration.