Improve Gut Health Naturally

It’s impossible to be truly healthy if your gut health is poor.  And it’s not uncommon for most people today to have poor gut health unless they’ve been intentional about getting and keeping it healthy.  All sorts of toxins like pesticides, preservatives, additives, and more work their way through the gut every day and can wreak havoc.  Add that on top of past antibiotics?  And, well, you get my point.  So how do you turn gut health around?  I’ll share some of my favorites.

1. Digestive Bitter Herbs

The vast majority of people with gut health issues are lacking in stomach acid.  Stomach acid production naturally begins to decline around age 35, so this has historically been a problem with adults, but I’m seeing it more and more in kids these days too.  Whether it’s small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), candida, parasites, gas, or bloating, it’s probably due, at least in part, to low stomach acid.  Even reflux and GERD are often caused by low stomach acid.  How can this be so?  That burning feeling in your throat sure feels like too much stomach acid, right?  Well, if there isn’t enough stomach acid to begin breaking down your food in your stomach, it essentially starts to rot there rather than passing through into the small intestine.  It’s that “rotting” that gives the feeling of reflux or GERD.  This is where bitters shine.

You have bitter receptors in your mouth.  Once something bitter hits those receptors, it signals your body to produce stomach acid, bile, and digestive enzymes.  My favorite bitter blends come in spritz bottles to make things super simple.  All you have to do is spritz a couple sprays in your mouth, and the whole cascade begins!  You’ll want to do this 5-15 minutes before you begin eating in order to give your body enough time to get the cascade underway (but I’ve been known to take them once I’ve already begun eating, and they still worked well).

My two favorites companies are Herbalist & Alchemist and Herb Pharm.  You can find multiple flavor options for each company, though you may have to go to their company websites to find all of them.  If you’re looking for an alcohol-free option, you can try Urban Moonshine’s Cider Vinegar Bitters.  If you do truly have GERD, look for a blend without peppermint, as it can make that issue worse.

Some companies make bitters blends in glycerin, but this misses the point because you lose that bitter taste trigger in the mouth.  CAN they still work?  They can help, but they’re not going to be as powerful.

2. Aloe

If you deal with a lot of stomach pain, and you know that you have an ulcer or suspect that you do, it might be better to start off with something more soothing like aloe because more stomach acid on an open wound could serve to increase that pain even more.  Aloe not only helps to soothe the digestive system, but it also helps to mop up free radicals caused by things like heavy metals.  Aloe can also be amazing for constipation.  My favorite is George’s aloe because it’s distilled, so it tastes like water.  This makes it extra easy for kids who can be notoriously picky with food and outright refuse herbal remedies that don’t taste good to them.

3. Collagen

Collagen is not only a great source of protein but also amino acids – the building blocks of life.  If you need to build a healthy gut lining, collagen can be an amazing tool to help do just that.  It also helps with building other healthy tissues like hair, skin, and nails.  Most people find it close to tasteless, while others can’t stand the taste.  I personally stir it into a plain glass of water, let it sit a bit so that the powder dissolves, and then drink it just like that.  I always add a scoop or two to our family-size smoothies too.  But you can add it to anything that is liquid enough to dissolve it if you can’t stand the taste – taco meat, soup, tea, etc.  My absolute favorite is from Perfect Supplements, and you can use my code HEART to save yourself 10%.  You can save even more if you buy 3 or more, and that will be enough to score you free shipping too!

4. Gut Healing Tea

I always keep a big batch of gut healing tea mixed up in my pantry because it also happens to double as a great tea for sore throats and colds.  The herbs that I include in my tea are licorice root, marshmallow root, calendula blossom, chamomile blossom, and dried ginger root.  I use one ounce of ginger root and two ounces of the rest of the herbs and mix in a big glass jar similar to this.  Then when you’re ready to make some, all you have to do is pull ¼ cup of the herb blend out and place it into a mason jar or French press and cover with 1 cup of freshly boiled water.  Cover, and let sit for about a half hour before straining to drink.  You can make a bigger batch if that’s easier and then place any extra in the refrigerator and drink within 24 hours.

5. Probiotics

Probiotics are getting a lot of attention right now because there is some exciting research coming out on specific strains being beneficial for specific symptoms or conditions.  However, research is ALSO coming out showing that probiotics don’t have a lasting effect in terms of shifting the makeup of gut bacteria.  In short, once you stop taking probiotics, the strains contained in them are going to drop off pretty quickly in your body.  This doesn’t mean that they aren’t useful at all.  I just don’t like to use them as a first line of defense generally because we can do a LOT with increasing stomach acid, healing and sealing the gut lining, and looking at possible dietary changes that either naturally contain probiotics or will help to increase them.

Yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, or other fermented vegetables are all amazing sources of probiotic bacteria and will do MUCH more to shift your gut bacteria in a positive direction than any bottle of probiotics could.  And as long as you keep including a serving or two per day in your diet, you’ll keep seeing the benefits.

If you struggle with histamine issues, it might be difficult to eat a lot of the above foods, so don’t push it.  Increasing the variety of fruits and vegetables you eat on a daily basis will also provide great prebiotic bacteria and shift the balance toward more beneficial bacteria in your gut.

If you’re still looking for products to support your gut bacteria on top of diet, there are a couple that I have found to be helpful earlier on for my clients.  These include Belly Mend from Bioray.  This product has probiotic strains but also has some other ingredients that make it a powerful helper for the gut.

Saccharomyces boulardii is another specific probiotic strain that is especially helpful for candida issues.  This one is sometimes a benefit early on, while other times it needs to wait, especially if you struggle with constipation (because it could make it even worse).  Remember, getting that stomach acid up is going to already start to help with candida too!

6. Going Further

If you try all or even a few of the options above and find that you still need more help, a hair tissue mineral analysis could give more insight as to what might be out of balance.  My clients also get access to practitioner-only supplements that sometimes provide the extra edge needed to get things going in the right direction.