The Earth began with simplicity and beauty. As humankind progressed, to simplify their own lives they innovated and invented ways to deceive mother nature. We came up with some great inventions no doubt, but we also initiated our own downfall by going too far. Today things have come back a full circle. Holistic Living is one of the most popular movements in the world today and there are various groups , movements, professions all hoping to move mankind back to when it all began. Organic foods, spiritual and healing practices like meditation and yoga are in rage and every one of us is trying to incorporate some part of this into our daily lives.
Needless to say then, nurturing our gut should be our number one priority. There are many ways to do this and I have listed some simple steps for you to begin your journey
2) Water Water Water. I can’t stress enough how important water is for your overall well being. Dehydration causes weakness, brain fog and is the start of many other ailments. New healing powers of water are being discovered everyday and I urge you to make it your first practice upon getting up right after a few breathing exercises. If you find normal water boring you can add some lemon, cucumber , mint, fennel , parsley, coriander etc. There are some great recipes out there to make drinking water for you a little more interesting.
3) Have a disciplined morning routine with includes exercise, meditation or mantra chanting , gratitude as a part of it. It starts your day positively an helps you focus better.
4) Unless you suffer from histamine intolerance or SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) always include probiotic foods in your daily diet . Fermented foods like Kefir, Kombucha, Kimchi , Sauerkraut provide numerous health benefits which include digestion and absorption of nutrients from your food, better brain health, stabilizes blood pressure, protects from toxic bacteria, helps in fighting obesity, asthma, hormonal imbalances and numerous autoimmune diseases as well.
5) You need prebiotics to feed your microbiome so that they thrive and do their work in your body. Prebiotics are certain soluble fibers which your body does not digest but are digested by your gut bacteria. These include onions, garlic, asparagus, unripe banana, green banana flour, chicory root, sweet potato to name a few
6) Eat mindfully and try to chew eat bite 32 times. That makes a world of a difference. Even if you are sensitive to certain foods if you chew them well chances are they will be much easier for you to digest and not not cause you unnecessary gas or bloating.
7) Try to avoid packed and processed foods . They have additives and preservatives that can irritate your gut.
8) You should only have a handful of fruit a day. More than that is not required.
9) When it comes to juices limit fruit juice and have mostly vegetable juices.
Fruit juices are full of sugar while vegetable juices will give you a good dose
of vitamins and minerals.
10) If you have trouble with digestion , try digestive enzymes supplements and see if they work for you. A good one is Super Digestive Enzymes from Now Foods,
11) Omega 3 is a very important for everyone and most people are deficient in it so please supplement .
12) Different herbs and spices have various beneficial properties and are the best things to use to cook fresh food. Always keep them handy.
13) No refined oils at all. Cook in ghee, mustard oil, coconut oil or avocado oil and use extra virgin oil for your salads.
14) Reduce your carbs for weight loss not your fat. good fat like avocados, coconut oil, nuts and seeds etc actually aid your body in weight loss.
15) Bone broth, Turmeric, Aloe vera, Spirulina, Matcha tea, Ginger, Cinnamon, berries are some of the things that you should incorporate towards building your gut health.
16) Meditate and try to stay stress free. Acceptance of any given situation is the key (whatever it may be) and instead of fearing the worst try to think of the best case scenario, The vibes you give attract what you will get and its a known fact that stress can cause havoc in your gut.
This is just to start your journey into holistic living. As you go along and experience better health there are different practices and foods that will suit you individually and learning and discovering those can be a start of a whole new life for you.