As we have talked about before, proper gut health is so important to our overall health. Problems with our gut health go much deeper than stomach aches and gas. Problems with our GI tract can be at the root of many chronic health problems such as autoimmune diseases
REMOVE
This phase involves removing stressors to the gut, anything that negatively affects the environment of the GI tract, including allergenic foods and potential problematic bacteria and yeast.
Some strategies to remove an allergy or toxin could include using the elimination diet to determine what foods are causing GI symptoms. This could also involve takings steps to irradiate a particular bug.
REPLACE
Replace digestive secretions, these may have been compromised by diet medications, diseases, and other factors. We need to add back digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acids, and bile acids that are required for proper digestion.
REINOCULATE
Helpful beneficial bacteria flourish by ingesting probiotic foods that contain “good” bacteria. The “good bacteria like to eat food that are high in soluble fiber, also known as prebiotics.
Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms found in the gut also known as “good bacteria”. The use of antibiotics kills both out good and bad bacteria in the gut. Probiotics may need to be supplemented after a course of antibiotics to reestablish balanced gut flora. In addition, probiotics can be consumed through fermented foods such as yogurt, miso, tempeh, kombucha, and others.
Prebiotics are the food ingredients that selectively stimulate growth of beneficial microorganisms in the colon. The prebiotics feed our probiotics. These are found in many foods that contain a specific fiber called inulin. Inulin can be found in artichokes, garlic, leeks, onion, tofu, flax, and oats just to name a few.
REPAIR
Create a strong gut lining by supplying it with the nutrients it needs. Our gut lining needs key nutrients such as zinc, vitamin A, C, and E, fish oil, and the amino acid glutamine. This can help to prevent leaky gut at the host of problems that are associated with it.
REBALANCE
Keep our gut balanced by paying attention to lifestyle choices that influence our GI tract. Consider sleep, exercise, and stress; these all have an impact on out digestion. Balancing these activities plays an important role in a health digestive tract.