Have you been having problems with your stomach and want to start healing it, but you’re not sure how? If you want to take care of your gut every day, you’re in the right place. Here are seven easy but effective habits you can add to your daily routine to help your gut heal and improve your health in general!
1. Drink lemon water first thing in the morning
A glass of lemon water in the morning can help you wake up and get your digestion going. Drinking lemon water not only rehydrates you after a night of sleep, but it also helps keep your gut’s pH level balanced and stimulates digestive enzymes. It’s also great to drink apple cider vinegar before meals.
2. Include foods high in fiber in every meal
Make it a point to eat foods high in fiber at every meal. To keep your gut working well, eat a lot of colorful fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Fiber helps you have regular bowel movements and feeds the good bacteria in your gut, which helps your microbiome thrive. Every day, I want to eat at least 30 grams of fiber. It may seem like a lot, but if you make sure to include whole foods high in fiber in your meals, you’ll get there. If you add fiber and notice that you are more gassy, don’t worry. Even though that hurts, it’s just your GI bacteria getting used to all the food and making more gas. You might have to start off slowly until your microbiota gets back to normal. If it keeps happening, you might want to hire a professional to help you figure out what’s wrong with your stomach.
3. Mindful Eating
Take your time and enjoy your food. Listen to your body’s signals of hunger and fullness, and chew your food well. Eating slowly and mindfully helps your digestion, makes you less bloated, and helps your body absorb nutrients better.
4. Add Fermented Foods
Add fermented foods to your daily diet to give your gut healthy probiotics. To keep your microbiome healthy and diverse, eat a serving of yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, or kombucha every day. These fermented treats taste great and are good for your gut and immune system. I love kimchi and fermented pickles. Adding a probiotic is also very helpful. Try Gut Health by Ritual.
5. Stay Hydrated
Drinking enough water is important for keeping your gut working well. Drink a lot of water during the day to help your body digest food, absorb nutrients, and get rid of waste. Coconut water and herbal teas are also great ways to stay hydrated and can help your gut health as a whole. It’s really easy to drink enough water when you have a water bottle nearby.
6. Learn how to deal with stress
To help your gut heal, make stress-relieving activities a part of your daily life. Find things to do that help you relax and lower your stress, like meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises, or spending time in nature. Managing stress is important for overall health because long-term stress can hurt gut health.
7. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Put restorative sleep first so your gut can heal and grow back. Get seven to nine hours of good sleep every night to help your digestion, hormones, and immune system work better. To help you get deep, restful sleep, make a relaxing bedtime routine and stick to a regular sleep schedule.
You can add these simple but powerful habits to your daily life to help your gut heal and improve your health in general. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about making small, consistent changes to improve your health and life. Over time, small changes can have a big effect.