Science is now beginning to realize just how important it is to maintain a healthy intestinal tract. Many of the chronic diseases prevalent today can be prevented by simply having a healthy gut. Traditional Chinese Medicine has stated for centuries that to heal the gut is to heal the illness and that all disease starts in the gut. The “gut” refers to the whole digestive tract from the mouth to the excretion organs. A simple place to start is by eating slowly and chewing your food thoroughly.
Eating a diet free from processed foods, junk foods and fast food is the next important step. Some find wheat gives them digestive problems and choose to eliminate it. Wheat production has changed drastically in the last few years and it is now being found that the wheat fields are sprayed with a high concentrate of pesticides right before harvest to increase the yield. GMO grains are also a huge factor in gut health. Buying organic grains and soaking them with an acidic medium before cooking are extremely important to help in the digestion of grains and maintaining the integrity of the intestinal tract. If you have never heard of “leaky gut syndrome” I invite you to research it on the internet. I will do a blog on that soon, as it deserves a page of it’s own.
There are several foods that can be added to the diet that will help to heal and maintain gut health. Cultured and fermented foods, yogurt, milk and water kefir, bone broth and eating a high fiber diet of fresh fruits and vegetables. I make my own fermented vegetables, sauerkraut, kefirs and bone broths. This can be done easily and inexpensively at home. Recipes are readily available on the internet. Keeping your vitamin D levels high and taking probiotics if you don’t make your own probiotic rich foods are also important. Vitamin K2 is needed to add with the vitamin D for absorption especially if your D levels are low. Bottom line is to keep all the processed foods and sugar out of your diet and add the healthy items I have listed.