This blog extends slightly from my last blog post on gut health, adding in my own personal journey. In particular, this was a journey of healing after my gut was damaged by antibiotics at the beginning of the year. The symptoms when it was unhealthy were significant, as were the positive effects that resulted from the healing process. This included healthy weight loss, improved mood, strengthened immune system and increased energy for life. This is an important blog post for me as this journey, though very difficult, has revealed so clearly to me the importance of gut health on overall health and wellbeing.

Back in January I caught a nasty infection that took 4 courses of antibiotics to treat. The mission of antibiotics is pretty simple… kill bacteria. The upside of this is that they can be highly effective in treating bacterial infections. The downside is that they aren’t the smartest tools in the shed when it comes to distinguishing between good bacteria and bad bacteria - they just come in a kill whatever they see in front of them. So on the positive side, my infection was eliminated. On the down side, my gut was basically destroyed. So much of my good bacteria had been killed and boy did I feel it. Here’s the main changes I noticed when my gut became unhealthy:

1) My appetite rose to an all time high. I was constantly ravenous and would become hungry again within 30 minutes of eating a meal

2) I started having strong cravings for refined carbs and sugars.

3) I put on weight quickly. Even though I was trying to still eat healthy despite my cravings for junk, my body wasn’t able to adequately process foods in a healthy way.

4) My mood was generally low. I felt lethargic, energy-less and down. Motivation for life tasks reduced.

5) My immune system was weak and I went through about 2 months of having constant colds due to my body’s lack of ability to fight off the germs.

6) Don’t even get me started on the female health yeast imbalances that resulted….

7) Digestion was off and my body swelled up from bloating

So to summarize, my unhealthy gut resulted in me feeling lethargic, sick and caused me to gain weight very quickly. Something needed to change.

I was unhappy with how much weight I put on but I knew that I did not want ‘weight loss’ to be my focus. There was something larger going on that was the root cause of the weight gain and that was the priority for me to address. In this case, I knew the change I needed to make was to my gut. If I could restore my gut, then whatever followed with regards to my body size would be healthy- however that looked. I also knew my energy and mood needed to improve. Thus began my gut healing journey.

Before I delve into HOW I restored my gut, I'm going to let you know the changes I noticed as it began to heal.

Healthy body weight restored. Weight loss came naturally and in a healthy way. I did not diet. I did not count calories. I just focused on healing my gut.

Cravings for refined carbs and sugars subsided. Avoiding these foods was no longer such a battle of willpower. The healthier my gut became, the less I craved them.

Decreased appetite. I was no longer ravenous 30 minutes after eating a large meal. I still crave food now, but this is when I am actually hungry and need to eat.

Strengthened immune system. I was once again able to fight off colds.

Female health/hormone and yeast balance restored

Enhanced mood and energy levels. I no longer felt like a lethargic sloth

Motivation to exercise increased.

I could not believe the vast changes that resulted solely from my gut being restored back to health!

So how did I do it? Well, here are the steps I took to restore my gut:

Probiotics

Probiotics are basically a deposit of good bacteria into your gut. When choosing a probiotic however, it is important to make sure it has a proven survivability rate, particularly in reaching your colon where the majority of gut bacteria resides. Many probiotics don’t actually make it all the way to your colon and are therefore useless. This is the probiotic I chose to use.

Prebiotics

You can read about prebiotics in my previous gut health blog for more details about what these are, but in summary they are the fuel that strengthens the good bacteria in your gut. The probiotic I take also has prebiotic fiber, which is another reason I choose to use that brand. In addition, I researched foods high in prebiotic fiber and began adding them more and more into my diet, such as dandelion greens and sunchokes (largely just tossing them into my morning smoothies).

Tea

I brew a herbal tea specifically targeting immunity, digestion and gut health. I make it by filling a large pot with water and boiling it on the stove with the roots and herbs to extract the nutrients. I then strain the tea and store it in bottles in the fridge, drinking a glass every day. Here’s what I used to brew the tea:

Ginger

Black pepper (helps in the absorption of turmeric)

Nettle leaf

Echinacea

Marshmallow root

Kombucha

I drink a glass of my home brewed booch every day. Kombucha is fermented tea that is filled with live cultures and enzymes that are great for your gut health. I really recommend brewing your own kombucha as it is so easy to do and so much cheaper than purchasing the drink in stores. I have two brews going simultaneously so that I have an endless supply of this wonderful drink.

Bone broth

Bone broth is a powerful gut healing food that I began to cook and drink on a regular basis. High in collagen It is believed to be effective at restoring and soothing the lining of the gut.

I reduced my sugar intake

Bad bacteria feeds on sugars and this is the reason I was having such strong cravings for sugar when my gut was unhealthy. Reducing my intake of sugar reduced the amount of food these bad bacteria were consuming, meaning less fuel for those suckers. I don’t particularly like to be super restrictive with my diet, particularly when it comes to whole foods straight from the earth. Because of this I still ate fruits and vegetables that have their own natural sugars. I do however avoid too many added refined sugars.

Fermented foods

Fermented foods are a natural probiotic- filled with live healthy cultures. The more live good bacteria in your gut, the more powerful the army is fighting against the bad bacteria. I started making my own sauerkraut, and also use kimchi and miso paste in my cooking. I also like to eat sourdough bread as it is fermented and gentle on your digestion.

Wholesome organic foods

I added this in as the last point as I believe it to be the best way I can maintain my gut health. The way I eat is all about eating from the earth- avoiding foods with added preservatives, pesticides and antibiotics and allowing nature to be the preventive medicine that maintains my bodies health. To summarize my diet I would say balanced, wholesome, natural and rich in nutrition.

This journey over the past 6 months has confirmed so strongly to me the importance of the gut as the epicenter for so many physical and emotional health issues. I am glad I went through the painful journey because the lesson that it has taught me about my health has been so incredibly valuable to me.

I would love to hear from you guys about your thoughts and reactions to this post and feel free to reach out to me with any questions. Keep up the good fight on your journeys towards health. And remember these things:

Healthy looks different on everybody

Health is a long term lifestyle not a short term sprint

You are valuable beyond measure and worth the investment towards health.