The ultimate beginner's guide to gut health

What Every Woman Must Know About Gut Health

⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 5.5 Mins
Last Updated: April 2022

In this article:
Why you should care about your gut health & how to fix it.

In this post we dig into what women should know about their gut (microbiome), how it effects your overall health, why it may be the number one factor to longevity, and how you can fix it. Read to get:

• A detailed understanding about your gut health
• A ton of resources and videos to watch that are easy to understand 
• A prescription of what you can do to better optimize your gut health
• Some recipes to help you eat for your microbiome

​If you want to take control of your life and your health, you need to understand how you work, your instruction manual, so to speak, so that the efforts you make actually benefit your health, mind, body and your longevity. Without this basic understanding, it would be like trying to eat soup with a fork, you will take repeated action, but it won't get you very far. So let's dig into it.

It is not enough anymore to look at health as if each part of our body were a stand alone unit. For example, you get diagnosed with a heart problem, or an issue with your kidney's or arthritis, or diabetes and you look at them as separate entities in themselves and not tied to a fully functioning system.  Unfortunately, this is how most western medical technicians were taught; find and treat the symptom, and mostly with drugs.  When in actuality, we should be looking for the cause of the symptom, which is the result of something happening within our overall operating system. If you don't fix the cause you will always be managing the issue instead of eliminating it. You can look at your body; your health, as an ecosystem in, and of itself. This system needs care and balance to ensure that it is operating at its highest level. This makes sense if you really think about it, you can't remove the heart and expect the rest of your body to function without it,  everything is interrelated, just as it is in nature. As part of nature, us humans, also follow natural laws, and as with nature, everything is interconnected.  So what is the foundation for your personal ecosystem, for your functionality and for your overall health in all forms?  It undeniably starts with your…GUT!

There are now thousands of scientific studies published that link the gut (essentially the small and large intestine) and the health of the microbiome (essentially good and bad bacteria, funghi and viruses that live in your gut) to most medical conditions today and the overall state of your health.  An unhealthy microbiome is linked to heart disease, diabetes, autism, arthritis, obesity and even depression and anxiety just to name a few.  It's hard to believe, but your gut even has a major influence over your mind. Amazingly, 90% of your serotonin is produced in your gut?, and this hormone impacts your mood, energy and even your memory. Your gut, it seems, is the driving force behind your overall health. I am sure that you have heard of the microbiome as it has become the latest buzz word in health thanks to the thousands of studies now becoming available. But what is it really, what do you need to know about it? How can you have it work for your benefit? I am not a doctor, nor scientist, so don't take it from me, I have put together a collection of my favorite videos on the topic, with the experts in the field explaining what in the heck is in your gut, how it is linked to your health and the rest of your body and what you need to do to make it happy. Enjoy!

​YOUR GUT EXPLAINED

​If you took the time to really dive into the subject and you watched the videos than your mind is now officially blown ? and you know for sure that the old adage is true, you really are what you eat! So if you are planning on living a long, healthy and functional life, you need to make sure you are eating to feed and nurture your microbiome. There are of course some differing opinions on the exact diet but there seems to be a general agreement on the basics. ​
​

​WHAT TO EAT
​

• Whole Foods
• Mostly Vegetables & Legumes (High Fiber & A Variety of different ones)
• Add in fermented foods
• Reduce meat consumption
• Eat Organic
• Remove sugar and processed food. ​

To get you started on the path of better eating I put together some great videos to give you some ideas and get you inspired.  Good eating can be delicious and the best news is, that once your microbiome has adjusted to your new diet you will actually start to crave the better food instead of the junk, and on top of that, you will be feeling (and looking) better.
​

​​When it comes to your diet I think that Michael Pollan sums it up best. "Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants."
​

​Diet is probably the most important thing you can adjust for your gut, but there are other pillars at play that you also need to consider for complete and optimal gut health. 
​

​OTHER CONTRIBUTORS TO A HEALTHY GUT 

• Stress Reduction
• Exercise
• Good restorative sleep

As a women in charge of her health and CEO of her life, you should reach out to your doctor and discuss your current situation and the options available to you.  I can tell you that based on the data, I will be starting to alter my diet and lifestyle to best support my gut!

So follow your gut and create the health you need in order to...

Design a Life that you Love ~ Be Authentic. Be You. Be Sharp
​

---

Sources:

• Subscribe to Rich Roll on Youtube ~ Optimize Your Microbiome: Dr. Will Bulsiewicz | Rich Roll Podcast
• Subscribe to Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell on YouTube ~ How Bacteria Rule Over Your Body – The Microbiome
•  Subscribe to Tedx Talks on YouTube ~ Your Gut Microbiome: The Most Important Organ You’ve Never Heard Of | Erika Ebbel Angle | TEDxFargo
• Subscribe to Tom Bilyeu on YouTube ~ What To Eat for Health and Longevity | Dr. Mark Hyman on Health Theory
• Subscribe to Doctor Mike on YouTube ~ Probiotics Benefits + Myths | Improve Gut Health | Doctor Mike
• Subscribe to OWN on YouTube ~ SuperSoul Sunday: Michael Pollan
• Subscribe to Downshiftology on YouTube ~ ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOODS | what I eat every week
• Subscribe to Luvele Life on YouTube ~ The Best Gut Loving Green Smoothie to Improve your Gut Health​