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5 Common Mistakes When Trying to Improve Gut Health

Did you know that impaired gut health is often one of the key factors involved in wide range of symptoms and health issues?

I’ve seen it range from unexplained weight gain, skin problems, brain fog, chronic stomach issues, fatigue and more!

As a Functional Nutrition and Lifestyle Practitioner, I firmly believe that healing your gut can make the biggest impact on your overall health, including how you take in nutrients, how strong your immunity is and even how well your hormones are balanced. 

It’s no surprise that gut health is a hot topic now. With the current research about the microbiome and how important our gut bugs are in maintaining many functions in the body – beyond just aiding in digestion – including the health of our brain and protecting us against pathogens.

Sadly, much of the general advice out there is offered by well-meaning people who don’t have the correct info or the in depth-training it takes. In fact, they may actually be doing more harm than good, because they don’t know the big picture.

Here’s how to steer clear of some of the mistakes so you don’t get discouraged about your health:

  1. Trying to Use a Probiotic as a “Magic Pill” to Heal Your Gut
    Don’t fall for the myth that if you just ‘take a probiotic!’ or ‘eat some yogurt!’ you’ll be able to heal your gut like you see in TV ads. Just using random probiotics when you don’t know what’s really wrong is in most cases a waste of time (and money). If you have a gluten intolerance, leaky gut or chronic gut issues, a probiotic isn’t going to turn the tide with these conditions. They need a host of diet and lifestyle changes. 

  2. Using A Random Pharmacy, Supermarket or Health Food Store Probiotic
    Most probiotics that you’ll find off the shelf are nutrient-grade quality, not the pharmaceutical-grade quality I recommend. While cheaper to produce, this comes at the expense of bioavailability, testing to ensure the right ingredients are present in the right amounts and absence of harmful byproducts (happens more often than you think!). Specific strains of bacteria in a probiotic supplement may work for one person, but may not tip the scales for you. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all probiotic!!
     
  3. Eating Random Foods That are “Good for Your Gut”
    Everyone’s microbiome is unique, and requires different foods for healing! What may be good for one person’s gut may cause issues for yours – like in the case of Kombucha for people who have candida overgrowth. This is also the case with dairy, whole grains, coconut oil, and other “healthy” ingredients.

  4. Just Focusing on the Balance of Gut Bacteria
    The balance of bacteria in your gut is just part of the equation. Undiagnosed food allergies, impaired permeability of the gut lining, the location of bacteria in our digestive tract (sometimes they get into the wrong place!), and how inflamed your gut is on the whole are all important pieces to this complex puzzle.

  5. Thinking You Can Heal Your Gut in a Few Weeks
    It’s true that you can start feeling better in a few weeks if you follow the right recommendations, but gut-healing (just like with any injury) takes time. It may take a few months to really get good levels of healing. But persevere! Healing the gut is one of the BEST ways to optimize your health long-term and one of the more powerful investments you can make.

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