Immune Health Series Part 4: Focus on Gut Health

This is the final post in my four part series on immune health.

So far, we have covered sleep, stress, and vitamin D with regards to our immune health. Now, it's time to tackle the massive topic of gut health.

Our gut is our second brain, and it also houses a large percentage of our immune system. Therefore, it is vital that our gut health stays strong!

What many people don't realize about gut health is that you can have a poor gut environment withOUT having major gut symptoms like constipation, bloating, cramps, etc.

Rather, skin issues, headaches, muscle weakness and pain, and a host of other symptoms can be related back to poor gut health.

My goal today is to give you a few simple tips to improve your gut health. If you want more information, stay tuned for May when I update a lot of my gut-health related posts with a ton more information!

So, without further ado, my top tips for improving gut AND immune health:

1. Focus on real, whole foods

I just wrapped up a 5 part series about real, whole food in March talking about my approach to nutrition: PFC balanced eating and blood sugar regulation. You can read more about blood sugar here, and about protein, fat, and carbs as well.

2. Add in probiotic-rich foods

Raw, fermented vegetables like sauerkraut or kimchi are great options, as well as kombucha (fermented tea beverage). My favorite brands are Bubbies and GT's Synergy respectively.

3. Reduce stress and sleep

We talked about both of these issues the past few weeks - these are essential to keep your gut health strong and immune system in top shape!

4. Consider a probiotic supplement

My favorite probiotics are spore-based options. A spore based probiotic will not just pass through the gut and need to constantly be replenished. Rather, it sticks around, "builds a house," and "has a family." I recommend a practitioner-grade option called MegaSporeBiotic in my practice (if you want to order, email me at oborer@hotmail.com). I also like Just Thrive, which you can order here:

5. Add in superfoods

Superfoods like bone broth, fermented foods (mentioned above), leafy greens, and berries help support our bodies with nutrients and antioxidants. A win-win!

There are SO many things you can do to support gut health, but these 5 simple tips to get started will help tremendously! Stay healthy, and stay tuned for an entire month dedicated to gut health!

xoxo Olivia