How to Improve Gut Health Naturally: 7 Steps to Follow

If you’re wondering how to improve gut health naturally, you’ve landed in the right place, my friend! I’m going to cover everything you need to know on how to heal your gut naturally, so you can experience health like you’ve never experienced before!

Many people don’t realize the full scope of consequences from an unhealthy gut. If your gut is suffering, it can lead to NUMEROUS health issues.

Consequences of an Unhealthy Gut:

• Skin issues (acne, eczema, rosacea, and more)

• Chronic inflammatory diseases

• Sleep Problems (insomnia, frequently waking up)

• Digestive issues (IBS, Constipation, Diarrhea)

• Food Sensitivities

• Chronic Fatigue

• Anxiety/Depression

• Hormonal Imbalances (estrogen dominance)

• Autoimmune Conditions

Whether you’re looking to address these health issues above or even to prevent them before they manifest, you must get to the ROOT cause and learn how to heal your gut (naturally!)

How to Improve Gut Health Naturally with 7 Steps

1. Diet

2. Stress

3. Environmental Toxins

4. Sleep

5. Underlying Infections

6. Supplements

7. Work with a Gut Health Expert

1. Diet and Gut Health Connection

The most actionable step you can take IMMEDIATELY is to be aware of the foods you put into your body. At each meal, you have the decision to eat foods that either hurt or heal your body. Let’s focus on the latter, shall we?!

And if you need some motivation, just remember that it only takes 24 hours after a diet change to change your gut microbiome! Super neat, right?

The most simple and healthy diet you can follow is an organic whole foods diet. Ditch those processed and packaged foods that you can’t even pronounce half the ingredients!

If you can’t pronounce it, then it’s most likely not good for your gut! If you’re shocked, thinking, “Oh no, that’s like the majority of my pantry!” then we got some work to do.

But I know it can be a huge transition, so even baby steps are better than nothing! We don’t want to get caught up in perfection, and we don’t take any action at all.

Instead of focusing on what you can’t have, try to focus on the opportunity to fuel your body and gut with the best nutrients possible. This means making your plate FULL of different colors. The more variety of healthy foods you consume, the more diverse and healthy your gut microbiome will become!

Gut Healing Foods:

• Bone Broth (Use code TAYLORDUKES for 20% off)

• Fermented Foods (kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha)

• Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, arugula.)

• Ground flax seeds

• Lentils

• Jicama

• Healthy fats

2. You Can’t Heal Your Gut When You’re Stressed!

Is your schedule packed full every day of the week, your unfinished work is constantly at the back of your mind, and let’s not get started on the fact that you’re a parent…STRESS ALERT!

But the thing is, your body and gut can’t heal if you’re experiencing chronic stress.

Your body has a connection called your gut-brain axis. When you’re stressed, it can release neurotransmitters and pro-inflammatory cytokines, changing your gut physiology.

Stress then has the capability to slow your digestion, cause gut dysbiosis, and can even impact your gut mucosa and lining. This can lead to SIBO, IBS, food sensitivities, reflux, and more.

While it’s ideal to avoid the things that stress you out the most, sometimes that’s not realistic. Instead, it’s essential that you consciously focus on your stress levels and learn how to manage your stress to heal your gut naturally.

Here are my 7 top stress-relieving tips:

1. Schedule in YOU time- Make this a priority

2. Hop in an infrared sauna

3. Give meditation a go

4. Journal

5. Spend time in nature

6. Try grounding (feet on the earth/grass)

7. Take essential oil-infused Epsom salt baths

3. Ditch the Toxins

Environmental toxins are everywhere! And when I say everywhere, I mean everywhere- cleaners, beauty products, furniture, clothing, food, and even our water sources! These toxins get into your circulation and wreak havoc on your gut microbiome!

Not only do they kill off your good bacteria, but they can also be seen as an invader to your immune system, causing chronic inflammation because you’re exposed to these toxins daily!

Want to ditch the toxins? Here’s my advice:

• Swap out household cleaners with non-toxic alternatives- I personally LOVE Branch Basics (Use code TAYLORDUKESWELLNESS for discount).

• FILTER YOUR WATER! – I love Aquasana.

• Buy organic foods and clothes (especially for your little ones).

• Choose clean beauty brands.

• Get an air purification system for your home- I use Austin Air filter in my home and LOVE IT!

4. You AND Your Gut Need to Rest!

High-quality sleep is necessary for your gut to rest and restore itself. During proper sleep cycles, your body gets rid of old damaged cells, so they don’t replicate, causing more harm. Poor sleep is also associated with impacted gut microbiota. Getting better sleep can help those beneficial bugs flourish!

Want a better night’s rest? Try these tips:

• Avoid screens 1-2 hours before bed

• If you do have to work late at night, use blue light blockers

• Supplement with high-quality Magnesium and Ashwagandha

• Write down all your to-do list to get those racing thoughts out of your mind before bed

• Try bedtime meditation or yoga

• Take an Epsom salt bath or TDW Ultimate Bath Detox to wind down

5. Underlying Infections/Bacteria Overgrowth Inhibiting Your Healing?

One thing the majority of people don’t consider when trying to heal their gut is underlying infections. These could be underlying parasites, SIBO, dysbiosis, and more.

You could be doing all the “right” things, but if you have an infection or imbalance, you can’t fully heal your gut naturally. With testing, you can find out if imbalances and infections exist, so you can get the proper gut protocol treatment plan for you.

6. Supplements For Extra Support

While diet, stress management, sleep, and avoiding toxins can give you HUGE results alone, sometimes your body needs just a little extra support, especially at the beginning of your gut healing journey.

Before you put yourself on gut-healing supplements, I want to remind you to (1) consult your health care provider to ensure you’re taking the right supplements to support your body optimally AND (2) purchase high-quality supplements.

 If you need a trusted source to buy supplements, you can order off from my online dispensary, Fullscript, and they ship right to your door.

My top gut-healing supplements:

• Digestive enzymes

• Prebiotics

• Probiotics

• Betaine HCL

• Ox bile

• Vitamin A, C, E, and D (Complete C and Vitamin D3/K2 from Taylor Dukes Wellness)

• Zinc

• Collagen

• Amino acids, particularly L-glutamine

• AVOID ANTIBIOTICS

7. Work with a Functional Medicine Expert

Working with a functional medicine expert is HIGHLY recommended. We incorporate state-of-the-art functional lab testing to allow us to create a unique gut treatment protocol tailored to YOU! You can read about some of my favorite gut tests here.