How To Improve Gut Health Beyond Eating Right

Gut health is a serious wellness trend right now — and for good reason. A healthy digestive system is a crucial part of overall health, but eating the right foods is only half of the battle. Once you've found out which foods keep your system running smoothly, it's a good idea to check on other areas of your routine that can be impacting your digestion.

According to Mindbodygreen, the gut controls up to 80% of the immune system and also directly interacts with mental health, as it's responsible for releasing serotonin and dopamine. To properly keep your digestion strong, it's important to look at your overall lifestyle beyond just what you're eating. The outlet recommends giving your system a break at night, meaning that you give your body a full 12 hours without food to rest your digestion. If you eat breakfast around 7:30, that means your last meal should finish up around 7:30 PM as well. That way, your organs will have time to catch up on things overnight and keep things humming along in the morning.

Furthermore, Cooking Light attests, getting adequate amounts of Vitamin D can be incredibly helpful for your overall health. The outlet cites a study finding that optimal Vitamin D levels produced a healthier environment in which gut-friendly bacteria could grow. Find a supplement at your local health foods store and stock up.

You could eat the cleanest diet the world has ever seen and still struggle with digestive issues. Mindbodygreen suggests drinking warm teas to help support your gut as it extracts nutrients from your diet. A simple mix of coriander, fennel, and cumin helps fire things up and support healthy movement. However, you can find a pre-packaged tea that's right for you to do the trick as well. Drinking warm liquids is thought to help spur digestive fire and make sure it's moving optimally.

Of course, lifestyle factors like exercise also impact your gut health as well. Cooking Light suggests regularly breaking a sweat to help eliminate toxins and reduce inflammation. Research also shows that exercise can positively impact gut flora overall.

Lastly, support your lymphatic system to improve your gut health. The lymphatic system is responsible for toxin removal and works closely with your digestive system. By supporting it with activities like dry brushing and massage, your system will have fewer toxins to sift through and more healthy gut bacteria.