Your Gut Controls Your Weight – How to Heal It

Keeping up a healthy gut is important, both to your overall health, as well as to your weight loss goals. When your gut is not healthy, there can be some major consequences, such as digestive issues, like leaky gut syndrome. It can even help to influence obesity and make the fight against fat even harder.

You see, your gut is made up of hundreds of different microorganisms, most of which are good for you, as they produce key nutrients, such as vitamin K and B vitamins.

These microorganisms also play a large part in how you break down the foods you eat, especially things you can’t directly digest, like fiber [1].

Most of the microorganisms that are found in your gut are bacteria, with the two main groups being Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. There have been several studies over the years that show a difference in the bacteria that is found in the gut of those who are healthy and those who are overweight or obese. What these studies found was that people who are lean tend to have a much wider variety of Bacteroidetes than those who are obese. Bacteroidetes specialize in breaking down bulky plant starches and fibers. This allows the body to be able to use this for energy. People who are obese, on the other hand, tend to have more Firmicutes and fewer Bacteroidetes than people who are a healthy weight [2].

When trying to balance your gut, the ideal ratio of bacteria you want is 80% good bacteria and 20% bad. Overall, we have a total of 4 pounds of bacteria that reside in our gut.

How Do You Balance Your Gut?

Balancing your gut with the right types of microorganisms begins with your diet, which shouldn’t be surprising. We know that eating a healthy diet is essential to our overall health and it is no different when it comes to the health of our gut.

To maintain a healthy gut and healthy digestion you need to eat a diet that is full of fiber, healthy protein, and healthy fats. Consuming good fats, such as Omega-3 and monounsaturated fats (avocados, almonds, extra virgin olive oil), work to improve the balance of the different types of microorganisms within your body.

Here are some foods you can easily add to your diet or Custom Meal Plan that will help to improve and balance your gut health.

• Apple – If you’ve heard the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, then you may be one step ahead, as there is some truth in it. The apple is extremely high in pectin, which is a fiber that helps your gut to help you process more food as it goes through your digestive tract. This means that the apple is a great help with constipation.

• Apple Cider Vinegar – This is great for gut health because it primes your stomach with alkaline acids in order to boost the acidic nature of your stomach. This is good before you begin to consume food. It is also, especially helpful, for balancing gut bacteria, something that can actually affect your ability to lose weight. Click here to check out our video on why Apple Cider Vinegar is so amazing!

• Kimchi – This is a form of sauerkraut that helps to boost our immunity and even knock out some illnesses, such as bird flu. This is because it actually improves a number of good bacteria in our gut. Consuming only 1-2 tablespoons a day is enough to massively improve your good to bad bacteria ratio.

• Raw Sauerkraut – This is especially good for women with estrogen based cancers, as it is extremely potent. Plus, it is also a great alternative to Kimchi.

• Kombucha – When you drink it, you want to drink it on an empty stomach so that it goes straight into your gut and past your stomach. Chances are, you will feel a bit of a jolt. As it hits your intestinal track it creates oxygen, which is also a sign of being healthy.

When trying to decide what you should eat to balance your gut and feel the best, the key is to try different things and keep track of how they make you feel until you find what works best for you. You can also take a supplement like nnnSPORT®X-Cell, which helps with the absorption of nutrients from the different foods and supplements you consume.