Trust your gut feelings! Rather than ascribe to another fad diet, maybe the secret ingredient to your weight loss is in your gut health!
Have you ever wondered why certain friends get away with eating whatever they want, but you can’t? If you tried eating the things they ate, you might not be able to fit in your clothing. But some of that disparity of what they eat versus what you eat may not be your fault and you may be able to fill in the missing pieces so that the playing field is a little more equal.
First off, you need to know that diet and is important and will always be important. However, research is showing now more than ever what an important role your guts bacteria plays in, not only your overall health, but your weight as well. Viruses and bacteria play a role in how our bodies metabolize fat.
Scientists have found that thin people have a higher level of Bacteroidetes bacteria in their guts. Conversely, overweight people have a higher amount of Firmicutes bacteria. This is quite significant when it comes to the battle of the waistline. A healthy gut should have a makeup of 70% good bacteria and 30% bad bacteria. Several factors can throw off this balance. One huge offender is antibiotic use. Not only can this disrupt your balance, but it can cause a serious illness called Clostridium Difficile. This is caused by the antibiotics killing off enough of your good bacteria that the bad bacteria can grow rampant. There are other factors that may be a warning that your microflora is imbalanced:
- A weakened immune system
- Chronic high stress
- Digestive upset
- Yeast infections
- Inflammatory skin conditions
So now that you know what may be the problem, how do you fix it? There are steps you can take to balance and support your guts microflora.
- Have a balanced diet
- Try to limit processed foods and sugars as much as possible
- Consume gut healing foods like aloe vera
- Consume foods naturally high in probiotics such as: kefir, kombucha, dill pickles, and sauerkraut
- Supplement with digestive enzymes
Once we hit the age of 30, out enzyme secretions start to decline. Enzymes help us break down our food so we can absorb nutrients. Prebiotics are another important supplement. They are a pre-cursor to supplementing with probiotics. The prebiotics help promote the growth of the probiotics for a healthy digestive tract.
We have learned there may be more than just dieting and exercising necessary to achieve our weight loss goals today. But, all is not lost. Some simple dietary changes and supplementation can help get you well on your way to achieving health and the body you desire.
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