Get Your Gut Summer Ready
Kate Wilke
Nothing puts a damper on your summer fun more than feeling a sense of fullness or uneasiness in the stomach. Stomach pain can make us to choose curling up on the couch with a movie instead of throwing on a swimsuit and heading to the beach.
Now is the perfect time to focus on gut health, so you can make the most of your summer. Enjoy those vacation days, soak up the sun, and feel comfortable all summer long with these gut health tips!
Fill your Smoothies with Local Produce
It’s no secret that summer is the best season for local produce. So explore your local food markets and load up on seasonal greens and fresh berries to create the perfect gut-friendly smoothie. Begin every day with a nutritional smoothie full of vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber, and your gut will be summer ready in no time.
Know How to Eliminate Feelings of Fullness
Before summer arrives, keep a food journal and start paying attention to what foods or drinks upset your stomach in order to minimize your consumption. Eliminating stomach pain and feelings of fullness or heaviness can often times be as simple as eliminating foods that just don’t sit well.
There are also several foods you can easily add to your diet that minimize bloating. These foods include dandelion root (a prebiotic-rich food), strawberries, asparagus, and even starting your morning off with a green tea.
Prioritize Self-Care
Gut-healing rely heavily on what we eat, but it is also related to how we’re taking care of ourselves. Are you getting enough sleep? Be sure to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night, especially so you can enjoy being active outside throughout the summer. Are you stressed out? Start a daily meditation practice—even 5 minutes a day can have a huge impact on your mind and body. If you’re not sure where to start, try these breathing techniques to calm your belly. (https://biohmhealth.com/blogs/news/breathing-techniques-to-calm-your-belly-1)
Reach Optimal Gut Health with Daily Probiotics
One of the easiest ways to get your gut summer ready is to take a daily probiotic. This will add billions of good bacteria and fungi to your microbiome to begin strengthening your digestive tract along with your immune system, so you can enjoy your summer outside— where it should be!
Load up on Prebiotic-Rich Foods
Prebiotics feed the friendly, good bacteria in your gut and lower Ph levels. This makes your digestive tract inhospitable to bad bacteria, stopping digestive issues from interrupting your favorite summertime adventures.
If you want to keep your gut health in check, support your probiotic with prebiotic-rich foods (https://biohmhealth.com/blogs/recipes/how-to-make-your-next-meal-a-prebiotic-super-feast).
Prebiotic foods are high-fiber plant foods, such as dark leafy greens. Dandelion greens are especially beneficial, as they are made up of 25% prebiotic fiber. Inulin and allium vegetables are also full of prebiotic fiber. Foods with inulin include jicama, Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus and chicory. Allium vegetables include garlic, onion, leeks, chives and scallions.
You have the tools, now it’s up to you to take control of your gut this summer! Eat healthy, organic foods that are calming to the gut. Prioritize self-care, by taking time for you. Don’t skimp on sleep and drink plenty of water to keep your energy high all summer long. Get outside and enjoy your summer without your gut holding you back from all the adventure and fun that awaits!
