What is a healthy gut and why is it so important to your health?

Gut health is a popular topic right now, not surprising as recent research has shown how important it is to our overall health.

Gut health refers to the balance of microorganisms that live in your digestive tract. This is also known as your gut microbiome. According to BMI Healthcare,  

“An imbalance in gut bacteria has been found to contribute to chronic diseases such as IBS, diabetes and carcinoma. Studies have also suggested links to mental health and depression, cholesterol levels, and obesity. While we still don’t know everything there is to know about the gut microbiome, we do know that the health of our gut has a huge impact on our overall health. So, boosting your gut health can only be a good thing”

It’s a topic that is of great interest to me as I have had IBS for a number of years.  I know that certain foods, too much caffeine. high stress levels and lack of sleep, can exacerbate my symptoms! 

So how do you maintain a healthy gut?

1. Eating more healthy, whole, foods such as organic, low fat meats or proteins, high Fibre foods e.g. wholegrains, nuts and pulses and getting your “5 a day” from fruits and vegetables.
2. Avoiding processed foods as they are often high is sugar, fat and additives
3. Drinking enough water
4. Prebiotics and Probiotics for healthy gut bacteria -Probiotics are healthy bacteria and include food such as live yogurt, kafir, miso and pickles. Prebiotics feed healthy bacteria and include food such as onions, garlic, asparagus, whole wheat, spinach and oats. You should be able to get enough of both of these from a healthy diet.
5. Lowering stress levels – meditation, exercise, feel good movies or music can help with this
6. Eating regularly and slowly
7. Drinking less alcohol and caffeine
8. Eating good Fats such as those found in avocados, olive oil, coconut oil salmon and other oily fish
9. Eating good carbs such as those found in sweet potatoes, whole grains, nuts, Chia seeds, pumkin seeds, lentils, kidney beans and whole fruits
10. Sleeping well – apps such as Calm or Breathe can help with this

I try to stick to these guidelines but, as we all know, it’s not always easy!  I have noticed that my IBS had flared up during Lockdown, as it’s obviously been a stressful time for everyone.  Then a friend introduced me to the Arbonne 30 days to Healthy Living plan.

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She had tried it herself as she wanted to lose a bit of weight and reduce her stress levels and she said it changed her life!  It’s not your classic de-tox or diet. It’s all about re-setting your body and mindset to establish healthy eating habits. 

I was keen to try this but didn’t fancy committing to the full 30 days.  There is also a 14 day plan available so I tried this.  I was a bit concerned that I would have horrible detox symptoms, during the first couple of days, such as feeling faint and not being able to continue with my regular workout exercises, but this couldn’t have been further from the truth.  In fact I felt more engergised and my IBS symptoms virtually disappeared after the first few days!  Love that my skin looks and feels really smooth and soft (it’s quite sensitive) after drinking the Skin Elixir supplement and using my RE9 Advanced Prepwork Overnight face jelly which I qualified to receive free with my purchase!

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The plan is easy to follow as there are so many delicious food choices, tasty protein/smoothie shakes and lots of yummy (but healthy) snacks allowed between meals!  The hardest thing for me to give up was coffee but I managed to and it got easier after a few days of using the Energy Fizz Sticks!

I hadn’t planned on losing any weight, but by the end of my 14 days, I had lost 4lbs and felt amazing, without feeling hungry at all! I have had no IBS flare ups and I am feeling much more energised and relaxed and my skin feels really soft and plumped!  I never felt that compromised during the plan as I have discovered so many delicious, healthy alternatives to bad food and drink!

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Basically, I am still following the plan although I allow myself 1 cup of coffee in the morning and 1 alcoholic drink, if I am out with friends!

I would honestly recommend this plan to anyone who would like to improve their gut health, energise their bodies, lose weight, improve their skin or maintain a healthy lifestyle. The plan caters for vegans and non vegans so there is something here for everyone!

Arbonne sums the plan up perfectly, in their guidelines:

“ 30 Days to Healthy Living is designed to help each person identify how they can choose to use food as fuel for their bodies to optimise how they look and feel, inside and out. It will help you to identify any foods that you are eating that might not be serving your body well. Our goal is to help you tune in to the messages that your body is sending so that you can eat and drink more intuitively, giving your body the nutrients that it needs to function optimally. The programme will also help support a balanced gut. So much of the body’s overall wellbeing is controlled by our gut, so supporting this area of our body will help optimise how we feel as well as how we look. The programme is also designed to help us feel more confident in ourselves. When we are rested and working to reduce feelings of stress, then we are better able to care for ourselves. A positive mindset can also impact our confidence because when you feel good physically and mentally, you look good too!”

I love the fact that all their products are sustainably sourced.

For more details on the plan check out their website:

https://www.arbonne.com/discoveruk/products/30-days-to-healthy-living-and-beyond.shtml

Plus:

There are discounts & offers available if you would like to become a preferred customer!

When you’ve completed your Healthy Living Plan, I recommend using A list fitness trainer, James Duigan’s Clean and Lean Cookbook to maintain your healthy eating with delicious recipes