Does your Gut need a RESET?
Gut health, the health of our gut microbiome, effects every aspect of our health. From our immune system to our mental health and everything in between, our gut health effects it all. You can read more about the importance of our gut microbiome here.
The health of our gut microbiome depends on a delicate balance of good, beneficial bacteria, and it can become out of balance all too easily. Our modern lifestyles and poor diets expose us to many gut damaging toxins. Additionally, frequent use of antibiotics, antibacterial soaps, and our constant practice of sanitizing every surface on the face of the earth kills off our microbiome. All of this allows for the overgrowth of harmful bacteria and for the depletion of the beneficial bacteria. This is why many people may benefit from resetting their gut health.
Signs your gut needs a reset
1- Frequent Illness
Frequent acute illness like colds or the flu, as well as chronic illnesses like eczema, IBS, and certain autoimmune disorders can be an indication of poor gut health. While not necessarily a cause of chronic conditions, poor gut health can certainly trigger or cause worsening symptoms.
2- Gastrointestinal Distress
Gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, cramping, and certain chronic conditions can also be an indication of a gut in need of help. Along with these symptoms the frequency and consistency of your stool in also another good indicator of how your gut is doing. While it’s not something we like to think about we should be having 1-2 bowel movements a day and we want to aim for a “perfect” poop. Look up a Bristol stool chart here to learn more.
3- Mental Health
Our gut microbiome can affect our mental health and wellness just as easily as it can affect our physical health and wellness. From mental illnesses like depression and anxiety, behavioral issues like ADD and ADHD, and cognitive functions like memory loss and brain fog, poor gut health can aggravate these conditions.
Gut Reset Protocol
Before diving into the reset protocol, it’s important to note that resetting your gut isn’t a magic cure-all, nor is it going to happen overnight. I truly believe that a healthy gut microbiome will improve everyone’s overall health and wellness, but it’s also not going to make all your problems disappear. In my and my family’s personal experience, we have seen vast improvements to are immune health, energy levels, our kids’ behaviors, my PPD, and so much more all thanks to healing our gut microbiome. We’re still human though and our health is far from perfect, but it is definitely better. It’s also important to do your own research. There are several different gut health protocols out there and many people offer all sorts of programs to walk you through it. What I offer below is a streamlined version that I pieced together from my own study of gut health and what worked for my family. If you need more guided help reach out to a naturally minded doctor.
Stage 1
The first step in healing our guts, getting rid of everything that is causing damage to it! This is a two-pronged approach. Not only do we need to reduce/eliminate our exposure to gut damaging things like plastics, fragrances, and processed foods; but we also need to detox our bodies from the buildup of these exposures.
Here is a list of common gut offenders, but this far from a complete list.
- Refined and processed foods
- Hydrogenated oils
- Sugar
- Dyes
- Artificial and natural flavors
- GMOs
- Synthetic supplements and fortified foods
- Plastics
- Fragrances
Removing these things from your home and diet is half the battle and you’re well on your way to being ready to detox. It’s important to set the stage before you jump into a detox because if you’re body isn’t primed and your detox pathways opened, you’re likely to do more harm than good.
We slowly reduced and eliminated all of the above items from our home and diets over the course of about 2 years. We were new to natural living and were constantly learning more and more about how certain things we toxic and harmful. Little by little we detoxified our home. In 2021 after discovering Earhley Wellness we went all in on toxic free living and finished removing the last of our toxic products. It was about this time that I learned the importance of detoxing, we were already working on healing our family’s gut health, so this was the next logical step. We spent 6 weeks opening up our detox pathways and supporting our bodies natural detox pathways.
Our body’s main detox pathways are
- The lymphatic system
- The liver
- The bowls
- The kidneys
Just reducing your toxic load will greatly increase the function and support of these pathway.
You can further support these pathways by getting plenty of sleep, staying hydrated, walking or exercising daily, dry brushing, and eating a nutrient dense whole food diet. There are also many herbs that can support each of these. Peppermint, milk thistle, black pepper, and turmeric are just a few that will support the liver. Cranberries will help support the kidneys. Clevers and yarrow will help support the lymphatic system. Pumpkin seed oil, coconut oil, and cloves are just a few of the many herbs that will help support the gut. You can get these foods and herbs anywhere, but I highly recommend the products from Earthley Wellness. We use Liver Love, Lymphatic Cream, and Gut Health Oil to support our body’s detox pathways. We spent about 6 weeks prepping our body and opening up our detox pathways and then we spent another 6 weeks detoxing. We continued using Liver Love, Lymphatic Cream, and Gut Health Oil and added Vaccine Detox. (Regardless of where you stand on vaccines, we are exposed to heavy metals daily and it’s a good idea to detox those heavy metals a few times a year but not until you have set the stage for your body to detox safely and effectively) You can find all of the mentioned products here.*page contains affiliate links*
Stage 2
Now it’s time to seal the deal. The second and final stage to healing you gut is to seal it up. The good news is if you’ve spent the time prepping and detoxing your body and if you’ve removed all the gut damaging nastiness from your diet and your home then you’re well on your way to sealing up that leaky gut. You’ve purged your body of toxins, reduced inflammation, and have brought your gut to a place where it can begin to heal.
The next stage will vary person to person but will likely take at least 6-8 weeks and in some cases could take serval months or even years. The focus in this stage is going to be eating nutrient dense foods that promote gut healing and support a healthy gut.
Such foods include
- Bone broth
- Fermented foods
- Sprouts
- Healthy fats
- Omega-3s
- Greens
These foods are full of probiotics to help repopulate good bacteria, prebiotics to feed the good bacteria, and lots of nutrients to support overall gut health. In addition to diet and lifestyle, we also chose to continue to use Earthley’s Gut Health Oil and Liver Love to further support the gut on its journey to healing and to help maintain good gut health. We use them for about 12 weeks then take break for about 3 weeks. Some people I know take them daily without pause and still others do for 6-8 weeks 2-3 times a year. There’s no right or wrong way to use these products, the best way is the way that works best for you and your needs.