Irritable bowels are, well, irritating. The cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, and gas all can make life miserable. Not having healthy bowels makes it hard to live a healthy life. An unhealthy gut has been linked to an unhealthy immune system, bad moods, autoimmune diseases, endocrine disorders, skin conditions, and even cancer. But there are ways you can go about naturally restoring your gut health. After all, happy gut, happy life! Read on fiber friends to learn more.
Help Me! I Want Healthy Bowels
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Whether you have some general and occasional irritable bowel issues, or you have a full-blown case of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), it can be hard to live a normal life when you don’t have a healthy gut. After all, our gut (often called our “second brain”) is connected to the rest of our bodies. A healthy gut means a stronger immune system, a better mood, easier digestion and pleasant poops, and a healthy brain and heart. So needless to say, it’s pretty important!
Let’s do a quick little Q&A and answer all your questions about gut health:
Q: What is a Healthy Gut?
A: If you have read our blog before, you know that at Bonny we are all about gut health. But what defines a healthy gut? It ultimately means having the right balance of tiny bacteria and other microbes in your digestive tract. Those tiny microorganisms actually have a big role in your overall health!
Q: How Does My Gut Work, Exactly?
A: Your gut (aka your digestive system or GI (gastrointestinal) system), digests all the delicious foods you eat, absorbs nutrients from that food, and uses those same nutrients to fuel and maintain your body.
Q: How Do I Know If I Have Irritable Bowels?
A: Something might be up with your gut if you have unfamiliar changes in your poop, don’t go enough, or go too much! We all have a different “normal” regarding bowel movements. (To learn more, check out our blog post on pooping here.) Some signs of an unhealthy gut include an upset stomach, unintentional weight changes, sleep disturbances or constant fatigue, skin irritation, autoimmune conditions, and food intolerances.
Q: How Important is Gut Health?
A: Extremely! 70% of your immune health is located in your gut. Yes, 70%! Even if you don’t have any signs of irritable bowels, it is still important to maintain your healthy bowels and keep the right balance of good and bad bacteria in your digestive tract.
Steps for How to Restore Gut Health
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Okay, now that you know all there is to know about healthy bowels, let’s talk about some ways you can restore gut health and get back to having pleasant poops and living your best life.
Avoid Certain Foods
Try to skip or reduce your intake of the processed, high-sugar, and high-fat foods that we all know and love. Yes, they are tempting but they are not good for your gut!
Pack Your Plate With Fiber-Full Foods Instead!
Fiber stimulates the growth and diversity of good bacteria in your gut, so load up your meals with foods full of fiber! Some foods that are packed with fiber include whole grains, sweet potatoes, spinach, beets, carrots, and fennel.
Try a Fiber Supplement
Most of us aren’t getting enough fiber in our diets to maintain healthy bowels. But we don’t mean that fiber supplement in the fluorescent tub. No, we mean Bonny! Bonny is the best fiber supplement. It’s plant-based and fruit-flavored that doesn’t even taste like fiber.
Exercise Often
Getting your body moving can also get your bowels moving. There are studies directly linking exercise and improved gut health. A recent study found that exercise can potentially alter gut bacteria composition and functionality.
Limit Alcoholic Drinks
Alcohol can have a negative effect on your gut health. That’s because repeated alcohol consumption leads to gastritis, which is when your gut becomes irritated and inflamed. Gut inflammation leads to uncomfortable conditions like heartburn, chronic discomfort, ulcers, and bacterial infections. Look for non-alcoholic alternatives and/or reduce your alcohol consumption.
Reduce Stress Levels
It’s easier said than done to lower our stress. But as we’ve mentioned on the blog before, the gut-brain connection is real.Research shows that our guts affect anxiety and depression, and vice versa. So fill up a hot bath, turn on your chillout Spotify playlist, or add a meditation to your day.
How Fiber Can Heal My Gut Naturally
There are several ways that you can naturally heal your gut and restore your good health with fiber.
The Animal Crackers Movie / Via media.giphy.com
Fiber Protects Your Gut
There are both good and bad bacteria in your gut. Just imagine a Marvel movie down there: the bad bacteria attack and kill the intestinal epithelial cells (connective tissues.) However, high-fiber foods help the good bacteria increase the production of the good cells, which fight against gastrointestinal pathogens. This is a complicated way of saying that fiber protects the good bacteria in your gut! And if you’re not getting enough fiber, those villains are probably winning.
Fiber Keeps You Regular
Fiber is the secret to getting those regular, pleasant poops you’ve been hoping for. Fiber like psyllium husk bulks up your stool and keeps it moving through your intestine, preventing constipation.
Fiber Keeps Your Gut Healthy
A diet high in fabulous prebiotic fiber like inulin increases the good bacteria in your gut, which restores your gut microbiota levels to keep everything running smoothly and as it should.
Get Healthy Bowels with Bonny!
Restore your gut health with Bonny, the fancy fiber supplement your body is begging you for. Simply add your favorite flavor of Bonny to a glass of cool water and enjoy.
Bonny powder is vegan, fab, and gluten-free and comes in delicious flavors that you will crave daily like Apple Pie, Mixed Ripe Berries, and Super Strawberry.
As always, we wish you pleasant poops!
