The modern life influenced our lifestyle and our diet. We started to live with full rush. Waking up, rushing to work, drinking coffee to get alert, having a quick sandwich, in the afternoon eating chocolates to boost our energy, joining happy hours with colleagues, then ending the day at a fast food restaurant. Meanwhile, there are lots of deadlines and smoking a few times a day to relieve from stress. All this is harmful to gut health.
This modern life pushes us to treat our bodies like garbage bins. Our bodies have limits, it could tolerate it for a while, and then they started to collapse. Research shows that strokes, diabetes and heart disease are consequences of poor diet and self-care. According to statistics, 45% of people are associated with inadequate food consumption which is very harmful to gut health. Click to learn more about it.
Jenny’s Story
Jenny (not her real name) had a similar lifestyle, and after a while, she realized redness in her face, and she started to get panic. When she went to the doctor, she learned that it was the beginning of rosacea. And it made lots of sense. She was very busy with her education and did not care about her diet. Lots of stress and a lack of self-care. Her gut got very sensitive and started to leak. Then she has to pay attention to her diet which is very harmful to gut health.
Jenny did some research about what to eat to control rosacea. The main advice is to avoid alcohol and junk food. Also, some foods can trigger rosacea. She is advised to eat lots of fermented foods like kefir, tempeh. Click here to learn more about a rosacea-friendly diet. She made a list and headed to market. Now, she had a very selective attention on what to eat and from that point of view 70% of foods that are sold on the market is basically junk.
Then Jenny did further research on nutrition. She realized how gut health plays an essential role in the immune system. The typical western diet reduces the diversity of bacteria. Particularly lots of sugar, animal fat, saturated fat, alcohol, and packaged foods promote inflammation in the body. This might lead to autoimmune diseases like rosacea.
Jenny’s body started to give signals that such a lifestyle was harming her body. It was time for a major change. Jenny decided to change her lifestyle completely. Now she does not drink alcohol or sugar. It took her some time to give up her habits. Particularly, the first two months is very challenging. However, after a while she felt so much light and relaxed.
Gut friendly foods
Patagonia has a very good list about foods that are healthy for gut.
Plant-based diet: Eat varied diet such as Mediterranean diet. It will give the nutrients that are helpful to improve bacteria.
Fiber-food: Foods such as beans, garlic, leeks and whole grains are good for the body, as are bananas, asparagus, broccoli and wheat.
Seafood: These are foods that are rich with Omega-3 such as salmon, anchovies, tuna, eel, catfish.
Prebiotics: They are a source of bacteria and gut microbiome. Yogurt, kefir, kombucha, tempeh are good examples of prebiotics.
Foods with polyphenols: Foods such as berries, nuts, olive oil, coffee, black beans, and red wine contain polyphenols and found to be beneficial on gut microbial composition.
Vitamin D Foods: It helps to support the immune system. The sources are salmon, trout, sardines and eggs.
Water helps to protect gut health
Water is the core need of our body. It helps to break down food and prevent constipation. It helps to keep the gut healthy and supports skin health. Furthermore, it helps to detox and boost energy. It also supports weight management. It helps you enhance your physical and mental health. Make a daily habit of drinking water regularly.
How to change our habits for a healthier diet?
Our diet style has a direct link to our social and professional lives. If we have a lifestyle where we rush and eat too many processed foods, then this would harm our body. If we have the habit of going outside and meeting with people and drinking after work, then we might consume too many beers.
Replace with a healthier alternative:
Replacing it with a healthier alternative would not only maintain your lifestyle, but also help you to make a smooth transition in your behavior change. For instance, with coke, changing it to sparkling water would give you the sensation of coke but also be a healthy alternative.
Make a gradual change in behavior
Start with small steps and progress gradually. For instance, for a diet change, you can start by cutting mayonnaise and ketchup. Or stop taking refined sugar. Not eating after 7, quitting bread. Drinking 5 cups of water. The more you establish a new habit, then switch gradually to another habit.
Understand the psychology behind behavior
Why are you so obsessed with such behavior? For instance, with eating, is there a link to your emotions? A person that I know who was eating so much went to a psychologist, and she realized that she had linked all the emotions with eating. For instance, she said that she would eat when she was happy, angry, or angry and sad. Then she realized that all these behaviors were linked to her emotions. This is how it was coded when she was young, and this is what she did to soothe herself. Then she worked on this behavior and finally came to terms with her eating habits. Click to learn more about emotions.
List down the reasons why you want to change behavior
How strong is your desire to change the behavior? Make arguments for your desire. “If I quit smoking, I might live longer and see my grandchildren.” “I want to lose weight because my back hurts so much now, and I want to relieve from this pain.” “I want to lose weight because I am sick of dealing with hangover.”
Visualize the desired outcome of changed behavior:
What do you expect when you change your behavior? Think about the positive outcomes. For instance, when stopping with alcohol, Possible positive outcomes are improved health, better sleep, reduced costs, and no hangover. The outcome of losing weight is better physical shape, better health, and feeling lighter.
Give yourself rewards as you achieve your goal:
Set yourself milestones and reward yourself as you achieve it. For instance, when losing weight, “I will buy myself the coat that I like when I lose 10 kilo.” “I will reward myself with dessert if I stick to the diet for 20 days.” “I will go to a restaurant when I get my salary.” “I will eat a burger to reward myself when I lose 10 kilos.
As a conclusion
Gut health has a direct link to your diet and lifestyle. If there are too many stressors in your life or if your diet is unhealthy, then there is a high risk of lowered immunity because of reduced gut health. By adopting a rich diet with whole foods, it helps to reduce stress and eliminate harmful habits. Reducing stress plays a crucial role. A set of strategies to establish healthier lifestyle habits include replacing them with a healthier alternative, making a gradual change in behavior, understanding the psychology behind behavior, listing down the reasons for changing the behavior, visualizing the desired outcome, and giving yourself rewards as you achieve a goal.
