If you’re wondering where to start your health and wellness journey, or you’re struggling with stomach issues of any sort, you need to start looking into your gut health! We’ve all heard “hot girls have stomach issues,” and being bloated all the time or dealing with IBS is not fun. Being a busy college student can be hard to find the time to jumpstart your health journey. Whenever I deal with stomach problems, I just pop a GasX and hope for the best.Â
Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of content on social media about gut health, and I decided to do some research to see what it’s all about.Â
According to the American Medical Association, gut health refers to the well-being of the digestive system. The digestive system is the part of our bodies that helps break down food (which you all probably know if you’ve taken any sort of health class) and aids in absorbing nutrients that are important for our bodies!Â
An important factor of gut health is attempting to include as many probiotics and prebiotics in your everyday diet. According to Harvard Health, yogurt, cheese, and fermented vegetables contain a lot of probiotics due to the living microorganisms found in these foods.Â
Probiotics are also important to gut health! You could try to include foods such as fruits, vegetables, bananas, onions, asparagus, or even garlic! So indulging in garlic cheese fries could actually be more beneficial than you thought!Â
If you’re like me and have a massive sweet tooth, it might sound daunting to hear these food suggestions that do no favors in satisfying a sugar craving, to improve gut health. I honestly love sugar and consume it probably more than I should. I mean, I literally eat ten otter pops on a daily basis. I love my sweet treats, but I also want to take better care of my health, specifically my gut health.
Something I’ve been trying to do recently is attempting to replace my processed sugar intake with “real sugar.” The sugar in my personal favorite sweet treat, Otterpops, is highly different than the sugars in berries, or fruit.Â
Medical experts from the MD Anderson Cancer Center help clarify the difference between natural sugar and processed sugar. For example, they say “Natural sugar is naturally occurring in food. Think of the sugar that’s in fruit or dairy or carbohydrates.” Refined sugar, on the other hand, has been processed so strictly that sugar remains such as corn syrup or granulated sugar. If you still want your late-night sweet treat, I would recommend making a yummy berry yogurt parfait or pairing dark chocolate with strawberries (my personal favorite).Â
So besides eating a balanced diet with fruits and veggies, what else can we do for our gut health?Â
Another way to improve gut health is by trying to get enough sleep every night! Sleep is so important for our bodies and to our gut health. Gastroenterologist doctors who specialize in gut health, from Johns Hopkins Medicine, suggest getting more sleep to ensure your digestive system is on the right track.
Additionally, getting enough exercise is another recommendation to improve gut health. Christine Lee, a gastroenterologist, suggests that “exercise is one of the most powerful ways you can boost your gut microbiome”. She explains that your digestive tract is a muscle. When we aren’t active, our muscles become less active, which can result in poor gut health.
There are plenty of easy ways to incorporate exercise into our everyday lives. Just think when you’re walking to campus for class, you’re helping your gut health. I also recently learned that the UCSB Recreation Center offers a ton of exercise classes ranging from pilates to karate to sports such as soccer or basketball!
So if you want to kickstart your health journey, the research I’ve included suggests a balanced diet, plenty of sweets, and moving your body daily. I also want to note that it’s important not to restrict yourself too much. If you still want that late-night sweet treat or need a day to rot in bed after a big exam, allow yourselves to do such. Moderation is key, and you can be mindful of your gut health while still enjoying life!