We’ve said it countless times already, but we are going to say it again—gut health is so important! Whether you’re new to the world of gut health or have been here for a while, you know that there are many daily habits you can incorporate into your life that will support a healthy, thriving gut microbiome. However, the habits that harm your gut aren’t talked about nearly enough.
As we prepare to head into the New Year, we encourage you to focus on your gut health by making it your goal to leave these gut health mistakes in the past.
Mistake #1: Ignoring Your Water Intake
Your gut health is not just about what you eat, but what you drink as well. What’s the most important liquid? Plain water. It makes up most of your body weight and is needed for functions ranging from regulating your body temperature to flushing the waste out of your body, and everything in between. With the gut specifically, staying properly hydrated is important for keeping things moving smoothly to avoid constipation and uncomfortable bowel movements. As if that isn’t reason enough to leave your habits of dehydration behind, recent research has also found that drinking plenty of water is connected to a healthier, more diverse gut microbiome.
If you’re looking to take your hydration more seriously in the coming year, then here are a few of our favorite tips:
- Aim to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces each day.
- Spread your water intake out throughout the day, opting to sip on your water instead of chugging it all at once.
- Find a water bottle you love and make it your best friend, taking it everywhere with you.
- Shake it up by adding your favorite fruit for a kick of natural flavor.
Mistake #2: Filling Up on Sugar-Free Products
If you’ve been steering clear of sugar-filled products to help meet your diet and weight goals, then you’ve likely opted for sugar-free products instead, which is understandable. But the question is: are you overdoing it? While sugar-free products offer the benefit of not containing processed sugar, they aren’t as healthy as you may think, especially for your gut. In fact, the artificial sweeteners used in these products can even lead to digestive discomforts like excessive gas, bloating, or an upset stomach.
This coming year, pay closer attention to the labels of the sugar-free products you’re buying, and as often as possible, choose products that only use natural sweeteners like honey or dates, which will still help you reach your health goals without being detrimental to your gut health.
Mistake #3: Not Being Picky About Your Probiotics
As the importance of a healthy gut has become more widely known, the supplement market has been flooded with various probiotics. With so many options to choose from, it can be overwhelming to try to cut through the noise, and it’s tempting to grab just any probiotic supplement off the shelf. If you truly want to provide your gut with the best support possible, then it’s time to be picky about your probiotics. Do your research, read the label, and choose a probiotic that is certified safe, high-quality, and contains powerful probiotic strains like Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Additionally, make sure the probiotic you choose contains live strains of probiotics and is stored properly in a cool, dry environment.
Mistake #4: Eating Too Fast
Remember Ross Geller's line from the Friends TV show? "I grew up with Monica. If you didn't eat fast, you didn't eat!"
While Rachel was simply taunting him for "inhaling his food", it turns out that eating too fast has negative effects on your gut. More often than not, eating quickly results in swallowing more air, which leads to bloating, excessive gas, and other digestive discomforts. Slowing down not only cuts back on the amount of air you inhale but also allows you to chew your food properly, breaking it down into smaller pieces that will be easier for your gut to digest. What’s more? It takes around 20 minutes for the stomach to signal to the brain that it is full. If you continue eating too fast during this window, you are much more likely to overeat, which can lead to short-term discomforts and long-term health concerns.
Mistake #5: Relying on Caffeine All-Day
Waking up and pouring a cup of coffee to kickstart your day. Passing by Starbucks and grabbing a latte to take with you to the office. Frequenting the coffee machine as you work to warm you up and keep you going on those cold days. It’s no secret that coffee and other caffeinated beverages have become a daily staple for many of us, but before you grab another cup of coffee for your drive home after work, beware that too much caffeine can strain your gut.
Caffeine has a laxative effect, meaning that it increases peristalsis, the muscle contractions that help move food along the digestive tract and stimulate bowel movements. Not only does this increase in peristalsis strain the gut, but caffeinated beverages like coffee are also highly acidic, which can alter the pH balance of your gut microbiome and affect the composition of microbes that reside there. We aren’t saying you need to get rid of coffee completely, but you may want to consider cutting back for the sake of your gut.
Push For Better Gut Health In 2023
There’s no doubt that getting rid of habits can be a lot easier said than done, so leaving these habits behind is not going to be as easy as flipping a switch. As you take proactive steps to kick them to the curb, give your gut the extra love and support it needs with a supplement like Essentials from New Earth.
These convenient daily gut health packs were designed to nourish and support your gut. With two of the most powerful strains of probiotics, a boost of digestive enzymes, and a healthy dose of the superfood known as organic Wild Microalgae™, Essentials contains everything you need to keep your gut, and the rest of your body, as healthy as possible, even when you are trying to ditch some less-than-healthy habits.
The best part is you can put it to the test risk-free with our 60-day money-back guarantee.