Why Lifelong Gut Health?
Here’s the thing: keeping your gut microbiome balanced takes consistent effort. Achieving optimal gut health doesn’t come from 30 days of probiotic supplements and kombucha. Just like us, our gut microbiome is continually evolving – which means it needs to be continually exposed to beneficial bacteria (so the bad bacteria never becomes too powerful).
By now you may or may not know what an imbalanced gut can lead to: inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), celiac disease, diabetes, and even neurodegenerative diseases like MS. Not to mention, the health of your heart and brain rely on a plethora of good bacteria in the gut every single day. For example, a review of studies published in May 2019 in the journal General Psychiatry showed that those with anxiety who changed their diet to balance their gut microbiome experienced an improvement in anxiety symptoms. Even something as simple as the common cold or the flu can be a result of a weakened immune system due to an imbalance gut.
Simple, Sustainable Gut Healthy Habits
But unlike fad diets, expensive nutrition programs, or exhaustive workout routines, practicing life-long gut health is actually sustainable.
So, how can you keep consistent gut health up? The good news is, if you’re taking Jetson, you’re already doing it.
But you can take a step further. Here are some tips for creating sustainable, gut healthy habits:
- Meal prep (as much as you can): Nutrition is at the heart of gut health. Prepping in advance prevents cooking fatigue throughout the week so you hit “order” less often.
- Limit, don’t restrict: Alcohol, caffeine, fried foods, and carbonated beverages can cause an imbalance in your gut microbiome. However, all things in moderation, right? We don’t believe in complete restriction, because gut health is lifelong, and dieting isn’t.
- Add probiotic rich foods and drinks into the mix: Fermented foods like yogurt, miso, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir are great ingredients for good bacteria and spicing up your menu.
- Take a prebiotic supplement: Or eat prebiotic foods like bananas, garlic, and onions. Think of a prebiotic as food for the good bacteria to stay alive and keep doing their job (which is keeping you healthy).
- Keep your body moving: All you need to know about the connection between the gut, the brain, and working out is here.
- Remember, there’s no such thing as falling off the wagon: If you slip up one day, that doesn’t mean you’ve completely fallen off the wagon – just try your best to be a little better the next day. Gut health is long term, not an overnight transformation.
