How are you feeling today, Beauty? Feeling vibrant, beautiful and joyful? You should be! :) But sometimes there are days where you just donāt feel your best. It happens to everyone.
Even if youāre eating well, sometimes you just donāt feel your best and feel it in your gut. If youāre consistently feeling crummy in your tummy, it could be a sign that something more serious needs to be addressed.
When your gut isnāt impaired or out of balance it can be an indication there are other health issues, but how do you know if you have an unhealthy gut? Especially if youāve been living with one for a long time.
If you know what youāre looking for, itās much easier to tell when your gut health deserves some attention.
Here are seven surefire signs of an unhealthy gutā some of them may surprise you!
Before first, letās talk about why your gut health is so important.
Your gut is a lot more complex than you may think! It isnāt just where you digest your food. In fact, your gut health play a major role in your overall health. If your gut is unhealthy, likely you have other health issues too!
Your gut microbiomeā the millions of microorganisms that live in your gutā is a necessary part of what keeps your body healthy.
Your gut health is connected to your immune health, your weight, your blood sugar and your skin health. Poor gut health has also been connected to skin conditions, endocrine disorders, autoimmune diseases, and even some forms of cancer.
Yesā as well as being vital for your physical health, your gut health is key to positive mental health too. Digestive problems or an upset stomach can definitely make you feel cranky and unwellā but this isnāt the only effect that poor gut health can have on your mood.
Thatās because your gut essentially has its own nervous system. This is why itās often called your āsecond brain.ā Because of this, your emotions and your entire state of mind are often communicated between your gut and your brain.
Your gut also creates many of your bodyās āfeel goodā neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. So if youāre feeling a little gloomy, less vibrant, or your stress levels are out of control, then it could be a sign that things are not quite right in your gut.
A leaky gut can wreak havoc on your gut health. Leaky gutā or increased intestinal permeabilityā is when bacteria and toxins are able to āleakā through your intestinal wall. Normally, your intestines can prevent this but an unhealthy gut lining can make it much more likely that unwanted matter leaks through.
This can lead to inflammation, as well as imbalanced gut flora. When your gut microbiome becomes unbalanced, it can hinder the good bacteriaās ability to flourish while also allowing more bad bacteria to thrive. It can also cause bloating, gas, food intolerance and abdominal pain.
One important thing to know about leaky gut is that itās not actually a medical condition, Beauty. So if youāre wondering, ācan you test for a leaky gut,ā no, you really canāt. However, if you have a leaky gut itās a sure sign that something is not right.
Leaky gut doesnāt have symptoms that are unique to itself. Instead, leaky gut symptoms are similar to a lot of other gut issues. A few of these symptoms include:
Because leaky gut doesnāt have any unique symptoms, itās hard to know for sure if you have a leaky gut. However, if youāre feeling backed up, uncomfortable or sluggish, then you may be dealing with an unhealthy and imbalanced gut.
Letās look at this a little closer, Beauty.
Your gut health is probably something you donāt often think about muchā until youāre having problems. So much of your overall health is influenced by your gut that you may be surprised what can go wrong with an unbalanced gut microbiome!
If youāre wondering, how do I know if my gut is healthy or unhealthy, here are seven signs to look for that will reveal whether you have an imbalance or an unhealthy gut that needs healing.
Let me be clear, Beautyā some gas is a normal part of digestion! Digestion and your gutās fermentation process naturally produce gas as your body breaks down food.
Gas is especially normal if you eat high fiber or high protein foodsā or are just starting off on a plant-based diet.
Hereās an example. Everyone knows about how beans are the āmusical fruitāā even though theyāre legumes! Thatās because beans are both high fiber and high protein, both of which are major causes of gas. And itās normal to have some gas after you eat a lot of high-fiber or high-protein foods.
But there is a difference between gas and bloating. While intestinal gas can cause bloating, bloating is not something that is part of normal digestion. Bloating is caused by a buildup of gas in your intestinesā or in other words, too much gas. It can also be caused by excess liquids like urine or even too much stool in your GI tract.
Your body may produce more gas or may be prone to bloating if youāre changing your normal diet. This is especially true if youāre a new vegan or following a plant-forward diet and your body is adjusting to all that new fiber in your diet. This isnāt a sign to cut back on the veggies though! Remember, your body will adjust to a new diet in time.
However, if youāre feeling gassy or bloated often, it may be a sign of another medical condition or that youāre eating the wrong foods. Conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), celiac disease, lactose intolerance and irritable bowel disorder (IBD) can cause gas and bloating.
A poor diet or eating foods that donāt agree with your bodyā like gluten, carbonated drinks or dairyā will create excess gas and cause uncomfortable bloating. The best way to avoid this is to cut those foods, as well as processed food, out of your diet.
Some of the healthy bacteria in your gut produce more gas than others as they work also. However, if you have an imbalance in your gut microbiotaā with more of these strains than you needā this can cause excess gas and bloating.
A good way to help address this is to take a digestive enzyme supplement. But not just any supplementā you need one with the specific strains that will help your body break fiber down more efficiently. My Feel Good Digestive Enzymes are formulated to do just that! :)
A healthy gut microbiome is so important for healthy skin! I even devoted an episode How You Can Improve Your Microbiome for Great Skin on my podcast to this topic.
Having the right balance of gut bacteria can protect your skin against harmful bacteria, but it can also reduce the appearance of skin conditions. So if you suffer from acne, rosacea, psoriasis or eczema, your gut may be the problem! <1>
Acne is another common issue that can be a sign of poor gut health. I know this from experience, Beauty. I struggled with acne for years, and even when it was mild it kept me from looking and feeling my best.
One of the biggest myths about acne is that itās caused by dirty skin. This typically isnāt the case thoughā acne can be caused by a variety of factors, including your diet!
High-fat foods and dairy products can cause inflammation, which can cause breakouts. On the other hand, a wholesome plant-based diet thatās low in fats, sugars and starches can help clear up your skin and help you feel beautiful both inside and out.
Diarrhea and constipation are both signs of an imbalance of bacteria in your microbiome.
In fact, one of the main culprits of constipation is an unbalanced gut microbiome. This is because some types of good bacteriaā like Bifidobacteriaā help keep you regular.
When you donāt have enough of those good strains, then youāll begin to feel irregular and uncomfortable. You may not have enough of these good strains in your system if youāre not eating the right foods, or if youāre taking the wrong probiotic supplement.
On the other hand, some strains of bacteria can make you go too much if there are too many of them in your system. More specifically, strains like Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella and Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) are pathogens that can cause diarrhea.
A balanced gut microbiome has just the right amount of both good and bad bacteria. But when the bad bacteria start to outnumber the good, thatās when you begin to feel irregular and even sick.
Weāve all felt cranky and out-of-sorts when we have tummy trouble. Not only is it uncomfortable, but your digestive health has a much bigger effect on your mood than you might expect!
This is because your gut essentially has its own nervous systemā earning it the nickname āthe second brain.ā Because of this, your state of mind and many of your emotions can be communicated to your brain from your gut. So if youāre not feeling like yourself, your gut may be trying to tell you something.
Thatās because a majority of your āfeel goodā neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine are created in your gut. When you have an unhealthy gut, your body produces less of these vital neurotransmitters. As a result, you start to feel crabby, out of sorts, and less joyful.
It can be hard to concentrate on an empty or unsettled stomach, but that isnāt the only way your gut can impact your ability to think clearly and focus.
When you have an imbalance of the right gut microbes it can negatively affect your learning, memory, and make it harder for you to concentrate. <2>
Your gut microbiome has a direct influence on your immune system. So if youāre having digestive issues, you may also start to feel under the weather.
Itās now known that 70-80 percent of immune cells are present in the gut. <3> Itās the interplay between the bacteria in your gut that has the greatest impact.
Your gut microbiome isnāt just all the healthy gut bacteria you needā itās a very particular balance between both beneficial bacteria and potentially harmful strains.
Think back to what I said earlier about the importance of a balanced gut microbiome. If there are too many ābadā bacteria in your digestive tract, that can affect your immune systemās ability to fight disease and keep you healthy.
Having a diverse and flourishing system of gut flora is important to maintaining a healthy weight. In fact, reduced diversity in your gut microbiomeā or having fewer species of bacteria in your gutā may make you more likely to be overweight.
Remember when I mentioned that your gut is your bodyās second brain?
A healthy gut is very good at letting you know what your body needs. However, having an imbalance of certain gut bacteria may make you more likely to craveā and consumeā things that arenāt great for you.
These cravings can include excess fats as well as sugar. It may make your brain happy in the moment to eat those ācomfortā foods, but in the long run this can really sabotage your gut health! <4>
Eating fruits and vegetables with lots of fiber helps feed the āgoodā bacteria strains that can crowd out the ābadā bacteria in your gut that increases cravings for sugar and unhealthy processed foods.
You now know the signs of an unhealthy gut. Here is what you can expect with a healthy gut microbiome. Beauty, itās like a complete transformation. When your gut microbiota is healthy, youāll experience so many health and beauty benefits like:
In short, a healthy and functioning gut can make you feel beautiful both inside and out! But having an unhealthy gut can make it so much harder to live life to the fullest. But donāt worry Beautyā you donāt have to live with poor gut health.
Once you know the signs of an unhealthy gut, you can take the steps you need to heal! But if youāre wondering how to heal your gut, itās much easier than you might think.
A healthy lifestyle goes a long way in helping you feel vibrant, centered and in tune with your body. Listen to your bodyā it wonāt lead you astray.
With love and healing,
