How You Can Detoxify Your Digestive System Naturally

Today, the Western diet and lifestyle are not what they used to be years back.

Today, at the click of your fingertips, you can have ready-made, delicious meals served to you at a takeaway joint on practically every street corner.

Or if you swing into the stores after work, it is hard to ignore the smells of roasting meats, country veggies, and roast potatoes, with gravy poured over everything.

In fact, sometimes it’s hard to resist snacking and nibbling on some of the foods before you even get home, right?

It’s all so delicious and convenient, what used to be a weekend thing can easily turn into a daily thing.

But did you know, that this way of eating; this lifestyle can play a huge role in the health of your digestive system? [1]

Your digestive system health is determined by what food you eat – what exercises you do, as well as your stress levels during the day.

How Stomach, Intestine, and Colon Cleansing Can Improve Your Gut

A bit about the digestive system

The digestive system [2] is one of eleven major human body systems.

This incredible system includes a combination of hormones, nerves, bacteria, and blood.

The organs of the digestive system work together in harmony to complete the involved task of digesting the liquids and foods that get eaten by each one every day.

The digestive system interacts with all the other bodily systems – bet you didn’t know that digestion actually begins in the brain [3].

When you eat, it is your brain that decides how you will digest food.

The time frame for your body to digest food varies from person to person, it usually takes around six to eight hours for food to pass through your stomach and small intestine into the large intestine.

When to know you have gut problems

If you don’t have a healthy gut, your body is going to send out certain signals.

We are going to give you some signs that your gut is calling out for support.

In actual fact, the gut is home to trillions of bacteria along with viruses and yeast that live amongst the bacteria [4].

Bottom line is that when the yeast, bacteria, and other microorganisms living in your gut are in balance, you can be sure that the rest of your body will be in harmony too.

When a bacterial imbalance occurs, you will notice the effects on your body

The way we live and eat has a direct impact on our digestive systems and how well they function.

Here are some warning signs and symptoms of problems with the digestive tract:

1) When your stomach works too much

For instance, there’s a type of bacteria living in the gut called Clostridium difficile.

It can create problems with regularity. It can even push the good bacteria out, creating gut imbalance.

2) When you don’t go enough

These people usually have low levels of certain types of bacteria. Sometimes they will have to supplement with probiotics to bring it into balance.

3) How’s your mood?

The gut microbiome plays a very important role in mental health.

There is research that shows that certain hormones made in the gut called gut peptides, control the signals between the brain and the gut.

4) Not able to concentrate properly

The gut produces neurotransmitters that directly support the mood, like focus and concentration.

Research also shows that when your gut balance is suboptimal it can actually negatively affect your memory and learning [5].

5) Skin health

Because the gut is in communication with the skin through the gut-skin axis, skin health can reveal gut health needs.

When you experience imbalances in the gut, you can expect to see a skin imbalance as well.

6) Sugar cravings

Yeast thrives on sugar, bacteroidetes likes fats, and bifidobacteria love fiber.

So if your gut has too much yeast in it, you might experience intense sugar cravings; cravings that might make the gut cycle worse.

7) Sleep

Research has shown that people who suffer from a lot of tiredness often deal with abnormal levels of certain types of gut bacteria [6].

An unhealthy gut can also negatively affect the natural circadian rhythm.

This can disrupt your sleep, leaving you exhausted during the day.

8) Healthy weight

One study looked at the gut microbiome of overweight and lean twins.

They discovered that the overweight twins had reduced types of bacteria in their gut.

It is bacteria that help to break down food as well as the way the body absorbs nutrients.

9) Immune health

The gut biome directly influences the immune system.

When you have a healthy gut, then your immune system is healthy.

When the gut is imbalanced, this will affect the immune health and function.

What has caused me to develop gut problems?

Diet is so imperative for health that it can actually cause unwanted changes in the gut in just a short period of time.

Even though diet is important, it is not always the only thing that matters. There are other things that cause gut problems. These are:

Stress
Certain types of medications like frequent antibiotic use, for example
Travel
Not getting sufficient sleep
Food sensitivities
Alcohol intake

How can I cleanse my gut and fix my gut problems naturally?

1) Clean up your diet

One of the first strategies to cleanse your gut and fix up gut problems is cleaning up your diet.

The balance of bacteria in your gut is affected by the foods you eat. In order to have a healthy gut, you need to keep away from processed foods and sugar.

Include plenty of fruit, high-fiber veggies, healthy fats, and lean proteins in your diet.

2) Start to include fermented foods and probiotic supplements

Robert Rountree, an integrative physician, says, “Probiotics are like good cops.

We’re putting in the good cops, and the good cops can keep watch over the bad guys.”

3) Identify and eliminate your specific food “triggers”

If you keep eating the food that you’re sensitive to, it can lead to your gut being out of balance and reactions from your immune system.

The key to good gut health is identifying and eliminating food triggers so that your gut can thrive.

4) Get sufficient exercise

Getting regular exercise ensures your gut keeps in a balanced state.

Research shows just how exercise helps to increase the number of bacteria in your digestive tract and contribute to overall bacterial diversity.

5) Pay attention to stress levels

We can’t help experiencing stress, but when it becomes too much, this can disrupt the entire immune system when the gut is particularly vulnerable.

6) Consider intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting can certainly help to get gut health back on track.

Dr. Amy Shah says, “Giving your gut a break can support a normal inflammatory response, shed water weight, and reduce bloating.”

Improve your digestion by choosing the right foods to eat

Dr. Axe sure can advise you on how to keep your digestive system cleansed and nourished. He advises on these foods –

Bone broth
Raw cultured dairy
Probiotic foods and fermented veggies
Flaxseeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds are healthy sprouted seeds
Foods that have plenty of omega-3 fatty acids in them
Herbs and spices
Coconut products

There are other anti-inflammatories, nutrient-dense foods to consume such as grass-fed beef or lamb, fresh veggies and most fruits, apple cider vinegar, superfoods, and sea veggies.

A bad diet is literally one of the leading causes of digestive system dysfunction.

A bad diet will include eating inflammatory foods, allergens, things like added sugars, GMOs’ refined oils, factory-farmed meat, fast foods, processed foods, and the list goes on.

How to cleanse your digestive system naturally

The 3-Day Jumpstart Cleanse

Nurturing the digestive system and cleansing the gut are some of the most important things you can do for your health.

That’s what Dr. Alejandro Junger says, the “Father of Detox.” He developed his 3-day jumpstart cleanse which gives your energy back.

In fact, if your gut is not cleaned, you are going to notice it in your skin – there will be signs of toxicity.

Look at your skin – does it look dried out and puffy?
Does your skin bounce back when you pull at it?

If it doesn’t it might well be a sign that you have inflammation in your gut and in your body.

If you are noticing discoloration and redness anywhere on your face, this is probably evidence of inflammation.

With inflammation in the body, you will feel the loss of energy as well as digestive dysfunction.

What should I eat during my 3-day jumpstart cleanse?

During this cleanse, you need to avoid stuff like dairy, gluten, processed sugar, alcohol, and caffeine.

Doing this cleanse will allow your body to heal itself.

You will notice you get your energy back.

In order to be able to maximize your gut’s ability to digest food, Dr. Junger says that you should try and avoid mixing too many different types of food.

He believes you then overload your digestive system.

Each food type you eat will require different enzymes in order to be digested.

When you mix too many together at once, you can experience poor digestion.

Overloading the gut with too many different types of food, you will be doing what Dr. Junger calls “food dumping.”

This can lead to total exhaustion and also ruin the efficiency of your digestive system.

Digestive problems like gas, bloating, and irregularity are all clues of a gut imbalance, which can manifest in other health areas like mood, concentration, skin, and more.

Luckily, there are lots of things you can do to help improve your gut health, as shown above.

Diet is often the first line of defense here, as well as taking high-quality probiotics, reducing stress levels, and exercising regularly.

Conclusion

The gut isn’t just a whole lot of tubes that take care of all the food you eat.

It’s a very intricate system, consisting of key players from your digestive and immune systems.

After you have eaten a meal, the body sends energy to the gut to facilitate digestion.

If your gut is out of sorts, lots of energy is going to be wasted just on digesting your food; and it’s going to leave you tired; sometimes feeling exhausted.

Dr. Junger says that after his 3-day cleanse, energy in your gut will be back at your disposal, and you will feel a whole lot more energetic! Why so?

Because ‘good digestion turneth all to health’ – and that’s what George Herbert says.

How To Cleanse Your Digestive System Naturally