As a naturopathic doctor, I see lots of people who are overweight, tired, and sick. Instead of offering these people pills or surgery, I give them this advice: Start treating your gut right! Your gut contains an entire ecosystem of trillions of microbes, called your microbiome. When you have a healthy gut microbiome, you have a rock-solid gut.

What are the consequences of an unhealthy gut?

Eighty percent of your immune system is in your gut.

Your gut microbiome plays a huge role in modulating this system. When your immune system is working correctly, it protects you from infection without going haywire and causing autoimmune problems.

Your gut microbiome helps digest your food.

When it's doing its job right, you get the nutrients you need to stay healthy and energetic. When it isn't, you suffer from gas, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea.

When your microbiome is unhealthy, it becomes unbalanced.

Eventually, the damage caused by this poor performance leads to a “leaky gut,” allowing toxins and undigested food particles to escape into your bloodstream. This sends your immune system into hyperdrive, causing, system-wide issues—like a forest fire that never goes out. Strengthening and balancing your microbiome is key, and you’ll get slimmer, younger, and healthier.

Your skin pays the price for an imbalanced gut.

Your skin health is directly connected to your gut health. By nourishing your gut microbiome, you can repair and improve your skin health from the inside out, naturally. I'm talking elasticity, wrinkles, sagging... the works!

What are the best ways to achieve a healthy gut?

Clearly, in order to be your best, you need to treat your gut right. And today, I want to focus on three powerful tools that can help you do this: probiotics, prebiotics, and nutrient-dense superfoods. First, let’s talk about probiotics and prebiotics. Think of probiotics as the “seeds” in the garden of your microbiome, and prebiotics as the healthy soil that they thrive in. Here’s a closer look at each one.

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are foods or supplements containing live, beneficial microbes that will settle happily into your ecosystem, helping to build a diverse and well-balanced microbiome. Probiotic foods include: 

• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Pickles
• Coconut kefir

(Be sure to buy unpasteurized sauerkraut and pickles; you’ll find them in the refrigerated section in your store.)

What are prebiotics?

Prebiotics are foods or supplements high in the soluble fiber that your gut microbes love to eat. Prebiotic foods include:

• Jicama
• Onions
• Garlic
• Asparagus
• Leeks
• Unripe bananas
• Chicory root
• Jerusalem artichokes

When you eat probiotic and prebiotic foods—preferably together, because they work synergistically—you build a vibrant, happy ecosystem. The prebiotics supply your good gut bugs with nourishing food, the probiotics boost their population, and you get a glowing gut that keeps you healthy from head to toe. If you don’t get plenty of probiotic and prebiotic foods in your diet, I strongly recommend taking supplements that contain them.

Also, load up on probiotics and prebiotics both during and after any course of antibiotics, which can absolutely nuke your microbiome. When you feed your gut probiotics and prebiotics, you’ll lay the foundation for a super-healthy gut microbiome. To make it even healthier, eat nutrient-dense foods that soothe and heal your gut, making it a better environment for your hardworking microbes.

What are the most powerful super foods?

• Bone broth
• Berries
• Coconut
• Turmeric
• Ginger
• Curry powder
• Fatty fish
• Avocados
• Green & leafy vegetables
• Cruciferous vegetables
• Chocolate
• Green tea

When you combine the power of prebiotics, probiotics, and nutrient-dense superfoods, your microbiome will keep getting stronger and healthier. As a result, you’ll lose weight, your hair will get shinier, your skin will look smoother and younger, and you’ll feel fantastic. So pamper that gut—you’ll love the results!

Keep thinking Big and Living BOLD!