How To Boost Your Gut Health Without Probiotics

Probiotic supplements offer a wide variety of benefits, but there are ways to improve gut health and reverse digestive disorders without them. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet will help restore an alkaline environment within the gastrointestinal tract to aid in weight loss, prevent disease, and clear up skin problems. The first step is to get rid of any food that might be causing problems. Here is a step-by-step guide to improving gut health for good in about one month.

Week One: Prep Week

Before jumping right into an extensive gut makeover, take a week to focus on eliminating offensive foods. The most problematic foods to the digestive tract are alcohol, processed sugar, and caffeine. Start by cutting back on these foods immediately. By the end of the week, try to remove them all from the diet. Be prepared to experience some withdraw symptoms, such as a headache or fatigue. This is a perfect time to drink lots of water to flush out toxins.

Weeks Two To Three: The Adjustment Period

During weeks two and three, the cravings for sugar, caffeine, and alcohol should be subsiding. Concentrate on adjusting to a new way of eating that includes removing grains, dairy, and legumes from the diet, which are highly inflammatory to the digestive tract. Snack on fresh fruits during the day with a handful of raw almonds. Try a lettuce wrap with avocado and turkey at lunch. Enjoy chicken, steamed broccoli, and a baked sweet potato at dinner in place of brown rice or pasta.

Weeks Three And Four: Seeing Results

Weeks three and four are considered the halfway mark of the program. Most people notice they are noticeably less bloated after eliminating offensive foods. The withdraw headaches should be gone, and fatigue is usually replaced with more energy. Digestive stress should be at a minimum. Keep drinking lots of water and avoiding all inflammatory foods, such as refined sugars and carbohydrates, dairy, and grains. It is safe to include low-dairy sources of food back into the diet such as coconut kefir and Greek yogurt.

Weeks Four And Beyond: Maintenance Mode

The final step is to reintroduce grains, legumes and small amounts of caffeine and alcohol back into the diet. Do not splurge on all of these foods at once. Introduce them back into the diet one at a time and pay attention to how the body feels after having them. Headaches, fatigue, brain fog and digestive distress are signs that a particular food should be eliminated for good. Keep the focus on anti-inflammatory foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables.