How To Maximize Your Gut Health

By: Colleen Brine, BSN, RN, CPN

Have you been experiencing bloating, gas, weight gain, trouble sleeping, sugar cravings, increased stress, or trouble going to the bathroom or going to the bathroom too much?

If so, your gut may be telling you that it needs some assistance. Your gut is directly correlated to your mind and can determine if you are feeling great or feeling lousy. I am going to give you some helpful tips to get your gut health back on track and to get you feeling like your best self. Let’s be honest, we all want to feel good and have confidence, and we can do that by healing from the inside out.

Healing the gut starts with the food we are putting into our bodies. And for the gut to heal, we need to be eating a variety of foods from the ground, or plant-based foods. These foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and real whole grains. They are all rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber, which are all necessary for a nice healthy and happy gut. The idea is to eat a broad spectrum of these foods and to eat a lot of them.

It can be overwhelming to think about how you can get all of these nutrient rich foods into your diet, but it doesn’t have to be scary. The goal is to experiment with different foods from the ground and to have fun with it. For example, you can decide to try one new fruit, vegetable, nut, seed, legume or real whole grain each week and see what fun new meals you can make with it. 

This can be as simple as adding your leftover veggies from dinner the night before into your scrambled eggs the next morning. Or roasting some nuts and seeds and sprinkling them on your salad for lunch. Or making some chili with yummy legumes and vegetables for dinner.

Think of it as a rainbow. Your fruits and vegetables should be eaten in a variety of colors, and the nuts, seeds, legumes, and real whole grains are the pot of gold at the ends of the rainbow. 

Something that I enjoy is experimenting with new smoothie ideas. Smoothies are a great way to add in new fruits, vegetables and seeds. My favorite smoothie right now is-

A Berry Smoothie

  • 1-2 scoops protein powder

  • ½ cup frozen blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries

  • 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk

  • Handful of spinach 

  • 2 tbs ground flaxseeds

  • 1 scoop berry Green’s First

This smoothie alone has 5 different foods from the ground and leaves my belly full and my gut happy. 


When your gut is healthy and happy you will notice you will have less cravings, decreased inflammation from the inside out, better energy, better moods, more restful sleep, and your body will be able absorb all those yummy and nutritious new foods you are introducing it to. 

Remember to make it fun, experiment with new recipes, and try new things! Your gut will thank you.

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