Mistakes we make while healing our gut: Nutritionists suggest tips
From consuming raw veggies as parts of salad to opting for short term reliefs and not addressing the root causes, here are the common mistakes that we make while trying to heal the gut.
An impaired gut health is the reason of a lot of health disorders. From acidity to heartburn, a lot of symptoms denote an unhealthy gut. Speaking to HT Lifestyle, Nutritionist Ishti Saluja said, “Gut issues are more common than you think. Acidity, heartburn, indigestion, irregular bowel movements are all signs of a weakened gut. While occasional bloating is acceptable once in a while, other gut issues can get uncomfortable.” She further noted down the common mistakes that we make while trying to heal the gut health. They are as follows:
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Overnight results: Gut issues are not like headache or body ache that can be cured with one overnight pill. The more age we grow, the longer it takes for gut issues to cure. Often, it takes around 4 months for gut issues to go away completely.
Fibres: Fibre is good for us, but when it comes to gut problems, fibre becomes one of the hardest foods to break down and digest. It’s better to see what your current intake of fibre is, and then increase it by 5g a day for the week, and then another 5g a day the week after.
Digestion: The four pillars of gut health are - nutrition, stress, sleep and physical exercise. Besides digestive issues, high stress levels, poor sleep quality are huge players when it comes to a weak gut. It’s unfair to only change your diet or depend on supplements while addressing your gut health and then expecting positive results.
Treatment: Treating gut issues ourselves can often bring adverse results. It is important to consult a gut specialist to get the right direction of treatment.
Root cause: Instead of focusing on short-tern relief, we should address the root cause of the symptoms that show up. Only then, we will be able to address the issue for a long term.
Stress: “Your mindset, or mental attitude, is absolutely key to successful healing. A positive mindset can help you heal; stress and low mood can do just the opposite. Stress in particular is bad news for gut healing. Amongst a whole host of other impacts, cortisol, our stress hormone, is released when you experience either physical, biochemical or mental/emotional stress. It impairs digestion and suppresses your immune system, neither of which are conducive to gut healing. Just like our physical health, we need to work on our mental health and managing this type of stress,” said Nutritionist Sonia Bakshi.
Raw veggies: Sonia Bakshi further added we should lightly cook our veggies before adding them to the diet. Fermented veggies are also helpful when it comes to healing the gut.
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