A healthy gut is essential for overall health and wellness, and it plays a very important role in digestion, nutrient absorption, immune function, and elimination of toxins. There are many factors, such as poor diet, stress, certain medications, and infections, that can disrupt the balance of bacteria in the gut and lead to digestive issues. To address gut imbalances and promote healing, we can explore the 5 Rs of gut healing.
This is a 5-step process used to restore optimal gut function.
Remove – The first step in gut healing is to identify and remove foods that may contribute to gut dysfunction and inflammation. This may include eliminating inflammatory foods, processed foods, and refined sugars from the diet. However, this step depends on the person and the foods that each person finds offending for their digestive system.
Common inflammatory foods may also include dairy and gluten products. Removing these triggers can help reduce inflammation in the gut and support an environment for healing.
Replace – Once we have removed these offending foods from the diet, it’s time to replace them with anti-inflammatory, gut healing foods. The purpose of this is to promote an environment for healing and provide the body with the nutrients it needs. This step can also involve the use of supplementation to optimize the breakdown of food.
Repair – Now that offending foods have been replaced with nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods, we are supporting an environment for healing. It is important to facilitate repair of the gut lining.
There are many supplements and herbs that have been researched to help in the gut’s restoration barrier and many of these can heal damaged gut tissue. This helps to prevent undigested food and toxins in the gut from leaking into the bloodstream and causing additional inflammation.
Re-inoculate – The next step in this process involves restoring a healthy balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut. This can be achieved through the use of probiotic-rich foods and probiotic supplements. Be sure to speak with your naturopathic doctor about which probiotic is right for you. Beneficial bacteria provide a diverse and balanced gut microbiome which supports immunity and overall gut health.
Reintroduce – Once we have focused on healing the gut, it’s time to reintroduce some of the offending foods that were originally removed from the diet. We reintroduce foods, one at a time, to monitor which foods still cause symptoms and which ones do not.
By removing offending foods, replacing them with gut-healing foods, repairing the gut lining and re-inoculating the gut, individuals can experience significant improvements in their overall health.
Get on the Healing Path Today
If you’re interested in working with a naturopathic doctor on gut healing and optimizing your digestion, book a free 15-minute consultation with Dr. Tina. Chiropractic care can also help with digestive issues. Schedule an appointment with Aurora Chiropractor Dr. Craig Dingman.