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Today we'll explore the connection between two seemingly unrelated areas of health and wellness: gut health and weight loss. Gut health has been a hot topic in the health and wellness field in recent years and for a good reason. The gut microbiome is known to play a significant role in the body, including the immune system, the brain, and even metabolism and weight management.

In this post, we'll discuss the important role that the gut microbiome plays in regulating metabolism and energy balance, and share tips and strategies for supporting your gut health and achieving your weight loss goals. If that piques your interest, stick around!

 

 

What You Should Know About Gut Health And Weight Loss

Having a healthy gut microbiome might help you achieve a healthy weight. "How?," you might ask. The gut microbiome, which is the collection of microorganisms that live in the digestive tract, might influence your weight in a variety of ways:

• A diverse and healthy gut microbiome can promote a faster metabolism, which helps you burn more calories.
• Healthy gut bacteria can help to regulate hunger hormones, so that you feel fullness more appropriately. 
• A healthy gut microbiome can promote nutrient absorption, which can help to regulate appetite and prevent overeating.
• Gut bacteria can influence hormones that regulate mood, stress and appetite, which are all related to weight management. We talk more about the mind-gut connection here.
• And lastly, a healthy gut microbiome is linked to less chronic inflammation (healthy foods that make a healthy gut are anti-inflammatory). Having more inflammation increases your risk of obesity and metabolic disorders.

So, maintaining a healthy gut microbiome might also help you maintain a healthy weight. But how do you improve your gut health? In order to support your gut health, I recommend 6 lifestyle tweaks and 6 herbs and botanicals that are backed by science.

 

 

6 Lifestyle Tweaks To Support Your Gut Health

1. Incorporate fermented foods. Pu-erh (Puehr) tea, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and unsweetened yogurt all contain probiotics that help maintain a healthy gut flora.
2. Eat more fiber. This doesn't mean taking a sugary fiber supplement. The average American doesn't get the recommended amount of fiber because they don't eat enough plant foods!
3. Eat more plant-based foods. Spinach, kale, berries, broccoli, chickpeas, lentils, apples, flax seeds, and chia seeds, just to name a few. Eating these won't just support your gut health, but they'll help to reduce inflammation and support overall health and longevity.
4. Eat food and drink teas rich in prebiotics. Dandelion root, Chicory Root, burdock root, jicama root, garlic, onions, leeks, and asparagus are all rich in prebiotic fibers that aid in healthy digestion.
5. Avoid sugar and artificial sweeteners. Sugar and artificial sweeteners are inflammatory to the gut and can cause poor digestion.
6. Avoid processed and fried foods. Processed and fried foods are high in omega-6 fats which can throw off your omega 3 and 6 ratio, causing inflammation. They are also generally low in everything good, like antioxidants and fiber, and high in everything not-so-good, like sugar and salt.

 

Try These 6 Herbs and Botanicals For Gut Health

1) Puehr tea

Also spelled Pu-erh or Puerh, it comes from the same plant as green, black and oolong tea, but it goes through a fermentation process. The result is a gut-soothing and probiotic rich delicious dark tea. If you want to incorporate more probiotics but find kimchi hard to get down on a daily basis, Puehr might be the solution.

Our favorite Puehr tea blends are Gut Balance, Bulletproof Breakfast, and Tigger & Pu.

2) Dandelion root 

Dandelion root is a natural digestive tonic used in traditional medicine to treat constipation and improve overall digestive health. It also acts as a prebiotic, promoting the growth of healthy probiotic bacteria in our guts. 

Our favorite tea blends with Dandelion Root: Sleek and Slender, Smooth Jazz, and Gut Balance.

3) Chicory Root 

Chicory Root contains a prebiotic fiber, inulin, that helps to prime the gut for digestion. Like dandelion root, it's a prebiotic and supports a happy and healthy microbiome!

Our favorite blends with Chicory root: Smooth Jazz and Gut Balance.

 

 

4) Peppermint 

Peppermint helps to soothe the muscles in the stomach and is used to improve gas, bloating and indigestion. Whether you have a particularly sensitive stomach that is frequently upset or if you are just looking to relieve stomach upset in the moment, peppermint tea might be helpful for you! 

Our favorite blends with Peppermint Tea: Hug In A Mug, and Bye Bye Bloat.

5) Anise

Anise can help to ease inflammation and is a powerful in reducing bloating. Although research is limited, early studies have found that it could even protect against stomach ulcers!

Try these awesome teas with Anise: Bye Bye Bloat, Turmeric Fusion, and Detox Chai.

6) Ginger 

Ginger aids in the process of gastrointestinal motility, a fancy word for the rate at which your foods moves through your digestive system. Ginger helps to keep things moving, so food doesn't linger in the gut. It's often used for relief when someone is experiencing nausea or an upset stomach. 

Our favorite tea blends with Ginger: Happy Place, and Bye Bye Bloat.

 

Get All 6 Gut-Healthy Herbs In One Bundle

Want to incorporate all 6 of these botanicals into your life? Find all these 6 herbs in our Gut Health Tea Bundle which includes Bye Bye Bloat and Gut Balance.

 Check out the Gut Health Tea Bundle here.

Drink Gut Balance Tea in the mornings before breakfast to stimulate healthy digestion and regularity. These tea leaves can be resteeped multiple times, so instead of discarding the leaves after your first cup, add more hot water and enjoy a second, third, even a fifth cup using the same leaves. Gut Balance Tea makes a great coffee substitute, as it is far less acidic than coffee while providing enough caffeine to feel energized without the jitters.

Drink Bye Bye, Bloat Tea after meals to avoid feeling gassy and bloated. This tea is especially effective after consuming a heavy meal. Because it has no caffeine, you can drink it any time of the day or evening. Enjoy a cup between meals to relieve indigestion and digestive inflammation.

 

 

 

I hope that this post was helpful! If you liked this read, check out this post on the Mind-Gut Connection. If you have any questions, leave a question below on this post. Best of luck on your healing journey, whatever that may look like!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: The information on this website is has been compiled from published sources and is provided only as a guide. While every effort has been taken to ensure that information published on this site is correct and up to date, this is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any illness. Also, although all of our teas are generally regarded as safe, please consult your doctor before trying any herbal remedies, especially if currently using medication, pregnant or breastfeeding.