Do you see yourself above?
Shoulder pain?
Headache?
Leg aches?
Stomachache?
If you've been following my blog for awhile you know that I embarked on my gut healing journey in December 2009. I have had a lot of health improvements in these last few years, and very happy that I took the plunge.
There are many good reasons to heal your gut, and I think most people could stand to go on a gut healing protocol for a period of time. Today I want to focus on the three reasons I believe are most important. I would love to hear from you in the comments if you are on this same journey. Do you agree with me? What were your most important reasons? And if you are new to this journey, what are YOUR reasons? I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
Overall Feeling of Wellness
My number one reason for jumping on the gut healing bandwagon is the real possibility that will begin to feel better. Now sometimes at the very beginning of changing the foods you eat, you might feel worse. And I want to warn you if you are starting on the GAPS Diet, start with full GAPS for a few weeks before you start the Introduction Diet. It will be a lot easier on you if you take your time. But usually it doesn't take too long before you feel a lot better. You will probably sleep better, feel less nervous, you may lose the brain fog that plagues you right now for most of each day. It is a wonderful feeling to experience the brain working well! I had these symptoms and they all radically improved for me. But you won't know, unless you try. And if you're scared to start your gut healing journey, I'm here to tell you it's not that hard.
More Energy
Do you secretly think you're just lazy? I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. It makes no sense for someone who feels good to be a couch potato. I have the opinion that many people labeled as lazy are in reality exhausted, worn out from poor health stemming from gut dysfunction. For the majority of people, changing what you eat can improve energy levels. For example, when you are fueling your body with junk food, your body is not getting the nutrition it requires to work properly. Some sources report that eating empty calorie foods can cause damage to your health. Moving to “nutrient dense” real food will facilitate more energy. If those junk foods are full of sugar (most are loaded), they will cause your blood sugar to spike and drop, so you feel better for a little while, then you crash and feel worse than before. When you continue eating nourishing foods, your body can heal itself and energy levels rise accordingly. What a blessing to feel like you have enough energy to LIVE YOUR LIFE, and to actually experience the desire to do something other than vegging out on the couch. If you have children, wouldn't you love to be able to keep up with them?
Aches and Pains
Aches and pains are often caused by nutrient deficiencies. For example, gelatin gets such a bad rap but it is a very important super food. It is derived from the bones and connective tissues of animals, and people are like EWWW GROSS… but you know what? Gelatin [affiliate link] is important for OUR connective tissues. When you give your body what it needs to repair itself, you may find your pain is diminished or disappears. When I started on GAPS at the age of 46, I had accepted the fact that I was growing old and it was normal to experience pain on a regular basis. I am thrilled to discover I was wrong!
I have known many people who experience chronic pain. Pain sucks. It's hard to live with, and most people try to stick it out but eventually they reach out their physician. And he or she is likely to prescribe pain medication. Without one mention of what is being eaten. It boggles my mind to think there is the option of relieving pain by changing the diet and providing the body with the nutrients it needs to heal itself. But instead, it is accepted practice to simply numb the pain with medication, which further taxes the body.
Additionally, pain can be caused from inflammation, and inflammation can be connected to leaky gut. Or maybe the foods you eat are allergens for your body. Think you aren't allergic? Did you know that people often crave the very foods to which they are allergic? And often these allergic reactions are caused by the gut leaking food into the bloodstream. That's not supposed to happen. Food isn't supposed to be directly in the bloodstream.
Those are my favorite reasons for starting a gut healing protocol.
Take a look at some of the conditions that can be addressed by healing the gut, it's really quite amazing:
- Allergies
- Autoimmune Disorders
- Brain Fog
- Cancer
- Candida & Chronic Yeast Overgrowth
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Chronic Pain
- Depression & Anxiety
- Hormone Imbalance
- Inflammatory Disorders
- Irritable Bowel & Leaky Gut Syndrome
- Skin Conditions
- Thyroid Problems
- Skin Conditions
- Weight Gain
Did you know that our bodies are designed to heal and regenerate themselves?
I know that gut healing diets have the reputation for being challenging.
Okay, hard. Nearly impossible, I've been told.
But you know what?
It's not that hard. It is actually possible. It can be done, you just have to get started.
And let me tell you this right at the onset… you don't have to be perfect on any gut healing regimen.
If you can't afford the “right” kind of meat, you can still experience healing eating conventional meats. I did, and I couldn't afford all organic vegetables and fruits either. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, founder of the GAPS Diet says do your best. I did the best I could, and healing followed. Now if you have more severe issues, you will probably need to be stricter. But you won't know unless you take that first step and get started. If you haven't already, get your copy of The Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet book and start reading today. Click here to get your copy: Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.