{"id":7945,"date":"2021-04-12T17:10:33","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T16:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/?p=7945"},"modified":"2023-03-17T14:49:01","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T14:49:01","slug":"5-things-that-could-damage-your-gut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/5-things-that-could-damage-your-gut","title":{"rendered":"5 things that could \u2018damage\u2019 your gut"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s often foods that are demonised as being \u2018bad for the gut\u2019 &#8211; whether it\u2019s gluten, sugar, or even gut-loving grains (I\u2019m looking at you, paleo diet) &#8211; yet lifestyle factors that can play a big part are easily overlooked.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without getting all doom and gloom, it\u2019s important for everyone to be empowered with the knowledge of your gut microbes\u2019 weak spots.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before we dive in, let me tell you your gut is incredibly adaptable &#8211; so if you\u2019ve been affected by the following factors and you\u2019re getting troublesome gut symptoms, it doesn\u2019t mean your gut is \u2018ruined\u2019 for life!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It does mean that it\u2019s worth thinking about how certain activities or behaviours could negatively impact your GM (gut microbiota, the trillions of microbes in your gut) &#8211; and focusing on nourishing your gut with plenty of plant diversity, alongside sleep, relaxation and exercise.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ed0974;\"><b>Here are 5 things worth knowing that can negatively impact the health of your gut &#8211; and what you can do to get your gut back to good health.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ed0974;\"><b>Antibiotics<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It goes without saying that antibiotics can be life-saving &#8211; but taking antibiotics when they\u2019re not really needed (e.g. for mild infections or viruses) can impact your gut microbes unnecessarily. That\u2019s because they don\u2019t just get rid of the \u2018bad\u2019 guys, but can harm the \u2018balance\u2019 of beneficial gut microbes too. Studies show these changes could be long-term in some people, particularly with multiple courses of antibiotics, where some of the bacteria don\u2019t seem to \u2018repopulate\u2019 even 12 months post antibiotics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #e8077b;\"><b>Top tip: <\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try taking a specific probiotic during your antibiotics course and for a week after: Saccharomyces boulardii, 5 billion CFU twice a day (check out my <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/PROBIOTIC-PRESCRIPTIONS-The-Gut-Health-Doctor-Eat-Yourself-Healthy.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Probiotic Prescriptions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for more detail). And keep up your plant diversity &#8211; aiming for at least 30 plant points a week. In fact, one study found that people who ate more than 30 plants a week (vs 10 a week) also had fewer antibiotic resistance genes in their GM!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ed0974;\"><b>Medication<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly to antibiotics, other medications can without a doubt be extremely important. However, one study showed that around a quarter of non-antibiotic medications (such as painkillers, antihistamines or proton pump inhibitors) could impact the growth of our GM when tested in the lab. And with over 50% of people in the UK taking at least one prescribed medication (not including contraception) &#8211; it\u2019s worth taking note.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #e8077b;\"><b>Top tip:<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Are your meds for a lifestyle condition that could be helped through diet? If yes, chat to your healthcare team for advice on managing by changing your lifestyle &#8211; whether it\u2019s working on your sleep quality or getting more exercise (alongside meds, as long you need them) &#8211; and see how you go.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ed0974;\"><b>Restrictive diets<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The biggest myth when it comes to looking after your gut is that you need to have a restrictive diet. Juice diets and \u2018detox\u2019 cleanses are nonsense when it comes to gut health, and they can actually do more harm than good.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How? Cutting out whole food groups &#8211; for example cutting out whole grains and legumes on the paleo diet &#8211; can essentially \u2018starve\u2019 some of your GM. Studies show your GM can change within a few days of following an extreme diet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It may also increase your risk of nutritional deficiencies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ed0974;\"><b>Top tip:<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Think about what you can <\/span><span style=\"color: #ed0974;\"><b><i>add in<\/i><\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not what you cut out. Focus on inclusivity, moderation and getting plenty of plant diversity (another reason why all our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/inner-community-recipes\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recipes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are designed to keep your plant points up!)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ed0974;\"><b>Poor sleep<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our GM has its own body clock too (i.e. circadian rhythm), so disturbed sleep can disrupt our microbes &#8211; even after just 2 days of getting less sleep than we need.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sleep deprivation is linked with both increased inflammation and stress hormones (which can worsen gut symptoms), as well as how much we eat (particularly of the ultra-processed foods!).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span style=\"color: #ed0974;\">Top tip:<\/span> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Focus on improving your sleep quality, aiming to get 7-9 hours a night. Try keeping your caffeine intake to before 3pm, switching off devices at least 30-60 minutes before bed, and sticking to a routine with the same sleep and wake times.<\/span><br \/>\n<b><\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ed0974;\"><b>Stress<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Managing stress levels is one of the most important factors in a healthy gut &#8211; and it\u2019s all thanks to the gut-brain axis (the two-way communication between the gut and the brain).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How does stress affect the gut? When you\u2019re feeling stressed, because your brain is saying you are, this message travels down to the gut and can manifest in gut symptoms, such as bloating, reflux, constipation and other common gut complaints.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span style=\"color: #ed0974;\">Top tip<\/span>:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Take 15 minutes out of your day for breathing and\/or mindfulness exercises. It\u2019s worth sticking with it for at least 12 weeks to see the effects.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s often foods that are demonised as being \u2018bad for the gut\u2019 &#8211; whether it\u2019s gluten, sugar, or even gut-loving grains (I\u2019m looking at you, paleo diet) &#8211; yet lifestyle factors that can play a big part are easily overlooked. Without getting all doom and gloom, it\u2019s important for everyone to be empowered with the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":7949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gut-basics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>5 things that could \u2018damage\u2019 your gut | The Gut Health Doctor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s often foods that are demonised as being \u2018bad for the gut\u2019 - yet lifestyle factors that can play a big part are easily overlooked..\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/5-things-that-could-damage-your-gut\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 things that could \u2018damage\u2019 your gut | The Gut Health Doctor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s often foods that are demonised as being \u2018bad for the gut\u2019 - 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