What is Gut Inflammation?
Inflammation is a natural process by which the body responds to an irritant. However, when inflammation occurs in the gut it can seriously impact your immune system, causing ill health, chronic pain, digestive problems and more.
Gut health plays a vital role in the performance of our body in fighting illnesses and diseases, as well as in our overall wellbeing. So, reducing or preventing inflammation is key to a comfortable and healthy body!
What are the Symptoms of Gut Inflammation?
Aside from the general discomfort, the most common symptoms of gut inflammation are:
- gas or bloating;
- diarrhoea;
- irritable bowel syndrome (IBS);
- skin conditions, such as acne or rosacea;
- hormonal imbalances;
- stomach cramps or pain.
While not a symptom, gut inflammation causes weight gain as it affects the way in which we digest food, such as how many healthy nutrients pass straight through the body and how many calories are absorbed.
When experiencing gut inflammation, insomnia may also be a consequence, as studies have shown that the balance of bacteria may negatively impact your sleep pattern.
Your gut microbiome – that is, the balance of bacteria in your gut – plays a role in your mood. It has been shown that gut inflammation can contribute to depression, while probiotic (healthy) gut bacteria can alleviate depression and anxiety.
What Causes Gut Inflammation?
Gut inflammation is not limited to those suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; it may also be a direct result of our lifestyle choices:
- Diet: While they are common in most peoples’ diets, the amount of sugar, refined carbs, vegetable oils and processed foods we consume all promote inflammation. Excessive intake of alcohol and processed meats can cause inflammation of the gut.
- Activity: An inactive lifestyle is a significant factor that contributes to inflammation.
- Stress: Experiencing a severe amount of stress can cause pro-inflammatory bacteria in our gut to grow excessively. Moreover, stress increases gut motility and fluid secretion, which may lead to a sudden bout of diarrhoea or need to urinate.
How to Reduce Gut Inflammation Naturally?
While many experiencing this health problem tend to research ‘how long gut inflammation lasts’, ‘how long for inflamed stomach to heal’ and ‘how to heal gut inflammation’, the truth of the matter is that there’s no point in attempting to heal your gut if you are going to continue with diet and lifestyle choices that caused the inflammation in the first place.
Luckily, there are many ways to reduce gut inflammation naturally and easily:
- Eat an anti-inflammatory diet
As some foods contain ingredients that can either trigger inflammation, or worsen it, it is important to choose foods that are unlikely to have such an effect. An anti-inflammatory diet focuses on fresh ingredients that are rich in antioxidants, healthy fats and nutrients that promote good gut health.
So, what foods reduce gut inflammation?
- Fruits: particularly dark berries, such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and cherries. To reap the benefits of them all, a fresh Berry Antioxidant Pressed Juice may be your new favourite addition to your diet!
- Vegetables: especially greens, such as broccoli, kale, cabbage and sprouts. Instead of adding mountains of vegetables to your plate, try incorporating them into a delicious dish, such as Magic Cabbage and Cauliflower Soup, or a refreshing Super Greens Pressed Juice, containing spinach, kale, celery and more!
- Spices: turmeric, fenugreek and cinnamon are great anti-inflammatories and can be incredibly tasty when incorporated into dishes, such as a Yellow Curry or Vegetable Paella that both contain turmeric, or a Moroccan Millet which contains cinnamon!
- Try an elimination diet
Wondering what foods to avoid gut inflammation? Here are some of the foods you may want to try minimising or removing from your diet completely:
- Refined carbohydrates: white bread, white pasta, white rice, etc.
- Processed meat: hot dogs, bologna, sausages, etc.
- Desserts: ice cream, cake, sweets, etc.
- Sugary drinks: fizzy drinks, sugar-sweetened drinks, etc.
- Trans fats
- Alcohol (excessive consumption)
- Certain oils: some processed seed and vegetable oils.
Psst.. did you know that none of the meals, soups or freshly pressed juices from MyDetoxDiet contain any of these inflammatory foods! So, you can be sure that our diet plans, individual dishes and pressed juices are great for reducing gut inflammation while promoting general good health!
- Reduce your stress levels
As previously explained, stress is directly linked to gut inflammation, so it may help to find activities that give you a sense of calm and help you to destress. This may include:
- physical activities, such as running, walking, swimming, dancing or cycling;
- mindful activities, such as yoga, meditation or breathing exercises:
- recreational activities, such as painting, reading, gardening or socialising with friends and/or family.
Does Juicing for Gut Inflammation Help?
Now you know which foods to eat and which foods to avoid to reduce gut inflammation, but did you know that the answer for some of us may not be food at all? Research has shown that juicing – that is, switching some or all of your solid foods for juices – can significantly reduce inflammation. While, in recent years, juicing has become synonymous with detoxing, cleansing and weight loss, it is also a highly powerful way to improve your gut health by increasing your intake of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Want to start with juicing to reduce gut inflammation but don’t know where to start? Why not try this Vegetable Juice Plan or Raw Juice Diet Plan, both made from 100% natural ingredients, for an easy and healthy way to reduce gut inflammation fast!
