The Key to Gut Health

When you think of your overall health, what comes to mind? Eating right and working out? Or maybe stress management or maintaining good sleeping habits. Yes, yes, yes to all of the above!

However, there is a significant component to overall health that is often overlooked. Any guesses? We're talking about good ol’ digestion — you know, the bodily process that no one wants to talk about. Well, it turns out that digestive health is actually super complex and vital to the rest of our health, so let’s get right into it and spill the tea on good digestion, shall we? 

The key to good digestion might be a little different for all of us, but here are the top recommendations for improving your gut health.

Digestion

What is digestion? What is its role, and how does it contribute to our overall health? If you are curious about the importance of good digestion, you’ve come to the right place. And don’t worry, we'll spare you the complete science lesson and just do a quick summary of what it is before we get into ways to improve it!

There are a lot of parts to the digestive system, but have you ever heard of the gut microbiota? The gut microbiota, or gut bacteria, is essential to digestion and contains probiotics and prebiotics that help protect our guts from harmful bacteria. Although prebiotics and probiotics sound a lot alike, they actually play very different roles.

Probiotics are the friendly bacteria within our gut that keep the bad bacteria or fungi at bay. Probiotics can be found in many foods like yogurt, kimchi, Kefir, sauerkraut, and pickles; they can also be found in many supplements. Prebiotics, on the other hand, act as food to the probiotics and can be found in non-digestible carbohydrates that come from fiber. 

There are many components to the digestive system but two of the main clinical ingredients that have been shown to help with gut health and digestion are probiotics and prebiotics.

Woman making a shake

Ways to Improve Digestion

There are a number of ways that we can improve our digestion...some just might be easier than others. An unhealthy diet can cause many digestive issues; that is why making minor changes to your lifestyle can be a simple way to improve them! Keep in mind that you should always discuss digestive health with your physician.

Small changes can have a big impact on digestion! Let’s take the first step towards improved digestion by incorporating these tips into our daily routines:

Fiber - upping your fiber intake can make a huge difference in digestion by helping to regulate bowel movements. Good sources of fiber can come from veggies, grains, or beans. 
Protein - a healthy diet calls for protein, but it’s best to enjoy lean meats like white fish or chicken. Other meats can be fatty, which might lead to some digestive issues. 
Hydration - drinking more water seems to help with everything, doesn’t it? And guess what else it helps with?! Digestion!
Probiotics - ahh, the “good” bacteria that help with digestion! Simply eating yogurt, sauerkraut, or kimchi can increase the good bacteria in your body.
Exercise - engaging in regular physical activity helps keep the food in our body moving and helps reduce gas or constipation.
Stress Management - the relationship between stress and our bodily functions is closer than you might think. Stress and anxiety can cause our bodies and digestive system to go into overdrive, essentially stressing out our digestive system. 

Daily Digestion Collagen Peptides

Supplements

If you are looking for something that checks the boxes above and tastes great, Great Lakes Wellness has a new Daily Digestion product that contains quick-dissolve collagen peptides along with a prebiotic and 5 billion CFU’s of a probiotic clinically researched to support digestive and immune health with other digestive boosters to keep you movin’ and groovin’! Not to mention, the Honey + Cinnamon flavor is unmatched and tastes so yummy — and it’s good for your tummy! Get more info here!

That sure was a lot of information for you to digest — sorry, we couldn’t help it! But remember that digestive health is essential to overall health, so we need to be more mindful of it. So let’s take the steps we can, either through lifestyle changes or by incorporating Daily Digestion Collagen Peptides into our routine. Small changes can have huge impacts. So stay consistent and your body will thank you!

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