Editor's note: This article reflects the author's opinions about health and wellness.
We all know the old saying, "always follow your gut."
I know my mother (who happens to be in the healthcare field) and friends have said the same thing to me when offering advice. The advice varied from dating to approaching certain decisions with confidence and even what to order from UberEats when I'm debating between ordering pizza or cheeseburger.
But something is true here—your gut is always right. Trust the intuition!
With that, I challenge you to take a second and listen to your actual gut because it may give you some insight into hormones, gynecological concerns, and wellbeing.
Many of us, including myself, associated the word gut with stomach, but it turns out that the gut refers to the gastrointestinal system. This includes the stomach, liver, mouth, esophagus, gallbladder, pancreas, colon and rectum.
Don't worry—I promise this won't tread in the waters of a high school health class. I just want to share some gems about listening to your body and how that can help you understand your hormones. Good news! You can get an understanding from the comfort of your home.
When your gut is healthy and balanced, magic happens. It helps keep your digestive system on the right track, regulates your hormones, and offers protection against pathogens. Generally, this is possible when you practice a healthy lifestyle through a balanced diet, an active lifestyle, and proper self-care.
Copious amounts of sweets, little to no sleep, processed foods, and life stresses can shake up your gastrointestinal system, which could ultimately affect your gut and entire body.
What can lousy gut health do to the body, exactly?
The microbiome, which happens to be impacted by your gut health, is a diverse community of microorganisms that live within your gut. When the microorganisms work together in unison, your gut health is usually in good shape. An imbalance in the microbiome can have adverse effects on your gut that can cause hormonal imbalances and even brain disorders. I know, I was frightened when discovering this.
Additionally, your gut health can mess with your estrogen production, which is essential in women's health. Having too much or too little estrogen can negatively impact your system and lead to breast cancer.
How do I get my gut and the lady bits back on track?
Naturally, it's always important to practice good hygiene, but there are many other ways that you can regulate your gut health to avoid many gynecological issues. Firstly, my advice is to live a more active life, whether that's going on walks, finding YouTube videos online to do little quick yoga workouts, taking care of your mental health, and getting as much sleep as you can.
Another tip to try is incorporating more probiotics into your diet. There are great foods and supplements that have live cultures and gut-friendly nutrients like kombucha and yogurts. My favorite brand of kombucha is GT's Living Foods, and my favorite flavor is Synergy Gingerade. For yogurts, Activia is excellent, but if you don't consume dairy, try Silk's version.
Herbs and spices can be beneficial as well. Turmeric is a fantastic spice that's good for digestion and also skin health alongside ginger and peppermint that also have healing properties. If you're not a fan of putting these herbs and spices in food, you can also drink them as teas. Yogi tea has a wide selection of teas with these specific spices.
Also, I can't forget to mention how important it is to make regular visits to your doctor. Medical professionals have years of training in human anatomy and know how to cater to the body's specific needs.
Ultimately, becoming more mindful of taking care of the body can help us get on a better track to continued health and growth.
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