Believe In Your Health, Listen To Your Gut and Do What You Love – Dylan Lauren

Yep, Ralph Lauren’s daughter said something like that. Only she didn’t say health she said ‘yourself’.

In my opinion it’s the same thing.. but for the sake of this blog, she definitely said health!

This blog delves into gut health. According to Hippocrates – “All Disease Begins In The Gut”.

And we believe this to be true.

But what is a healthy gut? What does that even mean?

How do you know how healthy your gut is when you can’t even see it and probably can’t even describe what it looks like yet you’ve been carrying it around for X number of years?

In my opinion it is everything from your oesophagus to your anus.

Well the good thing is that there are PLENTY of warning signs, symptoms, indicators, tests, therapies, people to see (people NOT to see) and things you can do right now to find out if your gut is healthy or not.

So let’s get cracking on some possible warning signs and symptoms!

Digestive Issues –  Diabetes – Red Blotches On The Back Of Your Arms or Chest – Food Allergies – Anxiety – Mood Swings – Frequent Illness – Frequent Infections – Poor Memory or Concentration – Bloating – Reflux – Lack Of Weight Control – Lack of Body Awareness* –  Stress – Tummy Pains.. and believe it or not but there are more.

If you were to Dr Google any of these symptoms you would get infinite pages of possible illnesses and diseases. So let’s not do that..

Let’s ask ourselves “Do I suffer any of the above symptoms?”

If any do ring a bell.. then you MUST read on.

If you do not have any of the above but have a family and/or children, you MUST read on.

Red blotches on the back of the arms or chest for instance – that’s a serious reaction to have yet so many people ignore it and think it’s just some age or skin-tone related thing.

I used to have these red bumps on the back of my arms..

It wasn’t until I cut down on my processed sugar intake in year 11/12 that this went away. How do I know it was processed sugar? Because ever since I noticed this, each time I eat a large amount of it I get these same red blotches on my chest. If the processed sugar stops, they stop. *P.S this is also what I call ‘Body Awareness.’*

My theory is that if I kept eating processed sugar for a significant period of time.. the redness on the arms would come back also. Holiday periods tend to get pretty close to it and I almost see it!

Anyway, that’s just ONE symptom and example of how your gut can tell you if it is unhealthy.

So what could be causing some or one of the above symptoms?

– Processed Sugars – Processed Foods – Packet snacks – Expired foods – ‘Low Fat’ or ‘Fat Free’ Foods – Irregular Eating Routine – Eating Too Much – Eating Too Much Carbohydrates – Dairy – Stress – Lack Of Sleep – Dehydration – Lack of Movement/Exercise – Poor Mobility/Flexibility – Lack of Vitamins and Minerals – Eating Too Little – Roller Coaster/Yo-yo Diets .. and again, there are more!

Can you tackle all of these at once? Yes.. Will you though? Most likely not, so let’s target at least one or two of the above and really make a change for long enough to see if it makes a difference!

Write one or more of them down right now. Text it to a friend. Email yourself. Do something after reading this blog. Make a change. Feel the change. Be better for the rest of your life. I did, I am.

Who to see and who NOT to see. Touchy touchy subject.. My recommendation is to see your GP to get all the tests and what not but if you’re seeking ADVICE then do not see a GP, see a naturopath or dietitian/nutritionist that promotes their love for and their involvement with; the gut.

Little plug here but only because I know they know their shit. (lol, gut joke.. ew).

Sofie van Kempen a.k.a @_healyourgut AND Brooke Richardson a.k.a @sproutedhealth_ both have an amazing approach to nutriton, lifestyle and life in general. Beautiful people. Look them up and see them ASAP. You will be better off in both health and life if you do.

This was not a blog explaining what the gut is.. you can google that.

This was just a quick look into how to listen to your gut, what can affect the gut and what to do about it. If you would like any of the above explained further or you have any questions about this topic, please email me at tristan@wtf8wc.com.au.

Tristan M. Forbes