5 Gut Health Practices to Kickstart the New Year
As we step into the New Year, it’s the perfect time to start fresh with habits that nourish your body and mind. Gut health often takes a back seat, but did you know it plays a key role in everything from digestion to your skin’s appearance?
If you’re looking to improve your gut health in 2025, I’ve put together 5 simple yet effective practices to help you feel your best. Let’s dive in!
1. Hit Your Fibre Goals
Getting enough fiber is one of the most important steps you can take to maintain a healthy gut. Fiber acts as a broom for your digestive system, helping to sweep out unwanted toxins, waste, and excess hormones from your body. It also promotes regular bowel movements and supports the healthy function of your intestines. To ensure you're hitting your fiber goals, include high-fiber foods in your daily diet, such as kiwi fruit, broccoli, oats, carrots, and raspberries. Additionally, I recommend a simple "gut sweeper" mix that you can prepare yourself by combining equal parts of flaxseed meal, slippery elm, and chia seeds. Just one to two tablespoons daily, mixed with water, can help keep things moving smoothly through your digestive system. Make a week's worth of this mixture in advance and store it in the fridge for convenience.
2. Go for Aloe
Aloe vera is a powerhouse plant with numerous benefits for gut health. It is naturally rich in electrolytes, which help to balance fluid levels and support healthy bowel function. Additionally, Aloe Vera can help soothe the lining of the digestive tract, reducing inflammation and discomfort. It has mild laxative properties that can encourage healthy bowel movements, making it a great addition to your daily routine if you experience constipation or bloating. Aloe Vera is best consumed in liquid form, I recommend 60ml daily. Look for an Aloe Vera that does not contain Sodium Benzoate, I like Aloe vera of Australia!
3. Magnesium Powder and Water
Magnesium is a crucial mineral that plays a key role in many of your body’s functions, including digestion. When it comes to gut health, magnesium helps relax your bowel muscles, promoting smooth, regular bowel movements and reducing the chances of constipation. Combining magnesium powder with water is an easy and effective way to support your digestive system and nourish your nervous system, as magnesium also helps to calm the body and reduce stress. Stress can significantly impact your gut, contributing to problems like IBS and bloating, so magnesium can help address these underlying factors as well. Simply dissolve magnesium powder in water, and drink it in the evening to help ease any tension in both your digestive tract and nervous system. Look for a magnesium powder with at least 250 mg of elemental magnesium glycinate.
4. Gut + Skin Renew Powder
Your gut and skin are intimately connected, so nourishing both can enhance your overall health. I love taking our Gut and Skin Renew Powder as a daily ritual. I have formulated this product with my favourite herbs and nutrients to support the microbiome, reduce inflammation and calm the digestive tract, these include Slippery Elm, Chamomile, Grape Seed, Glutamine and Digestive Enzymes. These ingredients can help to promote healthy digestion, reduce bloating, and balance gut flora. Additionally, supporting gut health in this way can have a positive effect on your skin, calming issues like acne, eczema, or inflammation.
5. Fermented Foods with Caution
Fermented foods like kefir, sauerkraut, and yogurt are great sources of probiotics, which can help to replenish beneficial bacteria in your gut and support digestion. However, if you have a pre-existing gut condition like Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), it's important to approach fermented foods with caution. While they can provide many benefits, they can also feed the existing bacteria in your gut, which might exacerbate your symptoms. If you're dealing with a gut condition, start with small portions of fermented foods and monitor your body’s response.
Improving your gut health doesn’t have to be complicated. By incorporating these 5 practices into your daily routine—hitting your fibre goals, adding aloe, using magnesium, trying the Gut + Skin Renew Powder, and approaching fermented foods carefully—you’ll be setting yourself up for a healthier, happier gut in the New Year.
Thank you Anna – what sensible and wise advice. You explain everything in a clear and concise manner and give a balanced viewpoint. I myself have been taking the Native Collagen Booster and have found it very good – I err on the cautious side due to stomach issues and allergies/intolerances and have found this really suits my skin. I have mentioned earlier that I also have used your beautiful skin products and feel my skin has benefited from their use. I do believe that the Skin and Gut Renew Powder may also be of benefit. I mentioned earlier that I have only lost my dearest only brother suddenly recently so I feel my health overall has suffered so I think it is a good time to take that extra step to care for my body and mind as grief can be very detrimental to your health and as we were so close it truly IS affecting me. I also liked your well researched comments on fermented foods – I have definitely had issues with my tummy when trying them and wondered why as they are supposed to be so good for you so thank you for explaining. Wishing you continued success – good health and happiness always.
Nell on Jan 06, 2025
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