If you’d like to feel less sluggish and more energized, take a look at your fuel tank first. Healthy stomachs lead to healthy bodies and more energy throughout life. Discover how to support men’s gut health with better diet choices and natural supplements.
“Gut health” describes the balanced and proper function of the gastrointestinal tract. The digestive tract includes many organs including the esophagus, stomach and intestines. These organs all work together to digest food, absorb nutrients and generate energy. According to the NIDDK, 70 million Americans have digestive diseases.
Symptoms of Poor Gut Health
- Bloating
- Distension
- Indigestion
- Acid reflux
- Chest Pain
- Cramping
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Gas
Many men may not realize their digestive tract isn’t functioning properly. If they do, they are less likely to take action to solve the problem. A survey conducted by The Cleveland Clinic, found that 40 percent of men go to the provider only when they have a serious health issue, and never go for routine checkups.
About 21% of men admit to avoiding the provider because they’re too nervous to find out what might be wrong. It seems that the pressure to conceal weaknesses may lead to denial. Of course, ignoring medical problems will not make them go away.
How Gut Health Affects Overall Health
The gastrointestinal tract influences many bodily functions, such as digesting and absorbing carbohydrates, producing vitamins, absorbing minerals, and eliminating toxins. When the balance between good bacteria and bad bacteria is off, the digestive system doesn’t work properly. Instead of burning food for energy, the body stores fat and gains weight.
“Optimal gut health means optimal body and mind functionality,” explains Shelby Keys, RD, a senior bariatric dietitian at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. “One of the gut’s primary roles is promoting health and generating immune responses, so an unhealthy gut may alter proper functioning of the immune system.”
A dysfunctional digestive tract could cause inflammation and a variety of health issues including allergies, skin rashes, mood imbalance. The gut microbiome produces mood-enhancing chemicals, such as GABA, dopamine, and serotonin. If the balance of good and bad bacteria is off, mood-related symptoms can show up. If not treated long-term, digestive issues can cause diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The reason for poor gut health usually starts in the kitchen. According to Harvard Health, men tend to make less healthy food and lifestyle choices. Women eat far more fruits and vegetables than men, while men prefer meat and dairy. Men are more likely to smoke and drink more alcohol than women. Cultural expectations may play a subliminal role in men’s dietary choices over time.
By making healthier food and lifestyle choices, you can balance your digestive tract. Check out the following ways to improve men’s gut health.
4 Ways to Support Men’s Gut Health
1. Eat More Fiber
Fiber improves digestive regularity and provides prebiotics for the microbes in the large intestine. Prebiotics are a form of dietary fiber that feed the good bacteria in your gut. This allows gut bacteria to produce nutrients for colon cells, which leads to a healthier digestive system.
Foods High in Fiber
- Oats
- Quinoa
- Brown Rice
- Whole Wheat
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Beans
- Lentils
If you’re seriously backed up, try kiwi and prunes to relieve constipation.
2. Eat Less Sugar
Highly processed, refined, sugary foods such as candy and cakes produce bad bacteria in your gut. Even “sugar-free” foods that contain sugar alcohols, or polyols, can also cause GI distress. Sugar alcohols aren’t easily absorbed in the intestine. Read nutrition labels and avoid products with sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, maltitol.
Also pay attention to the drinks that contain large amounts of sugar. Coffee, energy drinks and alcoholic beverages can lower gut health. If you’d like to add sweetner, choose naturally sweet options like honey or agave nectar. If you have a sugar craving, eat fruit instead of processed sugar candy or bars. Stock up on grapes, apples and dates for snacks.
3. Follow the DASH Diet
DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet is an eating strategy that was created from research funded by NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) . The DASH diet emphasizes eating the right portion sizes and choosing a variety of foods and nutrients. The DASH diet not only improves digestive health, but also lowers blood pressure to improve heart health.
DASH Eating Plan
- Eat vegetables, fruits, and whole grains
- Include fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils
- Limit foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, and tropical oils such as coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils
- Limit foods high in sodium
4. Support Men’s Gut Health with Supplements
The key to a healthy gut is a balance of good and bad bacteria. Over-the-counter or prescription drugs such as Prilosec, Nexium and Tums have significant side effects. They are only supposed to be used for eight weeks or less. Instead, taking natural supplements is an easy, long-term way to support your digestive system without side effects.
This probiotic supplement can help clean your gut, stop sugar and carb cravings, reduce body fat, strengthen your immune system, and stop acid reflux. Max Pro balances the bacteria that outnumber the cells in your body by at least 10 to one. It maintains the ideal balance of good and bad bacteria and forms the foundation for optimal health—physically, mentally and emotionally.
This enzyme supplement is designed for maximum digestion of nutrients, production of energy, and immune system support. The ultimate goal of digestion is deliver nutrients to cells. Nutrients not only feed the cell, they protect it from free radical damage. Digestive enzymes help your body absorb nutrients. This unique formula supports digestion of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats for increased absorption and availability. Healthy cells lead to optimal metabolism, energy, and immunity.
This highly concentrated formula of herbs, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids supports digestive cleansing and detoxification. This unique formula provides a 30-day, 2-part herbal internal cleanse. The Morning Formula contains 15 herbs to help detoxify the liver. The Evening Formula contains 8 natural ingredients to help cleanse the colon.
CleanseMax contains a blend of Milk Thistle Seed, Artichoke Leaf, Ashwagandha Root, Hawthorn Berry, Red Clover Herb, Turmeric Root, and many other potent ingredients to help cleanse and detoxify your body.
Check out more supplements that support men’s gut health.
Contact Natural Bio Health Today
Our team is dedicated to helping you understand the numerous factors that may be preventing optimal health. Learn more about taking control of your health. Join the wellness journey to achieve optimal health, fight disease and boost immune health to combat viruses. Visit naturalbiohealth.com.
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