So much of your health depends on the state of your gut, which is why periodically doing a gut cleanse can help to improve your overall well-being and live better, for longer.

Centuries ago, ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates, taught that "all disease begins in the gut" and today's holistic medical science is now waking up to this fact.

From your mental health to physical health, you can unleash a torrent of energy and wellbeing to every cell in your body if you just listen to what your gut is telling you, not to mention the powers of disease prevention and healing. 

Let's get started... 

Telltale signs of poor gut health 

Stomach Disturbances

If you suffer from bloating, gas, constipation, heartburn, or diarrhoea, these are all signs you may need a gut cleanse.

An unhealthy gut has more problems and less efficiency processing food and getting rid of waste, so if you're experiencing stomach upsets regularly, it's probably time to cleanse your gut.  

Trouble Sleeping

Serotonin is one of the most important hormones in controlling sleep and mood, and most of it is produced in your gut. An unhealthy gut can lead to poor sleep, insomnia, fatigue and even depression.

Learn more: Sleep and Dreams: The Greatest Cosmic Gift.  

Changes in Weight

If you're not actively trying to lose or gain weight, but find yourself experiencing changes in weight nevertheless, it may be time to look to your gut for answers.

When your gut health is imbalanced, your digestive system can have problems absorbing nutrients, stabilising blood sugar and storing fat, which can result in dangerous weight loss.

Conversely, an unhealthy gut can also result in weight gain due to insulin resistance and chronic hunger due to your body's limited ability to absorb nutrients.

Skin Issues

Eczema, psoriasis, acne, dry and flaky skin can all be linked to poor gut health.

It typically results from inflammation in the gut and the "leaking" of certain proteins from the intestinal walls into the bloodstream, which can irritate the skin and lead to eczema - all as a result of imbalances in your gut's flora and fauna (the bad bacteria have set up shop and are overwhelming the good bacteria). 

Since your skin is one of your body's largest channels of elimination, if you have internal chaos in the gut, one of the main things your body will attempt to do to expel the toxicity is through your skin.  This is why you should never suppress skin problems with toxic topical creams or drugs, instead support the avenue of release by getting your gut bacteria back into balance, cleansing and giving your skin sunshine, salt and plant-based oils.

Learn more: The Skin: Nourishing Your Body’s Largest Organ, Naturally. 

Food Sensitivities and Intolerances

Not to be confused with a food allergy, which is an immune response to certain foods, food sensitivity or intolerance can be caused when the quality and amount of gut microbiome (i.e. the bacteria which help to break down and process food) is suffering.

This imbalance can cause problems digesting certain foods (like wheat), which manifest in gas, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea. 

Learn more: What REALLY is Gluten Intolerance & Hidden Sources. 

Autoimmune Disorders

Autoimmune conditions occur when the body "attacks itself" and not foreign invaders. Studies are revealing that poor gut health may cause and also be the result of autoimmune disorders. 

The chronic inflammation that's part of compromised gut health is thought to be at the root of the corresponding autoimmune conditions.

Learn more: 5 Signs You Have Inflammation in Your Body.  

3 Simple Strategies for an Effective & Natural Gut Cleanse

Here's the thing: your body can actually perform a gut cleanse quite well on its own if you just get out of the way and let it do what it does best. 

If more people ate an abundance of natural, unpolluted foods provided to us from the earth and didn’t opt for what we think are cheaper and easier processed alternatives (which are not--eating whole, clean foods is actually less expensive and easier than buying packaged, processed foods), then so many of our ‘dis-eases’ would cease to exist. 

You get out of your body what you put into it. If you feed your body with toxins, it will become toxic. Simple as that.

But there’s an equal and opposing truth: if you feed your body with goodness, all will be well. 

That’s why these gut cleansing tips are nothing new in themselves. However, they are revolutionary insofar as they demystify and strip down the modern-age ‘healthy diet’— which only serves to convolute matters, confusing people so they’ll pay for products and services they don’t need. 

In the end, the best gut cleanse boils down to eliminating toxic substances from your environment and diet while practicing rejuvenating and sustainable lifestyle habits.

1. Clean Up Your Diet / Probiotics / Water

Whole foods are your panacea for the best gut cleanse. If you eat a diet filled exclusively (or almost exclusively) with earth-friendly, body nourishing organic whole foods - fresh fruits, vegetables (and their juices), raw nuts, seed and unrefined grains, then you'll be on your way to better gut health. 

Some specific additional foods that can further support a gut cleanse and overall gut health include:

• Garlic & Onion - Both of these foods have been shown to have immune-boosting and anti-cancer properties, which are also linked inextricably to the healthy main functions of your gut. 
  
  Learn more: Digestive System: Top Foods to Support Digestion, Gut Health & Healing. 

• Fermented Foods - Kombucha, apple cider vinegar, sauerkraut, and miso are all wonderful examples of gut cleansing fermented foods as they contain natural Probiotics which help to build good bacteria in your gut.
  
  Also, a good habit to get into if you have gut health issues, is to try adding 1 tbsp of organic Apple Cider Vinegar to a glass of cool water first thing in the morning and/or before each meal.  This will help instil good bacteria into your gut which will support healthy digestive function.
  
  Learn more: The Self Care Powers of Apple Cider Vinegar. 

• High Fibre Foods (e.g. beans, leafy greens, apples, berries, asparagus and whole grains) not only add vital fibres to help cleanse your digestive tract and keep you regular, but also are known as PRE-biotics, which feed and nourish the good bacteria that PRO-biotics create.
• In between meals or even as a meal replacement, grab our Pulse Sacred Meal, which contains a bounty of fresh, whole food foods in one sweet, delicious snack. 

Learn more: What Are Whole Foods? 7 Benefits of a Whole Food Diet. 

Also, be sure to adequate amounts of WATER.

Aim for at least 2 litres of water daily, which is approximately the weight of the brain.

Optimally, you want to be striving for 1 litre per 22 kg's of body weight to help the ongoing process of hydration and to support the process of flushing toxins from your body.

Learn more: Water: Nature’s Best & Why It’s Critical to Life. 

2. Sleep More

Not getting enough sleep can affect your body's ability to run properly—and this extends to your digestive system. Support gut health by getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night.

If you're having trouble sleeping, try adding 100% pure, food-grade doTERRA Lavender Oil to your pre-bed routine in a bath, herbal tea, body cream or diffuser. 

Learn more: How to Sleep Better with Essential Oils.  

3. Walk & Destress

It may seem easier said than done, but lowering your stress levels is only as difficult as you make it.

Most of what causes stress (and the subsequent poor gut health that manifests when cortisol--the stress hormone--increases out of control) is habitual. 

Learn more: Stress & Gut Health: What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You.

One of the first things you should do is to walk for 30-45 minutes each day outside in the fresh open air. Not only does this have obvious physical health benefits, but also helps to stimulate mental and emotional balance.  This is a vital piece to the gut health puzzle because stress manifests itself in the gut and walking is the #1 activity to alleviate stress.

To decrease stress, all we need to do is change our habits. More than willpower, what this takes is an understanding of just how detrimental stress can be to your health. 

In addition to contributing to poor gut health, excessive stress can also increase one's risk of heart disease and cancer. Fear may not be a pleasant motivator, but it's an effective one. 

To lower stress levels, practice regular, unapologetic self-care. Sleep well. Exercise daily. Eat wholesome food. Enjoy the sunshine and nature daily. 

Learn more: 7 Key Reasons Why You Need Sunlight. 

Take pleasure in the things that bring you joy on a cellular level. If you’re ready to see the physical and mental rewards of a natural gut cleanse, start implementing these strategies for better gut health now. A mere step in the right direction will take you further, faster than all the good intentions in the world. 

 Tolman Self Care.