12 Ways to Optimize Gut Health for Better Abs

When it comes to achieving your best body, one secret power lies quietly within – your gut health. There's a remarkable connection between an optimal gut, looking good, and performing at your best. If your gut health blossoms, most likely, you're on your way to a fitter physique, your skin will look healthier, you’ll be able to think more clearly, and you will be able to lose fat and add muscle to your desire. On the flip side, when gut health is compromised, not only is it hard to lose weight, but weight gain is more likely.

So, how do you boost your gut health and, in turn, improve your body shape? While this list it is not an exhaustive list, here are 12 valuable practices inspired by Stark for a healthier gut and a more toned body:

1. Eat Fermented Foods

This is nature’s probiotic and something you can do at almost every meal- sauerkraut for breakfast, kombucha for lunch, and kimchi for dinner.

2. Supplemental ProBiotic

In addition to eating the foods above, taking a daily probiotic can help ensure you digest what you need.  Although we highly recommend speaking to a medical professional before trying any new supplement, a basic, high-quality probiotic to ask your doctor about is Mega SporeBiotic. 

3. Digestive Enzymes

With age people produce less and less of the enzymes needed to digest food and absorb nutrients your body need.  So, it’s a good idea to supplement, especially if have high levels of stress in your life. Again, while there are many great options on the market, ask your medical professional before taking a new product.

4. Eat Fiber

Eating lots of soluble will do two things: feed the good bacteria in your gut, and bind to your LDL cholesterol, naturally lowering it. Unlike soluble fiber above, insoluble fiber keeps your colon healthy by passing right through, undigested. This infographic is a great guide to fiber rich foods that you can save and reference anytime: Fiber Cheat Sheet

5. Avoid Processed Sugar

Processed sugar works like the opposite of fiber, feeding the bad gut bacteria. One downside of living in a developed country is sugar is nearly impossible to avoid entirely, as it is added to many foods unnecessarily.

6. Avoid Gluten

For most, gluten can cause damage to the lining of your digestive tract, causing “leaky gut” which contributes to systemic inflammation and impairs your body’s ability to absorb nutrients. Gluten is one of those foods you don’t want to "slip up" with because it can affect your immune system for such an extended period of time. People who have removed gluten from their diet for a while then reintroduce it often experience symptoms like joint pain or brain fog. 

7. Remove Food Sensitivities

Some of the foods you are eating (in many cases, the foods you eat the most frequently), can cause an inflammatory response. Removing them for a period of time may make it easier to achieve your health and fitness goals. You can identify them with a simple blood test. These are the two tests we use: Meridian and Vibrant.

8. Utilize IV Nutrient Therapy

Your body needs micronutrients, some of which you can consume through food, and some you need to supplement to fill in the gaps. Especially if you have an impaired or damaged digestive tract, you may have lower nutrient absorption through oral supplementation. Doctors can bypass this problems by delivering water soluble nutrients intravenously. NAD IVs are a great example of this, as the mitochondria is the powerhouse of your cells, and one of the most powerful forms of mitochondrial support is the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) IV. 

9. Invest in Sleep

Anything you can do to lower stress will result in better nutrient absorption. Finding ways to sleep longer and more deeply (assuming you’re a typical adult with compromised sleep) is a simple, inexpensive way to recover from stress and, therefore, improve your gut health. If you are not sure how to track this, the Oura Ring is our go-to recommendation for learning about and enhancing your sleep.

10. Meditate

With the added benefit of greater emotional well-being, meditating has a similar outcome to improved sleep:  it lowers stress and puts you in a parasympathetic state (“rest and digest”). Training and nutrition are important, but recovery is just as important!

11. Chew Your Food

We have had Stark students and staff describe this tactic as life changing! Digestion starts in the mouth, and chewing your foods optimally increases surface area, allowing your digestive enzymes to work as intended.  Chew each bite 20 times before swallowing. This will improve digestion, slow down eating, making it easier to identify when you are truly full and prevent over eating.

12. Get a Squatty Potty

Sitting on a toilet with your knees at the same height as your hips is not what nature intended and can cause problems like hemorrhoids or an incomplete bowel movement. I have these at my home and office. Get one!  I even have a travel version.