Beyond satisfying hunger and tastebuds, food does so much more. Food is actually sacred. It comforts us, reminds us of our cultural roots, and figures heavily into how we celebrate special occasions. But most importantly, it gives the body the energy and nutrients it needs to repair and replenish itself each day.

However, this repairing and replenishing only happens if the digestion system is working properly. What happens if this vital system isn’t working the way it should? Digestion problems due to poor gut health. Research shows that over 50% of our population are not digesting food properly (and the majority of that number aren’t even aware of this).

And it doesn’t take long for gut health to be disrupted. I mention this because we’re entering into the holiday feeding frenzy. Holiday feasting wouldn’t be a gut issue if we weren’t eating a lot of sugar and white flour foods. But the reality is, we DO eat a lot of sugar and white flour foods (hello Christmas cookies!), especially during the holidays. And those 2 things alone do a number on gut health.

We start with Thanksgiving (or some of us started with Halloween) and don’t quit gorging on sugary junk until after New Year’s. So within 5 to 6 weeks, we can end up with an unhealthy gut. Here are the signs we’re eating the wrong things and not enough of the right things:

UPSET STOMACH (discomfort, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and heartburn)

FREQUENT FATIGUE

TROUBLE SLEEPING (The majority of serotonin, which affects mood and sleep, is produced in the gut; gut inflammation disrupts serotonin production)

FOOD INTOLERANCES (can be caused by poor quality of bacteria in the gut)

FOOD CRAVINGS, ESPECIALLY SUGAR (high amounts of sugar, especially high-fructose corn syrup, are linked to gut inflammation)

UNINTENTIONAL WEIGHT GAIN OR LOSS (this is due to inability to absorb nutrients or bacteria overgrowth)

CHRONIC SKIN IRRITATIONS (such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis)

MIGRAIN HEADACHES (especially if accompanied by nausea or vomiting)

AUTO-IMMUNE PROBLEMS (such as thyroid issues, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes)

FREQUENT MOOD SHIFTS (particularly anxiety and depression)

Studies show these symptoms are greatly alleviated and even removed when the diet is in good shape. One of the first things folks turn to are probiotics. Yogurt, kefir, kimchi, and kombucha are terrific natural sources of probiotics.

But what most people don’t understand is that these helpful little organisms need something to feed on so they can do their job. Probiotics require PRE-biotics to function. Boiled and chilled potatoes, green bananas, barley, oats, rice, beans and other legumes (lentils, peanuts), asparagus, onions, leeks, and garlic are a pre-biotics that keep probiotics healthy and happy. Pre-biotics are also found in apples, apricots, carrots, green beans, peaches, raspberries, and tomatoes.

Digestive disease researcher and registered dietitian Gail Cresci, PhD, RD says “There’s really no way to go wrong with eating beans, legumes, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. “You’re going to get fiber, vitamins and minerals, and beneficial prebiotics along the way.”

One last bit of healthy gut advice is to be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day. But how do you know what “plenty of water” is? To establish a baseline, you can use the following doctor-recommended rule-of-thumb equation: take half your body weight, and drink that amount in ounces of water.

This can be a challenge though. Everyone I know tells me, “If I drink that much water, I’m up all night using the bathroom!” It’s all true. SO, the solution is to try to drink as much water as possible before 2 or 3:00 pm. For instance, I drink a 10-ounce glass every hour after I get up in the morning. I need 6 of these to reach my quota. It took a few weeks to establish this habit, but now it’s fairly automatic.

I’ll close with some very real benefits to taking good care of your gut health. A healthy gut:

• neutralizes certain food sensitivities
• protects from bloating and constipation
• increases energy levels
• absorbs more nutrients from your food
• soothes stomach pain and discomfort after eating
• heals gut-related autoimmune disorders
• And a lot more…

With these benefits in mind, and going forward, let’s “pinky swear” to balance all those yummy holiday treats with plenty of the pre-biotics that our probiotics need to do their job, and then let’s top it all off with water. What do you say, shall we drink to that?

    Alice Osborne
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
    Email the author! alice@dvo.com