In the modern world, people are increasingly becoming health-conscious. You can now know your skin type, blood type, and natural shape. You can even go further and discover your Ayurvedic dosha. However, one thing that rarely comes to mind when considering our health is learning about our gut type.
When it comes to our gut health, we are all prone to one of 5 distinct digestive imbalances. If nothing is done to check your gut health, toxins could freely move into the bloodstream. In the health niche, doctors call this condition “Leaky Gut Syndrome”. It is linked to health complications such as IBS, depression, eczema, bloating, and more.
Every person’s gut health is different, and candida overgrowth could be the root cause of a leaky gut in some individuals. In others, immune system dysfunction could be the problem. Different healing approaches are used whenever specific body parts are unable to function at their best.
There are a number of things you need to take into consideration in order to determine your gut type. You’ll need to analyze your food cravings and prescriptions drugs. You can use this information to determine exactly what type of gut your body has. This does take some in depth knowledge, though, and you may need to seek advice from a medical professional.
The most amazing part of the discovery of gut types is that your gut type isn’t a lifetime sentence. Actually, once you determine the root cause of your leaky gut, the path to regaining a healthy balanced gut gets easier.
Here is a detailed look at the different gut types (Candida, Gastric, Stressed, Immune, Toxic):
1. Candida Gut
This is a situation where there is an overgrowth of yeast in your digestive tract. Candida gut has been linked to dampness in the human body; a Chinese condition caused by excessive consumption of wheat, dairy, and sugar.
Use of birth control pills significantly increases the risk of candida gut. Other symptoms likely to manifest include sniffles, weight gain, white coating on the tongue, and phlegmy coughs. Those affected will exhibit the following emotional profile:
- Anxious
- Obsessive
- Worrisome
Eating too much of ice cream, cupcakes, and cookies are some of the bad eating habits that increase the risk of candida gut.
What To Avoid: Raw foods, yeast, dairy, sugar, and refined grains.
Solution: Eat a lot of warm starchy veggies, stews, and soups, sip pau d’arco tea, take oregano oil and probiotics, and incorporate fermented foods.
2. Gastric Gut
Overexertion and overworking are the two major factors that cause gastric gut. Victims of gastric gut usually have slow-moving digestive systems. Therefore, when anything like taking antacids, overeating, or not chewing properly interferes with proper digestion, one is likely to experience bloating, acid reflux, and gas.
This is the expected emotional profile of those with gastric gut:
- Very reactive
- Passionate
- Fiery
Inhaling large portions of your food is one bad habit that has been linked to gastric gut.
What to Avoid: Caffeine, spicy foods, alcohol, and anything that is fried.
Solution: Make a habit of eating small foods and stop eating before you are full. Additionally, eat bitter veggies, drink mineral water, take supplements containing digestive enzymes, and eat herbs & citrus.
3. Stressed Gut
Whenever our stress hormones are at work, the flow of blood is diverted from the gut. When this happens, growth of good gut bacteria is impaired and the production of digestive enzymes is also affected.
Individuals with stressed gut also suffer from adrenal fatigue, a condition that leads to decreased libido, inability to focus, sleep issues, and other symptoms. The emotional profile of those with this type of gut is as follows:
- Type-A workaholics
- Perfectionists
Overdoing it on coffee and alcohol also puts you at risk of stressed gut.
What to Avoid: Sugar, refined grains, alcohol, and caffeine.
Solution: Focus on reducing stress, eat salty and dark-colored foods, supplement with adaptogens and vitamins, and eat plenty animal protein.
4. Immune Gut
When you experience this gut type, you can develop food sensitivities. In most cases, dairy and gluten are the two major causes of immune gut. Those affected are prone to a lot of intolerances and multiple allergies. Prolonged use of antibiotics and birth control pills can result in immune gut. When this gut type is at its worst stage, it can lead to inflammatory bowel diseases and autoimmune disorders.
This is the emotional profile of individuals with immune gut:
- Detail-oriented
- Insecure
- Perfectionist
If you are the kind that uses antibiotics every time you feel sick, you are at a higher risk of suffering from this gut type.
What to Avoid: Raw foods, packaged foods, alcohol, and dairy.
Solution: Embrace an elimination diet plan, drink bone broth, eat healthy fats on a daily basis, keep a journal to help you pinpoint sensitive foods, use soil-based probiotics, L-glutamine and supplement with digestive enzymes.
5. Toxic Gut
When we eat a lot of sugar, high-fat foods, and other chemicals, we are risking the possibility of causing a consistent inflammatory chain reaction in the gut. This reaction starts in the liver and can run all the way to the intestines.
This is why we develop symptoms such as gallstones, neurological disorders, and rosacea. To sum it up, this is how we end up with toxic gut. This is the expected emotional profile:
- Very quick to anger
- Impatient
- Frequently frustrated
Eating fat and processed foods increases the risk of this type of gut.
What to Avoid: Fried foods, alcohol, nut butter, oils, and non-organic dairy.
Solution: Try meditating, drink dandelion or milk thistle tea, eat raw, green, and sour foods, and get plenty of quality sleep.
How To Improve Your Gut Type (Candida, Gastric, Stressed, Immune, Toxic) Conclusion
Regardless of your gut type, you can reap immense health benefits from probiotic beverages, superfoods, and fibers. The good news is, these foods can also be super tasty.
If you’re a fan of junk food, you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding healthy alternatives that are just as delicious.
