Your gut plays a vital role in regulating numerous aspects of your physical, mental, and emotional health.
If you supply it with nutritious, probiotic-rich foods and strengthen it through healthy lifestyle choices, this essential bodily system can go a long way toward helping you feel your best.
But what happens when your gut weakens? Which symptoms should you monitor? And how can you best manage them?
Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
1. Feeling Sick
According to research from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and Johns Hopkins Medicine, there is a prominent connection between your gut and immune system that directly affects your body’s ability to fight off pathogens.
When you weaken your microbiome through poor lifestyle choices and an inadequate diet, harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, and more can seize the opportunity to infiltrate your biological system.
When left unchecked, these pathogens can defeat your natural defense systems, putting you at greater risk of infections that jeopardize your health.
If you notice yourself routinely feeling sick, you must seek the guidance of a medical professional and take extra care of your gut microbiome, which contains trillions of intestinal microorganisms that protect your immune system.
You can help achieve the latter through a nutritious diet, especially one chock-full of critical vitamins, minerals, and gut healthy probiotics (beneficial bacteria and yeasts) that restore your microbial balance.
2. Feeling Fatigued
Gut-related fatigue might be hard to detect when you face a stressful day or poor night’s sleep, but a regular feeling of fatigue can be a sign your gut health needs some love.
When you don’t provide your gut microbiome the nourishment and fuel it needs (nutrients and probiotics, your entire body can transition into a self-preserving, energy conservation mode.
This unwanted shift can zap you of physical, emotional, and mental energy, rendering you less able to tackle your busy day.
As you might imagine, long-term, unaddressed fatigue can also become chronic and have more severe consequences, including:
Pro Tip: Fatigue often originates from multiple sources, such as stress, lack of exercise, a poor diet, and/or an unhealthy gut. If you find yourself lacking the energy you need to be at your best, always set up a time to talk to a medical professional before making any drastic lifestyle changes.
3. Digestive Issues
Your gut microbiome is the hub of beneficial microorganisms in your digestive system. When functioning correctly, it helps you extract essential nutrients from your food, safely eliminate waste, and summon the energy to go about your day.
Conversely, when your gut is operating at suboptimal levels, your digestive system can quickly run amok.
Harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi can begin to outnumber healthy probiotics, leaving you incapable of stabilizing your digestive tract and protecting its essential functions.
In the short term, this can lead to the undesirable symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: bloating, cramps, difficult bowel movements, etc.
To help counteract these unwanted short-term symptoms of indigestion and give you a better chance of preventing more serious issues, you can utilize probiotics to restore microbial balance in your digestive tract and promote smoother digestion.
Cleveland Kitchen’s Gut-Boosting Fermented Foods
Now that you know how to identify symptoms of an unhealthy gut, it’s time to check out Cleveland Kitchen’s nutritious and gut-boosting selection of probiotic-rich, fermented foods.
Using locally sourced, natural, and delicious ingredients, we proudly offer three kinds of fermented foods and condiments to satisfy your gut and taste buds:
First up, we have our uber delicious, crunchy sauerkraut, offering an ideal combination of nutrients and probiotics across our five diverse flavors.
We also have a mouthwatering crowd favorite: kimchi. If you’re looking for fermented veggies with a thick, crunchy cut, Korean-inspired flavors, and invigorating notes of spice, this one’s for you. Inspired by our love for Korean cuisine and culture, this spicy delicacy can brighten all manner of snacks and meals with a satisfying crunch.
If sauerkraut just isn’t your thing, don’t worry about it! We have our fermented salad dressings & marinades, the unique, versatile condiments you never knew you needed. With five delicious options full of natural flavors, vital nutrients, and probiotics, you can jazz up any salad, bowl or dipping sauce.
For more on Cleveland Kitchen’s mission to bring fermented foods to the American diet, keep up with our weekly blog, check out our recipes, and follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram to find more delicious ways to help your gut.