For many, living a healthy life means working out a few times a week and eating fruits and vegetables regularly. But according to Mona Merrick, a Parker-based functional health coach and Pilates instructor, the health journey includes physical, emotional and mental well-being, and the gut serves as a foundation.
“The gut influences nearly every major system in the body, not just digestion,” she says. “The health of the gut can affect how you feel physically, mentally, emotionally and even how you look externally.”
The gut, or the organs responsible for the digestive system, is a full-body system from the mouth to the bum that includes the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines and rectum.
“The gut hosts much of your immune system,” Mona says. “It communicates with the brain (the gut-brain axis), it helps determine how efficiently your body creates energy from food, and the gut helps process and eliminate hormones.”
Mona is the owner of Body Balance Coaching. She’s spent the last 15 years helping people create and implement a healthy lifestyle, from building mental resiliency to consistently working out and eating well.
She also helps people recognize symptoms of low blood sugar, which could include cold sweats, lightheadedness or being hangry, and identify foods they are sensitive to. Her food sensitivity tests run against foods clients have eaten and ones they may have never tried.
“When I teach people, I try to get them in tune with their body and their gut,” Mona says.
When it comes to managing gut health, here’s what Mona recommends:
- Eat a wide variety of whole foods, fruits and vegetables and rotate your food selections. Smoothies are a great option.
- Chew your food well. Digestion begins in the mouth, and breaking food into smaller pieces can help prevent bloating, gas and poor nutrient absorption.
- Don’t eat on the run. Eating on the move puts your body in fight-or-flight mode, which puts digestion on hold. “Your nervous system needs to be in a calm state in order to break down, absorb and assimilate what you consume,” Mona says.
- Increase fiber gradually, working your way up to 50 grams a day. “Fiber acts as food for the trillions of beneficial bacteria living in the gut, which keep our gut lining healthy and strong,” she says.
- Improve sleep by going to bed when your body is tired. Implementing a consistent routine, reducing screen time before bed, limiting caffeine late in the day and enjoying morning sunlight also helps.
- Manage stress levels. Stress is an inflammatory, so managing stress is important. It can be done through meditation, community involvement, moving your body and taking time to slow down.
- Pursue hobbies and passions that bring you joy. “Creating fulfillment calms the nervous system, which can positively affect digestion, inflammation, hormones and overall gut function,” Mona says.
It’s important to check in with your body and gut on a regular basis, especially while traveling and managing busy summer schedules.
Mona recommends people take a probiotic and bring healthy snacks, such as clean beef jerky, fruit, nuts and coconut water, when traveling. Eating fermented foods like cultured yogurt and sauerkraut and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels also help keep the gut in check.
More importantly, “rest and reset,” Mona says. “Don’t overbook yourself. Spend time with friends and family and get quality sleep.”
To learn more about gut health, connect with Mona by visiting her website at bodybalancecoaching.com.
“The health of the gut can affect how you feel physically, mentally, emotionally, and even how you look externally.”