8 Ways to Optimize Your Gut Health (That Nobody Will Tell You About)

Add antimicrobials to your diet. As a nurse, I often recommend a parasite cleanse because these powerful herbs—like cloves, wormwood, and green black walnut hull—act as strong natural antimicrobials that can wonderfully help restore your gut. As I mentioned before, most people actually struggle with bacterial overgrowth, so before you reach for more probiotics, consider doing a targeted cleanse first. Once your gut is in a healthy state, I don't see any issue with taking probiotics, and you'll actually be able to benefit from them!

Clean up your diet. You might want to experiment here to see which macronutrient ratio works best for your body, but the core rule is simple: zero processed junk. Processed foods damage the gut lining and cause a condition known as leaky gut, which allows toxins to easily enter the bloodstream. For example, I focus my diet around fruit, dairy products (raw), eggs, beef (here and there), potatoes, and rice. This is what works for me! :)

Red light therapy. This works on a simple principle: it stimulates ATP (the energy currency your mitochondria produce). I have had clients who used it over their abdominal area and, after regular use, saw great improvements. Specific near-infrared wavelengths (630 to 850 nm) are absorbed by cytochrome c oxidase in the mitochondria. This process clears out cellular stress, supercharges ATP synthesis, reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines in the gut lining, and has even been shown in studies to favorably modulate the gut microbiome and support tissue repair. Because of these cellular mechanisms, it can be particularly helpful for conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic gut wall inflammation, bloating caused by sluggish motility, and localized tissue damage from leaky gut. For those asking, [this is the exact device I use daily].

Slow down while you eat. We all live in a busy world. I get it. But every time you eat in a hurry, walking all around, you are shutting your digestion down. Fight-or-flight mode is activated. You are telling your body, "I am not safe." Stomach acid reduces, leading to the poor breakdown of food. Fermentation of the food is the result. So, next time you eat, try to find a few minutes, take a few deep breaths, and enjoy your meal. Your body will thank you.

Eat energy-restoring nutrition. Fruits are one of the most healing foods for your gut. I think we need to stop looking at fruits as "just sugar and water." First of all, fruits contain fiber, so you will not get a crazy blood sugar spike like you would if you drank soda. Second of all, they contain molecules your cells are craving. Molecules in fruit, like polyphenols and flavonoids, do more than just act as antioxidants. Research shows they actually stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis, meaning they help your cells build brand-new, high-functioning mitochondria so your body can produce energy more efficiently.

Don't eat and drink at the same time. I know it is a habit of many people to be chugging water together with your meal, maybe to feel "fuller" sooner. But what happens is that you are actually diluting your stomach acid, and we do need strong stomach acid. Firstly, for absorbing nutrients like B12; secondly, for its disinfectant properties—it helps to kill bacteria, parasites, and viruses before they can reach your colon; and also for breaking down proteins and amino acids. If you drink and eat at the same time, the food will start fermenting.

Eat warm and easily digestible foods. I cannot emphasize this enough. Many people have a cold smoothie in the morning, which isn't necessarily bad for you, but if your gut is not working well, drinking cold liquids first thing in the morning slows down your digestion. From a bioenergetic perspective, your body has to spend precious metabolic energy just to warm cold food or liquid up to core body temperature before it can even begin digesting it. If your cellular energy is already low, that "thermal tax" exhausts your system further. You want to "wake up" your gut gently by eating something warm, such as bone broth or stews—a principle rooted in both traditional Chinese medicine and modern cellular biology.

Don't take life that seriously. I am being serious now. My days used to be scheduled from minute to minute, and if something went off, immediate panic started. Fight-or-flight mode activated. The inability to enjoy your time because you feel like you are wasting it affects your health more than you think—especially your gut. Digestion slows down and bloating after meals occurs because you are in constant tension. If this helps at least one person: my mum always says, "Everything has a solution," and I always think about that when things get stressful! :)