How to Start Your 2024 With Gut Health
As we enter 2024, we see an overload of content on our social media feeds about the New Year and what that means for everyone. Whether it’s a significant word you want to represent 2024, a new set of goals for the coming year, or a complete overhaul of your life as it is currently, most everyone has intentions heading into 2024. For many, the changing of the year signifies so much more than a change of one number on the calendar and while I tend to shy away from “New Year Resolutions”, I do like the idea of using the new year as an excuse to start anew; a catalyst to forward movement. As cliché as it all can be, a new and healthier beginning is always a beautiful thing.
Your goal for 2024 could be to reduce stress, get into a fitness routine, write a book or learn a new language. It could be as simple as trying to read a chapter every day, or as significant as buying a new home. In my opinion, however, there is no better goal than to focus on your health – especially your gut health. We are all living with symptoms or ailments that we don’t necessarily HAVE to and 2024 could be your year to feel better than you have in a long time, or ever. If healing your body from the inside out is something you’ve been considering, there is no better time than now to begin. In this post I’m going to tell you how to start YOUR 2024 with gut health, in 5 simple and completely manageable steps.
Starting 2024 with Gut Health
There are many ways to prioritize your gut health, some you may need support and guidance with and some you can initiate in your daily life. Here, I’m going to list 5 easy ways that you can prioritize gut health as a primary focus in your life.
1. Shift your mentality.
A whole lot of sticking to any resolution or lifestyle change is the way in which you think about it. Or the way you think about your health specifically. Making a change in your life to get out of a rut you’ve fallen into takes grit and mental fortitude. Just like some would argue that running a marathon is in your head or even that childbirth is more of a mental game than physical, changing your diet and embarking on a gut healing journey is driven mostly by your mindset and discipline. Sure, changing your diet to be more healthy and naturally sourced can be hard and even unappealing, but when you make the decision that the changes are truly changing your life, it will be easier to sacrifice the money and effort for such a worthy cause. Just like anything hard, it’s natural to talk yourself out of it or dwell on how much you don’t want to be doing it. But dragging your heels in the area of overhauling your habits will only work against you! Fixate your mind on your goals, decide to focus on positive movement and your body and new changes will follow. You know that YOU are worth all of the effort in the world, so lead with that.
2. Create a health-centered routine.
The art of creating a routine is HUGE when it comes to achieving new goals. In the book ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear, he focuses a lot on “habit-stacking”, which is essentially the concept of building a routine full of small habits that push you further toward the result you’re wanting to see; the movement from the current you, to the you that you aspire to be. It can be overwhelming to start down a new path and changing things on a dime can feel almost insurmountable. But if you focus on changing your life in little ways, day by day, it’s much more manageable. If you want to be healthier, live the life of a healthy person. When you wake up do things that move you in that direction, whether that’s drinking a glass of water, starting your day with a nutritious meal, moving your body or another activity that betters your health. I recommend beginning your day with a meal that is full of healthy nutrients – high in protein, healthy fats and low in processed carbs and sugar. Your body and brain will function at a much higher capacity for the rest of the day.
3. Change your grocery list.
This one can be tricky. A lot of us have a grocery list that we have stuck to for as long as we can remember. Whether it’s based around cost, store of choice or foods that we always turn to, it’s natural to have a rotation of food that you buy every time you fill your fridge. Deviating from this list is, well…difficult. You may not know where to begin or what changes you need to make, and that is completely normal. Some general things to think about are organic vs. conventional; buying as much organic food as possible is a general rule of thumb. Organic foods, as naturally sourced as possible, have fewer toxic chemicals that lead to a myriad of other health issues. It’s good to know which foods you NEED to buy organic and which foods you can continue to buy conventionally. Here’s a link to the dirty dozen and clean fifteen for reference. Another thing to consider in your grocery shopping, is the list of ingredients on the back of each item. Typically, even without much knowledge, you can tell which products have a ton of additives and preservatives (and processed sugar) and which ones don’t. Generally, the fewer ingredients and the more organic ingredients, the better.
We can assume that buying more natural produce is always the best, but it really goes so far beyond that. Truly the best place to start in your shopping overhaul, would be a food sensitivity test that will help you to fully understand what foods you should definitely be buying and which foods you should avoid. Each body is different and therefore needs different foods, so your grocery list really should be catered exactly to your specific needs. Learn more about my services and reach out to me to make time for your food sensitivity testing.
4. Add supplements into your life.
If you aren’t taking any supplements, you are missing out on a huge piece of overall physical (and mental) health and well-being. Having a clean diet is crucial, but just as crucial is taking supplements that your body is needing in order to function properly. Of course, you can’t know for sure WHAT your body is lacking, whether it’s vitamin A, B, C or D or another supplement, but that’s another area that I can help with. A vast majority of my work in gut healing is supplements and other natural medicine protocols that make changes in your gut microbiome that you desperately need to digest your food properly, strengthen your gut lining, and generally heal so that you can feel relief from the ailments that you are facing. When you meet with me, I will do the necessary testing to find out where your body has gone wrong and what additional vitamins or supplements you need AND exactly where and how to get them. Knowing how hard it can be to begin new protocols, I try to make it as seamless and obtainable as possible.
5. Switch and ditch products.
Though there’s more and more information out there about the toxins in the products we use, it is still overlooked the havoc those toxins can wreak on our gut health. Mainstream products these days have gotten so far away from “natural” and it’s truly frightening what they are getting away with putting in things that we use in or on our bodies. People tend to think that if something is FDA approved, it must be sufficient for our use. But that just isn’t the truth. The cosmetic and household cleaning products are filled with hormone-disrupting chemicals that will destroy your gut and overall physical health and can even cause many types of cancer. In fact, many cancer cases that are being diagnosed are attributed solely to environmental factors.
It’s past time to start paying attention to the things we are using in our everyday life and making a conscious effort to switch to natural products and ditch the old toxic brands. If you’re needing help figuring out what products are bad and just HOW bad, take a look at the Think Dirty App that will rank your products’ toxicity level and show you what product is the cleanest option for you. For as many toxic products as there are out there, there are just as many natural and toxin-free options, you just have to know better and choose them.
The Takeaway
These 5 steps to start your 2024 with gut healing are just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many ways to focus on your gut health and completely heal your body in much less than a year. With the goal in mind and the right information and support, you can absolutely reach a place of true health, and quick! Take your resolution one small step at a time and as gradually as you need to. The most successful and long-lasting changes are the ones that start slowly, rather than all at once. So, stay dedicated to moving down your healing path, even if it’s just a little bit each day, week or month.
If you still aren’t sure where to start, that’s where I come in. As a Nutirtionist in Eugene, Oregon, I suggest An introductory appointment with me is a perfect way to pinpoint what is going on inside of you, determine what the necessary steps are to getting more detailed information on your gut, and then collaboratively create a protocol that best suits your body’s specific needs. With my help, you can outline a really manageable routine that will get you to exactly where you want to be in 2024. Your health is the heart and soul of everything else in your life, and I believe whole-heartedly that with the right support we all can achieve our wellness goals.
