Gut health

Happy Wednesday!! Hope everyone is having a great week! I decided to give some healthful tips for anyone else who suffers with a yucky stomach. I have had stomach problems most of my life, I am always "that" person who can't eat normal foods when out with friends because of my stomach. I actually get severe anxiety when I see people eating cheesy/smothered burritos, or milkshakes or ice cream sundaes or anything else that would cause me hours in the bathroom....... TMI? 

I wanted to give a few helpful tips on what has helped me with my stomach, hoping that it will also help you!

1. Probiotics! Probiotics make a huge difference for me and is something I need to be more consistent with. They help regulate all the gut flora and keep things healthy in there. I'm not a scientist so that's about as "technical" as I get. Make sure you are getting a good/strong probiotic, I really do think it makes a difference. This is probably my favorite brand and I usually will buy these or these. I think either work great, for me honestly it just depends on which ones are on sale! ;) You can find these at WholeFoods, Vitamin Cottage or Sprouts. I know they make a huge difference for me, and whether you have stomach problems or not you should be taking a probiotic! (Again, I'm not a doctor so my statements are not FDA approved) ;)

2. EAT HEALTHY! This is pretty important and something I really struggle with doing on a consistent basis, but I know for me if I"m eating junk then more than likely I feel like junk. I'm a huge paleo fan and STILL want to complete a whole30.com! I mean, when there's donuts, cookies and chips right in front of me I doubt I'll grab the apple instead?! Just saying... 

But in all honestly, for me, staying away from grains, dairy and processed sugar makes a world of a difference for me. If you have never read this blog or heard of Whole30 I challenge you to check it out and give it a try. If you can complete it, you are stronger than me! Really, someday I'm going to do it! ;) No... seriously. 

3. Essential Oils. I am a HUGE obsessed, slightly borderline crazy essential oils fan. I love my essential oils! That's a post in itself, coming soon. I have used both DoTerra Essential Oils and Young Living. Right now, I'm currently using Young Living and I love them! Peppermint and DiGize are great oils for the stomach and I know help SO MUCH when I do actually have a stomach ache. Put in with water and drink or rub on your stomach and I swear it works. Don't knock it till you've tried it!! If you are interested let me know! I could talk to a wall about my essential oils, that's how much I love them! ;)

4. HYDRATE! For me keeping myself hydrated (with water) truly makes a world of a difference for me. If I am getting a stomach ache the pain truly is worse if I'm not hydrated. I have no science to back this up but I know from my own experience keeping myself hydrated every day helps my stomach a lot! 

I hope these were helpful tips for you as I know they've helped me! For those of you with stomach problems... I am right there with ya! You're not alone, we can tackle together!