Resolve most gut issues with this step-by-step, systematic approach.

You are what you absorb, not what you eat!

Your gut starts with how you prepare food outside your body. And your mouth is part of your gut. The following is a step-wise approach to improving gut health and is especially appropriate for people with any kind of gut problem.

Your gut starts with how you prepare food outside your body. And your mouth is part of your gut. The following is a step-wise approach to improving gut health and is especially appropriate for people with any kind of gut problem.

1. Consume whole foods (1 ingredient) only. This may be the single most important step.

2. Cook all vegetables. Yes, no salads if you have any level of gut dysbiosis. Raw is actually a fad. According to a Harvard Primatologist (who studies people from history), humans have uniquely been cooking for >500,000 years. Consequently, our gut is small, and our brain is large compared to ALL other animals. Why? Because cooking is "pre-digestion," making nutrients more easily absorbed. Cooking will also reduce the small amount of organisms on the food. People with a poor gut constitution may be vulnerable to even a small amount of organisms.

3. First thing after waking up, drink 8 ounces of warm water with electrolytes to rehydrate water loss overnight and to support an ongoing liver, gall bladder, and kidney cleanse that started while you slept.

4. Do not eat for at least 1 hour after waking so that detox can continue. After the hour, eat a very small meal with eggs, steel-cut oats, and probiotics like kefir or cottage cheese.

5. NOW you can have coffee.

6. Take some bone broth and fulvic/humic liquid daily. Liquid is key. Your digestive system breaks down solid food into liquid. So, consuming a high nutrient-dense liquid provides readily absorbable nutrients.

7. Are you aware of any food with which you react? Avoid these for now. They may be reintroduced when your gut is healed.

8. Minimize water when you eat. If you do drink something, make sure it is a warm beverage like hot water or tea (or coffee). Warmer temperatures speed reactions. Your gut is a chemical reactor!

9. Chew well. Small particles are easier to digest. Also, chewing releases amylase, which initiates a more robust breakdown of your food.

10. You swallow over a quart of saliva a day. Do your gums bleed? Do you floss? Do you have a solid daily oral health regimen? If you don't, you are swallowing pathogens from the oral cavity (part of the gut). If your stomach doesn't have strong acid or your microbiome is compromised, these organisms can dominate your gut flora. Schedule a consultation to review an appropriate oral health treatment regimen.

11. Treat to reduce or eliminate pathogens in your gut. If you have any gut dysbiosis, your microbiome is compromised and/or you have an abnormal pathogen burden at any point of your digestive tract, including your mouth. This is a complicated step because it requires understanding what pathogens may be involved and where they may be active. For example, SIBO is downstream of the stomach, whereas acid reflux occurs in the stomach. And they involve different organisms. Testing and consultations are required to eradicate harmful gut organisms.

12. Take betaine HCl or other acid promoter 20 minutes before you eat. This simulates the "Pavlovian" response, in which your body releases "digestive juices" before the food reaches your lower gut. Apple cider vinegar is another acid option, but it is not as strong as what the betaine HCl produces. If your gut is very sensitive, ACV may be a better option until you can tolerate the strong acid.

13. Your gall bladder and liver send digestive substances below your stomach (duodenum). Gallbladder issues often create serious downstream health issues because they release bile salts that help you absorb fats. Fats make up the membrane structure of ALL 35,000,000,000,000 cells in your body. These cells are born, live, and die. You are constantly replacing cells, and you need fats to support this "scaffolding." A supplement that contains bile salts, acid, and enzymes - all in one - is called "support digestion." There are others as well.

14. The gut organ where the microbiome functions and thrives to the greatest extent is the large intestine, specifically the colon. It houses up to 100 trillion microorganisms and accounts for the vast majority of microbial diversity and metabolic activity in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Repopulating or expanding your microbiome can be challenging, but taking probiotics, with an emphasis on fermented foods, does help. Some people have successfully performed a probiotic enema under medical supervision, with symptom improvement as evidence of success.

15. Do you have autoimmune conditions, gut bloating, or established "leaky gut?" If so, work through the steps above. A quick fix that often relieves symptoms is a product called Atrantil. An intestinal lining repair program includes 4 nutrients: Mega Mucosa (Microbiome Labs); zinc carnosine; Ion Gut Support (a fulvic/humic acid blend); and glutamine. There is information online about potential problems with glutamine. However, glutamine is among the most abundant amino acids in our body, so the information may not be factual. KBMO Labs offers the least expensive / most comprehensive leaky gut test, which includes a consultation with a company microbiologist.

16. Engage in the "usual" healthy activities, including exposure to sunlight, eating whole foods, and exercising regularly. This helps heal and improve your entire body, including your gut.

17. You are not done. If you have completed all of these steps, return to step 1 and repeat the process. Health is a journey, not a single step. It is called the "Deming Cycle of Continuous Improvement."

    The Deming Improvement Cycle, also known as the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) or PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) cycle, is a continuous, iterative framework used for process and quality improvement. It helps organizations test changes, measure results, and implement permanent, data-driven solutions. We all wish there were shortcuts and quick fixes. However, in health, that is seldom the case. You may be taking a drug (or more) to relieve symptoms, but this seldom solves the underlying problem(s)!