Heal Your Gut for a Successful Recovery

Does healing your gut have anything to do with dieting? With restricting? With eliminating the foods you love?  Yes and no.

Your gut is the gateway to your health and actually plays a much bigger role in your journey towards recovering from bulimia than you might think. In fact, 90% of serotonin (your feel good hormone) comes from your gut! Your gut and vagus nerve (connects the gut to the brain) contribute to digestion and serotonin levels. So for instance, when you say you have an upset stomach or leaky gut your mental health takes a hit too- you may feel anxious, stressed, depressed even OCD behaviors may come into play. Of course, what happens next with someone struggling with bulimia is that they tend to gravitate towards a binge so they can fill the void in their stomach or escape any emotion that is uncomfortable such as depression.

Gut health is crucial to successfully recovering from bulimia as well as all around mental well-being. When you feel good, you have a higher level of self-empowerment. When you feel good, you make better decisions. When you feel good, you have more energy. When you feel good, you are able to use recovery tools such as therapy, self-help books, meetings etc., more effectively. Certainly seeing a nutritionist or certified health and wellness coach is also beneficial. 

Here are some simple steps to start working on your gut health:

1. Eat more lean protein, vegetables and fruits
   
2. Eat complex carbohydrates (not simple carbs like crackers, pretzels or even white bread)
   
3. Drink lots of water (it flushes out toxins and helps transport nutrients throughout your body)
   
4. Be mindful of your food choices (ask questions like: If I eat this am I nourishing my body and mind? If I eat this will I feel good?)
   
5. Chew your food, don’t  wolf it down 
   
6. Avoid sugar (it creates huge highs and lows, mood swings, depletes your energy and brain fog)
   
7. Slow down and just breathe