Gut health is key to overall health
Your gut is the epicenter of your mental and physical health. If you want better immunity, efficient digestion, better mental clarity and balance, then focus on rebuilding your gut health.
Signs of intestinal disorders:
- Digestive symptoms – such as gas, bloating, bad breath, constipation, abdominal pain, diarrhea and heartburn
- Food cravings, food intolerances, food allergies
- Poor bowel movements
- Sleep disorders or fatigue
- Mood swings; depressed mood or anxiety
- High frequency of infectious diseases – such as colds, flu
- Weight loss and unintentional weight gain
- Skin complaints
- Low-grade inflammation
- Autoimmune diseases
Do you know what’s causing your gut issues?
If you’ve been struggling with gut issues for six months or more, you probably haven’t figured out the root cause of your gut issues. Yes, you may have a diagnosis and you may be taking medications. But guess what? Traditional medicine doesn’t treat the causes of gut issues, only the symptoms.
Functional medicine doesn’t view the gut in isolation, but rather as a dynamic system that can be affected by a wide range of factors, including diet, lifestyle, environmental toxins, stress, medications, and genetics. By addressing the root causes of gut dysfunction, we aim to restore balance and promote optimal health and well-being.
At Valeo Life, we can perform comprehensive tests to see what’s going on with your gut at a cellular level.
Test Your Gut Health
- During our intake consultation, an extensive anamnesis takes place and we can already determine many problems, but it can also be very useful to request an intestinal microbiome test.
- We work together with advanced laboratories in Germany that can determine, among other things, which types of bacteria live in your intestines to what extent, how your digestion functions, and various inflammation parameters with a stool test. Such a test is done via a self-test at home and is suitable for people with specific, chronic abdominal complaints, but also for more general health complaints that may be related to an imbalance (dysbiosis) of the microbiome and anyone who wants to improve his or her health. It provides a good overview of the state of your stomach and intestinal health. We will find out exactly what is wrong with your body.
Based on all the information collected, we will put together a tailor-made treatment plan for you and guide you throughout the entire journey, step by step, on the way to metabolic flexibility. The plan is different for everyone and depends on your personal situation and needs.
- Through our Remote Monitoring program we can provide you with the best tailor-made care.
What can you do yourself for good digestion?
Chronic intestinal problems do not develop overnight. The intestines are conditioned over weeks, months, years, but fortunately you can quickly notice improvements when you change your lifestyle. The most important lifestyle changes are:
- Synchronize your biological clock by regularly being under the sun or at least in daylight.
- Make sure you are outside around sunrise every day, even if it is only for five minutes.
- Make sure you are outside for your lunch break.
- And preferably around sunset the same.
- Find a way to manage the daily stressors, so that your rest & digest nervous system is activated.
- Make a plan of your day and stick to it, work according to a structure.
- Walk in nature, read, garden, meditate, mindfulness, or find a good coach.
- Go for healthy food, with extra attention to:
- Avoid processed food products and eat pure, natural food; vegetables, fruit, herbs, nuts, seeds, oily fish, shellfish, eggs, low in (refined) carbohydrates and rich in fiber and polyphenols.
- Aim for >30 different plants per week.
- Look at interventions such as Intermittent Fasting (aim for 2-3 meals per day) or a diet based on mild ketosis to stimulate fat burning.
- Eat some fermented food (sauerkraut, kimchi, etc.) every week.
- Take probiotics and prebiotics if necessary.
- Avoid sitting still for long periods and exercise sufficiently.
- Ensure appropriate exercise. A mix of endurance and strength sports gives the best results.
- Do you spend a lot of time behind the computer? Then take a short ‘sitting break’ of 5 minutes every hour. Make these short breaks effective and do a few physical exercises such as squats, jumping jacks, push-ups, a minute of planking or mountain climbers.
