By Dr. Paul Deglmann
Edited by Meghan Feir Walker
If you’re like many people, gut issues affect your everyday life. From bloating and abdominal pain, excessive belching and lethargy, to mental health problems and inflammation, gut health can affect every area of the body. The state of your gut and microbiome is imperative to your overall health, which is why I’m going to give you some tips on how to reset your gut.
Keep reading to learn more about our 3-day gut reset, a diet and lifestyle plan that can improve your overall gut health.
What is a gut reset?
Many people suffer from leaky gut and other temporary or chronic digestive conditions. By implementing this gut reset plan, you can build foundational habits, help your body restore its microbial balance, and help ease the strain on your digestive system with healing and gentle nutrients.
When the bacteria in your microbiome get out of balance, symptoms ranging from mild to severe can arise. This holistic gut reset helps restore balance by providing nourishing nutrients like probiotics, protein, fiber, and more.
Reset your gut naturally
Before diving into any new diet, whether it’s a short-term reset or more of a lifestyle change, it’s important to mentally and physically prepare yourself. Pay specific attention to the following areas.
The importance of sleep
Plan on going to bed and waking up at a good time. Sleep is imperative to digestive health and all bodily functions. Getting 7-9 hours of good, restful sleep per night is best, and women need more sleep than men for optimal adrenal and hormone health.
According to sleep studies that have been conducted, the most restorative hours of sleep are between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. based on deep sleep cycles, when the body repairs itself, and other factors. This is why it’s important to not just be in bed by 10 p.m. but to actually be sleeping by 10 p.m.
I also suggest limiting or avoiding blue light (being on your phone or laptop, watching TV, etc.) 2-3 hours before bed. Blue light at night can affect your sleep quality.
Stay hydrated
In order for your cells to function optimally, your body needs to stay hydrated. Try adding electrolytes to your morning glass of water to optimize cell hydration throughout the day.
Focus on an anti-inflammatory diet
For this 3-day gut reset, I suggest following an anti-inflammatory diet and preparing a grocery list before starting. To help you in this process, here is a list of foods to enjoy and foods to avoid. Below is a list of recommended foods that help nourish your body without adding extra inflammation.
Anti-inflammatory foods to enjoy:
- Grass-fed, pasture-raised, or wild game meats*
- Grass-fed beef, bison, lamb
- Organic, pasture-raised chicken, turkey, pork, duck
- Organic fruits and vegetables
- Steamed vegetables are particularly gentle for digestion
- Organic, cage-free/pasture-raised eggs
- Healthy fats
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Avocados/avocado oil
- Nuts and seeds
- Wild-caught salmon
- Herbs and spices, such as the following anti-inflammatory spices:
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Green tea
- Bone broth (has healing properties to the gut)
*While some doctors recommend taking red meat out of the diet, I consider red meat a healing agent when it is 100% grass-fed and organic.
While you are eating, be mindful of how you are eating. Don’t eat on the run. Take time to savor each bite as you chew your food 20-30 times before swallowing.
Along with foods that promote gut healing, I also suggest avoiding the following types of food because they often promote additional inflammation and health problems.
Foods to eliminate:
- Processed foods
- Sugar
- Grains/gluten
- Dairy
In addition to gluten, we find that other grains can also be inflammatory for several people. While many health professionals push the food pyramid and insist that whole grains are healthy (wheat, corn, oats, rice, barley, rye, etc.), I find grains to be one of the most common triggers for GI symptoms. For this reason, we commonly avoid grains in our practice when trying to help the gut heal.
All grains have different forms of gluten, even if not the exact type of gluten contained in wheat, rye, barley, and triticale. For example, oats have a different form of gluten (named avenin) than wheat, but the type of gluten in oats can still trigger inflammation in many people.
Get moving
Exercise can also be extremely healing for the gut and has been shown to positively impact the gut in many ways by:
- Reducing gut inflammation
- Increasing microbial diversity
- Improving gut motility
- Strengthening gut barrier function
Several types of exercise in particular have been shown to improve gut health, including:
- Aerobic exercise
- HIIT (high-intensity interval training)
- Resistance training
- Weight lifting
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Core workouts
- Endurance training
- Other forms of exercise
Take a breath and relax
Making lifestyle changes can be exciting, but it can also be stressful. Chronic stress is brutal to your digestive health, so implement active relaxation—things you enjoy doing. Whether playing an instrument, painting, gardening, reading a book, taking a warm Epsom salt bath, or other enjoyable leisurely activities, incorporating active relaxation is an important aspect of health.
We highly suggest implementing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises and meditation/prayer daily to keep stress levels down.
Day 1
Focus on the tips below to help you on the first day of this gut reset.
Main focus: Elimination phase/eating anti-inflammatory foods
It's impossible for the microbiome to rebalance and for your digestive system to start healing if the foods you eat contribute to chronic inflammation. For this reason, focus on eating anti-inflammatory foods.
On the first day of your gut reset, eliminate inflammatory foods to help your immune system repair your gut. Focus on eating anti-inflammatory food, getting proper hydration, incorporating exercise, and getting adequate sleep.
Along with avoiding inflammatory foods, on day one, it’s also important to avoid certain healthy foods to help ease the gut into this new type of eating. Avoid prebiotic foods (like onions, leeks, garlic, etc.) and probiotic/fermented foods (such as sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, kombucha, etc.) until later in the reset.
Gut reset schedule:
- Wake up between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m.
- Upon waking, drink an 8 oz. glass of lemon water and stay hydrated throughout the day.
- Begin your day by making breakfast with anti-inflammatory foods, but avoid prebiotic and probiotic foods on day 1.
- Try to fit in a small 10-20-minute workout at some point during the day.
- Enjoy a substantial lunch by filling your plate with colorful vegetables and healthy protein.
- Try not to sit too much. If you have to sit for your job, try to get up and stretch or go for a short walk every half hour.
- Prepare a lighter supper and eat before 7 p.m. (or 3 hours before going to bed). This will help lower your chance of acid reflux keeping you up.
- Go to bed before 10 p.m.
Day 2:
Focus on the tips below to help you on the second day of this gut reset.
Main focus: Reintroduce prebiotic and high-fiber foods
On day two, follow the first day’s schedule, but add prebiotic fibers like onions, garlic, and leeks to help feed the beneficial bacteria.* Focus on high-fiber foods (like organic fruits/veggies) to aid in digestion and increase bacterial diversity.*
*Please note: Many people struggling with digestive issues, bloating, SIBO, constipation and/or diarrhea may not be able to tolerate this phase because the prebiotic fibers and high-fiber foods can cause an increase in their symptoms. Some of these foods are high FODMAP foods and aren’t fitting for those with SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) issues. Fiber alone can increase bloating and constipation when the body isn’t making enough digestive enzymes or when a patient has SIBO.
Day 3
Focus on the tips below to help you on the third day of this gut reset.
Main focus: Add in healthy fats and fermented foods, if tolerant
On the third day, continue the regiment of the first two days, but add in healthy fats like avocados*, nuts*, olive oil, avocado oil, and others throughout the day’s meals. If tolerated, incorporate fermented foods as well.**
Some individuals need to be careful when adding fermented foods. Even a gut reset needs to accommodate an individual's needs. Through testing and symptoms, we might discover you are dealing with SIBO, histamine intolerance, MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome), or other conditions that are greatly affected by certain foods, through testing. We can always personalize this diet to meet your needs. Remember, it’s better to test, not guess.
*Some foods like avocados, bananas, and certain nuts like cashews and pistachios are high FODMAP foods that can complicate GI symptoms such as bloating after eating, constipation, diarrhea, gas, etc.
**Again, this concept needs to be personalized to fit each individual. Fermented foods are not appropriate for individuals with certain health conditions like histamine intolerance, MCAS, SIBO, and others.
How to reset your gut, in a nutshell
Preparation is key to your success. Here are the main steps to complete this 3-day (or longer) gut reset.
Sleep:
- Go to bed by 10 p.m.
- Wake up between 6 and 8 a.m.
- Try to get 7-9 hours of good, restful sleep
- Avoid blue light 2-3 hours before bed
Hydration:
- Drink plenty of water and consider adding electrolytes to your morning glass of water to optimize cell hydration throughout the day.
Diet:
- Eat anti-inflammatory foods and beverages.
- Avoid foods that promote inflammation.
- On day 2, add in prebiotic, high-fiber foods like onions, garlic, leeks and other organic fruits/veggies, if you can tolerate these foods.
- On day 3, incorporate healthy fats and fermented foods, unless you have certain conditions that can’t tolerate these foods.
- Practice mindful eating. Take time when you’re eating, and don’t eat on the run. Chew your food thoroughly (20-30 bites of food before swallowing)
Relaxation:
- Practice deep breathing exercises
- Meditate and/or pray
- Relax with activities and hobbies you enjoy
How quickly can the microbiome change?
In a matter of days, the microbiome can change. Short-term dietary changes, like the 3-day gut reset, have been shown to significantly increase the beneficial bacteria in the gut, which helps reduce inflammation and improve the health of the gut barrier. However, longer-term dietary and lifestyle changes are typically needed for significant results to last.
How soon can you expect results?
In our clinic, we expect to see improvements within 3 months and significant gains in 6 months by consistently following an individualized protocol. This protocol is based on your testing results, pre-existing conditions, and history.
Your personalized diet includes specific dietary suggestions based on:
- Genetic testing for gluten sensitivity
- Food allergy testing
- Food sensitivity testing
- Stool testing
- Nutritional deficiencies testing
- And other factors
Moving forward
For the rest of the week, you can focus on utilizing the strategies you’ve learned by continuing your sleep schedule, staying hydrated, eating an anti-inflammatory diet, exercising, and practicing deep breathing, meditation and/or prayer. The choices we make throughout each day impact our health in greater ways than you can imagine.
While this is a short-term reset plan, the goal is to get you acclimated to a healthier lifestyle that can lead to long-term benefits.
Are you interested in learning more about optimizing your gut health, energy, and vitality? Learn more from Dr. Paul on our gut health page. Watch the correlating video to this article by clicking here.
