If you want to improve your gut health and optimize your digestion, it all starts with boosting your body’s ability to absorb and utilize the nutrients from the foods you eat.

The best diet in the world is pretty much useless if you’re not digesting your food properly.

When I started making changes to my diet and lifestyle, it wasn’t until I focused on the foods I was eating and optimized my digestion that I saw a drastic improvement in the health of my skin.

The health of your gut microbiome really does determine the health of everything from your skin, to your hair and nails, and even affects your mind and mood. It’s also important for the healthy functioning of everything from your digestive tract to your immune system, and helps regulate inflammation and immunity throughout your entire body.

When it’s unhealthy, inflamed, or compromised, it relies heavily on your other organs, like your skin, to effectively eliminate toxins — which can cause skin irritation, inflammation, acne, redness, and dryness – the list goes on.

The smallest changes can make a huge difference, so start by incorporating one or two of the following tips. Then add more over time. Let me know what you decide on in the comments below or tag or DM me @feedyourglow, hashtag #feedyourglow on IG.

Here are my best and easy tips on how to improve your gut health:

01 | EAT MORE FIBER

Eating enough fiber from fruits and vegetables daily is crucial for maintaining good digestive health. Fiber from real foods sweeps out waste, regulates your blood sugar levels, and keeps you feeling full for a lot longer.

Whole grains, legumes, sprouted nuts, ground flax, chia seeds, and healthy fats are all great options.

02 | SOAK YOUR WHOLE GRAINS, BEANS, NUTS, AND SEEDS

Soaking removes and neutralizes phytic acid, a natural protective toxin, found in the bran and hulls of whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds — which interferes with the absorption of important vitamins and minerals, like zinc, magnesium, iron, and calcium.

It’s important to take this extra step. By sparking the sprouting process, it makes more minerals available to you and activates the enzymes that aid in their digestion.

03 | EAT MINDFULLY

Slowing wayyyy down when you’re eating leaves the space your stomach needs to break down your food more effectively. The same goes for chewing thoroughly. It activates the digestive enzymes in your mouth to prep your stomach for the optimal absorption of nutrients.

04 | MOVE YOUR BODY

Any type of body movement improves your metabolism, stimulates your intestinal contractions, and tones the muscles of your core to create healthy bowel movements. Simply taking a walk after a meal is an great way to help optimize your digestion.

05 | EAT FERMENTED FOODS

Nourish your gut by adding probiotic-rich and fermented foods to your diet. They help boost your microbiome by increasing the number of good bacteria in your gut. Think kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and kombucha.

06 | ADD MORE HERBS AND SPICES

Spices like turmeric, black pepper, ginger, coriander, fennel, cayenne, and cumin can help boost sluggish digestion. They also increase your blood flow and circulation and help fight inflammation in your body.

Adding spices to your drinks, soups, dressings, or vegetables are an easy way to stimulate your cells to function better.

07 | ADD BITTERS

Adding bitters to your everyday is one of the quickest ways to optimize your digestion before and after mealtime. Buy a tincture of bitters or simply add bitter foods, like ginger, dandelion greens, arugula, kale, and dark chocolate (80% cacao). I drink water/tea with digestive bitters before every meal.