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Does Fall Quietly Change Your Gut?

Does Fall Quietly Change Your Gut?

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Summer is often the easiest season to support a diverse gut microbiome without even realizing it. Fresh produce is abundant. We tend to move more, spend more time outside, and enjoy more daylight. All of these factors can support a healthier, more diverse community of bacteria in the gut.

Then fall arrives. The shift happens gradually, almost quietly. By midwinter, many people may be eating far less variety than they did during the summer months. At the same time, they may be moving less, spending more time indoors, feeling more stressed, and drinking less water.

Most people never connect these seasonal changes with what is happening in their gut.

Instead, they blame the bloating, sluggish digestion, lower energy, and frequent illness that often appear in late fall and winter on something else. But understanding why fall can challenge your gut microbiome gives you an opportunity to do something different.

Here are six reasons your gut bacteria loses diversity each fall and what keeps them thriving and supporting your health.

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Small Shifts That Get Constipation Moving

Small Shifts That Get Constipation Moving

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Constipation is a challenge for far more people than we realize. A search online or in AI will present a variety of tips, often focused on increasing fiber or taking an over-the-counter product. Sometimes that helps, but it can also make things worse. This is especially when the gut is already irritated, dehydrated, or moving slowly for reasons unrelated to vegetable intake.

Outside of abdominal discomfort, it is important to address constipation. While some may consider constipation to be a disease, it is actually a symptom. Most notably, it signals that gut function and digestion are hindered, that have downstream effects. Extended delays in elimination mean that your body is reabsorbing toxins and components that your body was trying to expel.

Constipation often involves a combination of issues. Your stool may be too dry. Your muscles may not be coordinating well. Your nervous system may be on high alert

Or, your rhythm of eating and using the bathroom may be inconsistent enough that the body stops receiving clear signals. Home remedies work best when they match the type of constipation you’re experiencing.

Here are 8 options to explore, starting with one or two that fit your situation rather than trying everything at once.

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Keep Your Body Hydrated During This Hot Summer

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With the summer heat comes a lot more sweating, and we lose more water than we usually do in the colder months. This makes it even more important to vigilantly keep your body hydrated. Since this can be a challenge for some, here are some helpful tips to make sure you stay hydrated this summer. Read more

Arm Yourself Against Illness

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‘Tis the season – the flu season is being heralded all around us. Are you prepared? And how can you arm yourself against illness, be it flu or cold or other form?

Though there’s no guaranteed way to avoid getting sick, supporting your immune system is what I consider the best way (even ahead of vaccines). Read more

Edit Your Choice of Liquids

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Lemon and WaterNo matter what your ancestry, blood type, height or personality, there is one prominent feature that your body shares with all humanity. Your body is 50-65% water. How simple could it be?

Water is a primary feature in your body’s many functions. That makes it vital for your health.

What do you drink on a regular basis? Most of us would say that all of our beverages are water-based. Coffee and tea are made with water. Even fruit has a high percentage of water, so fruit juice has a water base. These fill the need, right? But are all beverages recognized by your body as water? Read more

Replenish Healthfully

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No More Sports DrinksWe are all familiar with the soppy, sweaty feeling that comes with mowing your yard in the summer heat or exercising, whether indoors or outdoors. It leaves you feeling drained and looking to replace lost fluids.

Marketing efforts have successfully convinced people that sports drinks are the best way to replenish fluids and electrolytes, but that’s simply not the truth. Most sports drinks contain as much as 2/3 of the sugar of sodas, and also typically contain high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and food coloring, none of which contribute to optimal health. Read more