It began one evening after dinner — nothing fancy, just some pasta and a glass of wine. An hour later, I had a stomach full of gas, like a balloon about to pop. I can remember laying on the couch with my pants unbuttoned wondering…..how can just eating something so NORMAL make me feel bloated? It wasn’t just the pain in its bodily sense; it was anger. I ate “healthy” by most people's definition, but my body didn’t seem to like it. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized this was more than just superficial — and it was all related to my gut.
What I didn’t realize at that time was just how closely my digestive health was related to all the rest — my energy, my skin, my sleep and even how I felt. Gut health isn’t just about not having a stomachache — it is the basis of your entire well-being. It’s out of balance, and your body is sending you a message — gentle at first, then louder — until you listen. These are signs of bad gut health – and once you know what to look for, you can start taking back control of how you feel every day.
For me, it was the permanent bloating after I ate anything. But there were other symptoms, too — fatigue that no amount of coffee could fix, brain fog that made it difficult to concentrate on anything, random skin breakouts that seemed to appear out of nowhere. In the beginning, I dissected each problem independently. A new cleanser for the skin. More caffeine for the tiredness. Less bread for the bloating. Nothing worked. The reality was that I was using bandages instead of tackling the problem at its source.
When I finally became aware of natural gut healing, it was as if a door opened wide into a world that had been silently influencing me all these years. The gut is not just an organ that digests food; it’s a rich ecosystem populated by trillions of bacteria, some beneficial, some hazardous. When the scales are in favor of (the evil) ones, it can be a slippery slope and you start noticing all these tiny things your body is rebelling about. Natural healing doesn’t involve extreme cleanses or restrictive diets. It’s all about re-establishing a balance through small and consistent changes in habits.
The first step I took was altering what sat on my plate. It’s simple, but the perfect foods for gut health can make all the difference. Fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi are chock full of probiotics that will re-seed the good bacteria your gut requires. Fiber-rich foods — oats, beans, chia seeds, dark leafy greens — work as a kind of fertilizer for those bacteria, allowing them to multiply. I also discovered hydration is far more important than most people realise. Sufficient water intake aids digestion and can assist in flushing out toxins that may irritate the gut lining.
I simultaneously held off from what was making things worse. The worst offenders were sugar, alcohol and highly processed foods. It didn’t try to cut them out altogether at first — that felt impossible — but I started paying attention to how I felt after eating them. That awareness in itself made a difference. I noticed that some foods could quickly make that uncomfortable question pop up in my head: why am I bloated after eating this? My body had all along been “speaking” to me; I simply wasn’t listening.
Perhaps most astonishing of all to me in my healing journey - the link between gut and mood. I have always thought my anxiety and general edginess were all in my head. But when my digestion improved some, so did my mental balance. Science supports this as true — the gut manufactures about 90% of the body’s serotonin, the neurotransmitter tasked with creating happiness and calm. When your gut is just inflamed or out of whack, it can literally change how you feel emotionally. And that’s why so many people experiencing poor gut health complain not just of bloating and fatigue, but also anxiety, low motivation and even mild depression.
This knowledge totally changed how I viewed wellness. Instead of just diet, I began to explore lifestyle. Sleep, stress and movement all play a role in gut health. Chronic stress, for example, can change the population and prevalence of gut bacteria and reduce intestinal blood flow, while loss of sleep can upset hormone balance in ways that may make the gut more sensitive. So I carved out time for mindfulness rituals — a few minutes of deep breathing before meals, walks outside every day, some stretching before bed. These tiny gestures produced ripples I could feel in my digestion, my spirit and energy.
Months of trial, error and learning later, I decided to develop my own gut reset plan — a simple, doable plan that simply made sense. You need to use this to create consistency, not an elimination or restriction. For a week, I kept to clean, whole foods: fresh veggies and fruits, lean meats and fish and good fats, fermented sides. I cut processed sugar and alcohol, I drank water till the cows came home, adding in herbal teas like ginger and peppermint to calm digestion. In a matter of days, the whole world seemed lighter, clearer and calmer. The bloating that used to rule my nights was an occasional, not a regular visitor.
What I discovered during that reset is that healing the gut isn’t something you do once. It’s a long-term relationship with your body — one in which listening has its rewards. As soon as you begin to notice the signs of an unhealthy gut, don’t take it for granted. No, that pesky bloat, that fatigue, those skin problems — they’re not random. They’re messages. And while medication or supplements have a place, the groundwork always circles back to what you eat, how you rest and how you deal with stress.
The body is truly a miraculous healer given the proper circumstances. You don’t need a miracle cleanse or elaborate routine — you just need awareness and consistency. Start by paying attention to the difference in how you feel when you consume certain foods compared with others, like vibrant and energized instead of heavy or bloated. Add more of the best foods for your gut to your meal plan each day. Hydrate. Move. Rest. Breathe. And when life gets busy and you begin to regress, don’t judge yourself. Healing is a journey, not a destination.
And still, today, I overdo it or eat something that my gut isn’t happy with. But rather than spiral in discomfort, I know what to do. A cup of peppermint tea, a day filled with light, nourishing meals, a prompt to slow down — these are my tried-and-true resets. Only this time I trust my body to find its balance again.
Your gut is the compass of your body. It lets you know when something’s amiss and when it’s at ease. An earlier audience means it is easier for your sweet new self to feel good in your skin again. Whether you’re still asking why do I feel bloated after eating or your searching for how to heal gut naturally, here’s a point to remember: Your gut is not the problem — it’s the messenger. Listen carefully, nurture it lovingly, and you’ll be surprised how much inside-out change takes hold.
🧠 Meet Your Gut — Unlock the Key to a Healthier You 🌿
Your gut’s job is more than simply to digest food — it helps define your mood, your energy, and even your overall health. If you’ve been struggling with bloating, fatigue or pain that won’t go away by tackling has been tough to tackle or you’re confused about what to do next be sure to get this book and find out what your gut is likely trying to tell you.
Our guidebook, “Meet Your Gut,” briefs you on the amazing universe within your microbiome. Find out how to rebalance your digestion, what are the best foods for gut health and get an actionable plan for resetting that gut which you can kick-start today.
So go ahead and start down the path to a happier, healthier body — one that feels good from within!
[Read an excerpt of “Meet Your Gut”
Top comments (0)