3 Sneaky Offenders That Can Wreak Havoc On Your Gut (But They're Easy To Fix!)

In case you didn't know: Your gut is connected to almost every aspect of your health. In one way or another, it touches almost every function of your body—from immunity to sleep to mood and much more. 

And because the gut has so many ties, there are quite a few factors that can upset its delicate balance. Some of these are more obvious culprits (diet, certain medications, and the like), but others? Well, they're a bit more sneaky.

According to Ireton-Jones, it's not the type of food that exacerbates gut issues—it's how much you eat it (unless, of course, you have a more severe issue, like celiac disease). "You can have some salts; you can have some sugar," she notes. "There's no food that is inherently bad as an occasional thing." The dose makes the poison, as they say. 

You can apply the same logic to healthy foods, too: We've said this before, but you can't just eat pounds of kale and expect your gut to remain in tiptop shape. Your gut microbes are picky eaters—they love a diverse range of fiber and nutrients in order to stay satisfied. 

Additionally, says Ireton-Jones, eating all day long without ever getting hungry is not so good for the gut. It's the other layer to overconsumption: "We have forgotten that it's OK to be hungry in between meals," she explains. Of course, some people might have individualized issues with blood sugar control, but generally, she recommends stopping your food intake after dinner, around three hours before bed. 

"The GI tract really likes to move," says Ireton-Jones. Research backs it up, too: One review found that aerobic exercise can increase the amount of bacteria in your digestive tract and contribute to overall bacterial diversity2, while another study found that the more physically fit you are, the more diverse your microbiome is.

In case you didn't know, vitamin D has a close relationship with the gut. "The GI tract likes vitamin D," says Ireton-Jones, with studies showing the sunshine hormone plays a crucial role in promoting beneficial gut bacteria. 

Not to mention, vitamin D is an immunomodulator—considering more than 70% of the body's immune system is located in the gut3, it's an important little vitamin. In fact, research has shown that vitamin D plays a key role in the health of the gut mucosal lining4, acting as an anti-inflammatory and anti-infective to support a healthy immune response against viruses and other pathogens.