Your Gut Isn’t the Problem. Your Lifestyle Is!
Some weeks in clinic, I sit across from people and think: your body isn’t the problem, the world is. We’re living in a way that our biology simply wasn’t designed for, and digestion is often the first place that shows up.
Today, I want to name a few of the invisible forces working against your gut every single day, and what you can do about them for free.
The Modern Microbiome Is Under Siege
Our gut microbes evolved in a world of soil, plants, fermented foods, and natural diversity.
Now they’re dealing with:
Bleaches, disinfectants, and antibacterial everything (kills 99% of everything!)
Ultra‑processed foods with no microbial life, nor food for our little bacterial friends
Chlorinated water
Lack of exposure to nature and soil
Homes sealed tight with recycled indoor air
These things don’t kill your microbiome, but they absolutely chip away at its variety and resilience. A less diverse microbiome means weaker digestion, more bloating, more food sensitivities, and a more reactive immune system.
Back to basics:
Get outside daily, touch our natural world: collect rocks, touch the soil, pick plants, and breathe fresh air
Open windows if you can’t get out
Eat something with natural fibres and colours at every meal if you don’t have to chew, then neither do your microbes
Reduce unnecessary antibacterial products
These cost nothing and create more microbial change than most probiotics.
2. We Sit More Than Any Humans in History
Our ancestors walked 10,000–15,000 steps a day without thinking about it. We sit… a lot. And sitting compresses the abdomen, slows motility, reduces blood flow to digestive organs, and keeps the diaphragm tight, all of which make digestion sluggish.
This is why so many people feel “stuck,” bloated, or heavy after meals.
Stand up every hour
Take a 5–10 minute walk after eating
Stretch your ribs and diaphragm
Change positions often
Movement is one of the most potent digestive tools we have.
3. Our Nervous Systems Are Overloaded
Your gut only works properly when your body feels safe. But modern life keeps us in a low‑grade fight‑or‑flight state:
Constant bad news appealing to our negativity bias
Social media comparison
Work pressure
Notifications every 30 seconds
The emotional load of “doing it all”
Chronic sympathetic activation reduces stomach acid, slows motility, and tightens the gut wall. It’s not you, it’s the environment.
Take back the contol:
No news or social media around mealtimes
Three slow belly breaths before eating
Humming, singing, or gentle movement to activate the vagus nerve
We’re Chronically Out of Rhythm
Our circadian rhythm is the master clock for digestion. But artificial light, late nights, shift work, and screens confuse the signals that tell your gut when to produce enzymes, when to move food along, and when to rest.
This is why so many people feel “off” after daylight savings, it’s a mini jet lag for your gut.
Get morning sunlight
Eat meals at roughly the same times each day
Keep 3–4 hours between meals
Dim lights at night
Your gut loves predictability.
And your body isn’t failing. It’s adapting to a world it wasn’t built for.
