The gut is said to be the second brain in our body. It controls so much of our mood, energy, focus, hormone signals and overall health.

Because of its importance in so many factors of the body I can’t think of a stronger reason to optimize gut health.

In this article, I’ll go over what biohacks I do to optimize my gut health.

 

What Is Biohacking?

Biohacking is an open-ended term that generally means a set of actions are being taken to enhance one’s health and fitness. Through the use of supplements, technology, lifestyle, nutrition, environmental changes and noise.

It can be taken to the extreme of spending $250,000 on things to biohack the body or just simply making changes on one’s diet.

It started in Silicon Valley, California with popular biohackers like Dave Aspey and Time Ferriss.

 

My Background With Gut Health

I haven’t spent $250,000 on biohacks for myself (yet), although if I had the money I probably would. But I have invested time and money into optimizing my health and fitness.

One of those areas I’ve put focus on is the gut.

About 8 years I started feeling gut problems that I had never felt before. It was then that I got diagnosed with IBS, leaky gut syndrome, a poor microbiome and inflammatory bowel disease.

I was in agony all the time, lethargic, had brain fog and got skinny because I couldn’t really eat much.

I REFUSED to live like that. I then did everything I could to figure what was wrong, how I got so sick at such a young age (23 years old) and how to help others overcome their own health struggles.

I went to several gastroenterologists who all just said, “you have IBS sorry I can’t do anything else for you.”

Which was extremely aggravating to hear. Because I was in pain but couldn’t get help.

I kept up the search and came across different holistic doctors who helped me out. I tried supplements, changed my diet and did everything I could.

Fast forward to today, I have some gut problems, occasionally, if I stray from my protocols but for the most part I’m doing well!

I’m not a doctor and this is not to be taken as medical advice. I’m only sharing my experience, what worked for me and providing this for educational purposes. Please talk to your doctor first before trying anything here.

 

Gut Health 101

When we talk about gut health there are two main areas discussed.

A. Human Body Structure

This is the physical stomach, stomach acid, intestines, enzymes, and more molecules the body makes that are associated with the gut.

B. Gut Microbiome

The gut microbiome are the micro-organisms that live within our intestines. These are the bacteria, viruses and fungi that make up the microbiome.

 

The combination of these is what makes up total gut health.

For example, leaky gut means the lining of the intestinal wall has holes in it. If that happens, harmful substances can leak through and get into the bloodstream; where they’re not supposed to be.

On the flip side, a healthy microbiome means there are beneficial microbes living within our guts.

 

Why Gut Health Matters

The gut can affect anxiety, depression, our mood, mental focus, energy and even disease.

“The gut microbiome plays an important role in human health and influences the development of chronic diseases ranging from metabolic disease to gastrointestinal disorders and colorectal cancer.” – Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of New England, Portland, ME 04103, USA

 

Our microbiome is largely influenced by our diet, environmental factors, medications (over the counter or prescribed) and stress.

“Twin studies have shown that, although there is a heritable component to gut microbiota, environmental factors related to diet, drugs, and anthropometric measures are larger determinants of microbiota composition.45″ – BMJ 2018;361:k2179 

 

My Top Biohacking Tips To Optimize Gut Health

1. Removing Irritants and Allergens

By far the biggest thing that’s helped my gut health is to remove irritants and allergens that were causing distress.

This is because these irritants were screwing up my microbiome, doing more harm to my gut lining and causing problems.

The main irritant for me was…of course…gluten.

Gluten

You probably saw that coming if you’ve looked into anything else gut related.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat and some grains. It’s what gives that food group the stickiness and doughy feel. Think of bread rising and being super soft.

Gluten can really mess with peoples’ gut lining and microbiome.

In America, wheat and grains are genetically modified by money-hungry organizations that care more about the bottom line than people’s well-being.

That modification of wheat and grains doesn’t sit well with our guts.

 

I’ve been gluten free for over 3 years now. I do accidentally have trace amounts of gluten here or there in a sauce at a restaurant or something small like that. But for the most part, I’ve removed it from my diet.

This has been the biggest help because I can remember the feeling of lethargy and bloating I had when I regularly had gluten compared to now.

It’s okay though because there are a ton of gluten free products out there. So if you’ve been thinking of doing it too it just takes a little adjustment but overall it’s not so bad.

There are even gluten free beers! My favorite is Redbridge.

 

2. Digestive Enzymes

We have enzymes all throughout our body that help build up and tear down molecules within us.

Digestive enzymes are specific enzymes our body uses to help digest food so that it’s easier for our microbiota to consume. Also, so it’s easier to pass through our system.

However, if our body isn’t producing the enzymes needed naturally then that could lead to gut problems like bloating.

This is where taking enzymes help.

Digestive enzymes help me to feel less bloat and belching after a meal. I take the recommended amount 5 minutes before I eat. Then the digestive enzymes help break down the food I’m eating so I feel less bloat.

 

3. Probiotics

We’ve already discussed the importance the microbiome has on our health. Probiotics are good bacteria that can help strengthen our gut health.

I’ll take probiotics with a fiber heavy meal to give the little guys something to chew on so they can grow more.

For example, I’ll have a smoothie full of berries. Then I’ll take a probiotic with it.

I’ve noticed that probiotics help my mood and over time reduce my bloating.

 

4. Magnesium

Magnesium is a lifesaver for me. I take magnesium pills and magnesium powder every night before bed.

Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions throughout the body. Most of us are deficient.

As soon as I started having magnesium nightly, my poops became more regular (yeah we went there!).

My wife and I traveled to Toronto, Canada recently and I brought the magnesium with me because it’s that important for my gut. Hopefully, as my gut microbiome gets healthier I won’t have to rely on magnesium as much. But for now, it stays.

 

5. Broccoli Sprouts

Broccoli sprouts are the baby form of broccoli. They contain a compound called Sulforaphane (SFN).

SFN can help protect the small intestine from oxidative stress. It can also improve the microbiota and bowel habits of people.

There’s a study that took 48 people and gave them broccoli sprouts or a different sprout that doesn’t contain SFN.

They found broccoli sprouts helped people with their bowel habits and acted as an antioxidant in the gut, protecting certain parts of it.

“These results suggest that daily intake of BS improves bowel habit in human subjects. Since BS treatment enhance antioxidant enzyme activities, these effects of BS appear to relate with the SFN-mediated modulation of the intestinal motility during exposure to oxidative stress.” – Yanaka A. Daily intake of broccoli sprouts normalizes bowel habits in human healthy subjects. J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2018;62(1):75-82. doi:10.3164/jcbn.17-42

 

6. Leafy Greens

Leafy greens are plant leaves such as spinach, kale, chard, arugula, watercress and more.

They’ve been found to be a powerful player in total health. And specifically, leafy greens help build up the gut microbiome in a beneficial way.

They feed the good bacteria through an unusual sugar they contain.

I’ll eat one big salad a day mixed with arugula, kale, spinach and more leafy greens I can pack together. With it, I’ll throw some protein on top like chicken or ground beef.

I’ve found this to be helpful in reducing bloat and creating an overall healthier gut.

 

7. Feeding Akkermansia With Polyphenols

There’s a specific bacteria called Akkermansia muciniphila that is a rising star in the gut microbiome world. Well, it’s probably been around for millions of years but humans have only recently discovered its significance.

Check out what’s written here in this review by Naito, Y., Uchiyama, et al.:

“[cont]…we introduced Akkermansia muciniphila as a next-generation beneficial microbe. Several reports indicate that Akkermansia muciniphila affects glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and intestinal immunity, and that certain food ingredients such as polyphenols may increase the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila in the gut.” – Naito, Y., Uchiyama, K., & Takagi, T. (2018). A next-generation beneficial microbe: Akkermansia muciniphila. Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition, 63(1), 33–35. https://doi.org/10.3164/jcbn.18-57

Note what they said, “certain food ingredients such as polyphenols.” Well, what the heck are polyphenols?

If you don’t know: Polyphenols are antioxidants found in plant based foods.

So if we want to feed Akkermansia then it’d be wise of us to eat more foods containing polyphenols.

To feed Akkermansia I’ll eat leafy greens, berries, fruits (apple skins are good for this), and other fresh plant based foods.

 

These are my top biohacks for optimizing my gut health. They are:

  • Removing Food Irritants and Allergens
  • Digestive enzymes
  • Probiotics
  • Magnesium
  • Broccoli sprouts
  • Leafy greens
  • Feeding Akkermansia With Polyphenols

 

Disclaimers

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