Summer Gut Health Tips with Better Blends: Ensuring Adequate Protein & Hydration
The summer months can bring changes to our routines and diets that can impact gut health. Whether you have a different routine when on vacation, or maybe you’re eating different foods and on a different schedule when going to summer parties and barbecues, it’s possible to find patterns that work for you. Maintaining a healthy gut is important for energy levels, your immune system, and overall well-being.
By following some specific summer gut health tips, it’s possible to maintain a healthy gut so you can feel vibrant, balanced, and with less symptoms all summer long. This comprehensive article will explore practical tips to maintain good gut health during the summer, as well as explain how Better Blends protein can support your nutritional needs and nourish your gut.
The Importance of Gut Health During Summer
Summer can bring about changes in our daily routines that impact dietary habits. Irregular eating schedules, more indulgent foods, and challenges of staying adequately hydrated in higher temperatures, make it all the more crucial to focus on gut health.
A healthy gut environment, rich in diverse and healthy bacteria is essential for good digestion, optimal nutrient absorption, and having a strong immune system. Disruptions to a healthy gut environment can lead to digestive symptoms like bloating, gas, stomach pain, and an impaired ability to breakdown food. This bacterial imbalance in the gut of course impacts immediate comfort, but it can also affect your overall well-being.
Symptoms like bloating as gas can come about when there is an imbalance of gut bacteria, leading to a compromised breakdown of food and the fermentation of undigested food particles. This leads to excess bloating and gas, and unfortunately can take a toll on energy levels.
Maintaining Gut Health During Summer Vacations and BBQs
It can be challenging to maintain gut health during summer vacations and barbecues, when peoples’ habits and patterns tend to be different than other times during the year.
Ensuring proper hydration, maintaining a balanced diet, and including probiotics and prebiotics are all necessary to support a healthy gut. The following sections will explore each of these pillars more in depth.
Ensure adequate hydration
Proper hydration is essential for optimal gut function. Water not only helps digestion, but it also supports and maintains the mucosal lining of the intestines and helps food move through the digestive tract easily.
Research suggests that drinking water can even positively affect the microbiome and can increase the population of beneficial bacteria (1).
When it’s hotter outside, the body is more prone to dehydration, which in turn can slow down digestion and make existing gut issues worse.
Even when you’re out and about during the summer, aim to focus on your digestion to support your gut health. It’s a good rule of thumb to aim for about 64oz of fluid daily. In addition to water, drinking herbal teas and coconut water can also help maintain hydration levels.
Additionally, it’s also a good idea to incorporate hydrating foods like watermelon, cucumbers, and citrus fruits into your diet. Reducing your intake of caffeinated beverages, sugary drinks, and alcohol can also be helpful as these types of drinks can contribute to dehydration and even make gut symptoms worse.
If you find it challenging to stay hydrated during the summer, try setting reminders for yourself to drink water every hour. It’s also a good idea to carry around a reusable water bottle as a convenient way to make sure you always have water nearby.
Maintain a balanced diet
Maintaining a balanced diet is necessary for ensuring a healthy gut, especially during the summer months. Despite many summer events like barbecues, picnics, and vacations, it’s essential to prioritize your nutrition to support your digestive health and overall well-being.
A balanced diet means eating a wide variety of foods that provide each of the key macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Additionally, it’s important to consume plenty of fiber and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Including lots of fresh fruits and vegetables provides fiber, which helps support regular bowel movements as well as a diverse intestinal flora. Plus, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in fruits and vegetables nourish and strengthen the gut lining, and support the immune system.
Lean proteins are another integral part of a balanced summer diet. Foods like grilled chicken, turkey breast, fish, and plant-based proteins like beans and lentils provide essential amino acids for tissue repair. In the gut specifically, these proteins help support the function and structure of the cells in the digestive system, which in turn allow for the proper digestion and absorption of food (2).
Whole grains are another important source of fiber and energy-supporting carbohydrates. Grains like quinoa, brown rice, farro, and oats are great options to provide energy, promote satiety, and encourage regular bowel movements.
It can be challenging to be mindful of maintaining proper portion sizes during the summer. However, keep in mind that eating every 3-4 hours can be helpful to keep hunger levels in check. Eating regularly throughout the day, and refraining from going long periods of time without eating can reduce the likelihood of overeating, which can lead to bloating, discomfort, and the potential exacerbation of symptoms.
During summer gatherings, be mindful of portion sizes and limit your intake of sugary snacks and refined carbohydrates to support gut health. Focus on choosing foods that are high in protein, and aim to fill about half your plate with fruits and vegetables.
By prioritizing a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, you can support a healthy gut this summer.
Include probiotics and prebiotics
Ensuring a healthy gut environment requires eating a balanced and diverse diet rich in probiotics and prebiotics.
Probiotics are healthy bacteria that are found in foods like yogurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut. They are live microorganisms that provide health benefits by supporting the environment of healthy bacteria in the gut (3).
On the other hand, prebiotics are non-digestible fibers that serve as fuel for the bacteria in the gut, which helps promote their growth. Foods high in prebiotic fibers include bananas, onions, garlic, and asparagus for example.
Focusing on eating foods that have probiotics and prebiotics is one way to promote a healthy gut during the summer months.
Even when you’re at a summer gathering or on vacation, it still is possible to include these types of gut-supportive foods. For example, try adding sauerkraut to your sandwich at the next barbecue you’re at. Or, make a dip for veggies using greek yogurt as a way to incorporate more probiotics.
The Importance of Protein For Gut Health
Protein is necessary for maintaining gut health and overall well-being, particularly during the summer. It supports muscle function and repair as well as the integrity of the intestinal lining, which is important for nutrient absorption.
During the warmer months, focusing on protein intake is essential for supporting energy levels and muscle recovery. Focusing on lean meats like chicken, turkey, fish, and plant-proteins are ideal for the summer. Plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, tofu, and even grains like quinoa have an added benefit of providing fiber that nourishes gut bacteria.
However, summer tends to be a busy time when people are less in the mood to cook. Plus, busy schedules and frequent travel can make it difficult to always meet your body’s needs. Incorporating a supplement like Better Blends is a convenient and efficient way to ensure sufficient protein intake. Better Blends is rich in important nutrients and does not contain artificial ingredients that can wreak havoc on the gut for some.
However you get your protein over the summer, ensuring a diverse intake of lean proteins, plant proteins, and quality supplements are all effective ways to support your gut health and ensure optimal protein intake so you can feel your best.
Practical Tips for Using Better Blends Protein Powder
Including a gut-healthy protein supplement like Better Blends is a great way to ensure optimal protein intake on a daily basis.
It’s easy to incorporate Better Blends into a refreshing and hydrating smoothie, into a quick and easy snack, or even into a meal.
Here are a couple ideas for a quick and easy smoothie that is good for your gut:
- Chocolate Banana Smoothie: Mix Better Blends protein powder with frozen banana, almond milk, cocoa powder, a spoonful of nut butter, and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Here are a couple ideas for a well-balanced snack that supports your gut health:
- Protein Energy Bars: Combine Better Blends protein powder with oats, honey, dried cranberries, coconut flakes, and cashews. Press mixture into a pan and refrigerate overnight for an on-the-go granola bar.
- High Protein Yogurt Dip: Mix Better Blends with yogurt, peanut butter, and cinnamon for a high-protein dip. Dip fresh fruit or whole grain crackers for a balanced snack.
Here are a couple ideas for incorporating Better Blends into a meal:
- Protein Pancakes: Add Better Blends protein powder to your favorite pancake recipe for a protein-rich breakfast option that keeps you full and satisfied.
- Smoothie Bowls: Blend Better Blends into a smoothie and top with granola, fruit, and nuts for a nutrient-dense meal.
Conclusion
Ensuring proper nutrition and hydration is key for nourishing your gut and feeling your best this summer. To ensure good hydration, drink plenty of water and consume hydrating fruits and vegetables to ensure your gut is functioning at its best. Consuming a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and fiber-rich carbohydrates is also important to provide key nutrients and ensure a diverse and robust population of healthy gut microbes. Incorporating a supplement like Better Blends protein powder is a convenient and versatile way to boost your protein intake while also supporting overall gut health.