Gut Choices · GUT 101

The foundations of gut health

Clear, evidence-based guides to your microbiome, digestion, and the habits that actually move the needle.

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47 articles
When to See a Doctor: Red Flags You Should Never Ignore
GUT 101

When to See a Doctor: Red Flags You Should Never Ignore

Most gut health content — including everything in this series — focuses on what you can do indepe...

3 min read
Hydration and Your Gut: More Than Just Drinking Water
GUT 101

Hydration and Your Gut: More Than Just Drinking Water

"Drink more water" is the most generic gut health advice there is. The actual relationship betwee...

3 min read
Gut Health in Older Adults (70+)
GUT 101

Gut Health in Older Adults (70+)

The gut microbiome changes throughout life, but those changes accelerate in later decades. Lower ...

3 min read
Gut Health During Perimenopause and Menopause
GUT 101

Gut Health During Perimenopause and Menopause

The hormonal transition of perimenopause and menopause produces significant physical changes thro...

3 min read
Gut Health in Children and Teenagers
GUT 101

Gut Health in Children and Teenagers

The gut microbiome keeps developing throughout childhood and adolescence. It is shaped by an expa...

2 min read
Gut Health During Pregnancy
GUT 101

Gut Health During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the most physically significant things a body can do. Hormones shift dramatic...

3 min read
The Infant Microbiome: How It Forms and Why It Matters
GUT 101

The Infant Microbiome: How It Forms and Why It Matters

A baby's gut bacteria do not arrive fully formed. They build gradually, from the moment of birth ...

3 min read
Postbiotics: What They Are and Why They Matter
GUT 101

Postbiotics: What They Are and Why They Matter

You have heard of probiotics (the live bacteria) and prebiotics (what feeds them). Postbiotics ar...

2 min read
Histamine Intolerance: What It Is and How to Manage It
GUT 101

Histamine Intolerance: What It Is and How to Manage It

Histamine intolerance is one of the more underdiagnosed gut-related conditions — partly because i...

3 min read
How to Read a Gut Microbiome Test
GUT 101

How to Read a Gut Microbiome Test

Home gut microbiome tests have become a popular purchase. You send off a stool sample and get a d...

2 min read
Your Gut and Your Liver: Why They Are More Connected Than You Think
GUT 101

Your Gut and Your Liver: Why They Are More Connected Than You Think

Your gut and your liver are anatomically connected in a way that makes the health of one directly...

3 min read
Your Gut and Your Hormones: What You Need to Know
GUT 101

Your Gut and Your Hormones: What You Need to Know

Most people think of gut health and hormonal health as completely separate topics. They are not. ...

2 min read
Gut Health and Weight: What the Science Actually Shows
GUT 101

Gut Health and Weight: What the Science Actually Shows

The relationship between your gut bacteria and your body weight is one of the most researched — a...

2 min read
Acid Reflux and GERD: The Gut Connection
GUT 101

Acid Reflux and GERD: The Gut Connection

Acid reflux — when stomach acid travels back up into the oesophagus — is one of the most common d...

3 min read
Diarrhea: What It Is and What Your Gut Is Telling You
GUT 101

Diarrhea: What It Is and What Your Gut Is Telling You

Diarrhea is one of the most common digestive experiences on the planet. Despite that, it is frequ...

2 min read
The Low-FODMAP Diet: A Beginner's Guide
GUT 101

The Low-FODMAP Diet: A Beginner's Guide

If you have IBS, someone has probably mentioned the low-FODMAP diet. It is the most well-research...

3 min read
SIBO: What It Is and What to Do About It
GUT 101

SIBO: What It Is and What to Do About It

Your small intestine is supposed to have relatively few bacteria living in it. The bulk of your g...

3 min read
The Gut Lining: What It Is and Why It Matters
GUT 101

The Gut Lining: What It Is and Why It Matters

Your gut lining is one of the most important structures in your body and also one of the least ta...

3 min read
Foods That Harm Your Gut (And What to Eat Instead)
GUT 101

Foods That Harm Your Gut (And What to Eat Instead)

Not all foods affect the gut equally. Some actively nourish your microbiome. Others disrupt it — ...

2 min read
Bone Broth and Gut Health: What Is Real?
GUT 101

Bone Broth and Gut Health: What Is Real?

Bone broth went from a traditional home remedy to a wellness staple in about a decade. Cups of it...

2 min read
Constipation: Why It Happens and What Actually Helps
GUT 101

Constipation: Why It Happens and What Actually Helps

Constipation affects about 15% of people chronically and virtually everyone at some point. It is ...

2 min read
Gluten and Gut Health: What You Actually Need to Know
GUT 101

Gluten and Gut Health: What You Actually Need to Know

Few food topics generate more noise, more confusion, and more unnecessary restriction than gluten...

2 min read
Mindful Eating and Digestion: Why How You Eat Matters
GUT 101

Mindful Eating and Digestion: Why How You Eat Matters

Almost all gut health content is about what to eat. Very little attention goes to how you eat — e...

2 min read
How to Build a Gut-Healthy Diet Without Starting Over
GUT 101

How to Build a Gut-Healthy Diet Without Starting Over

The most common impulse when someone decides to improve their gut health is to start eliminating ...

2 min read
Intermittent Fasting and Gut Health
GUT 101

Intermittent Fasting and Gut Health

Intermittent fasting has attracted enormous research interest. One of the more interesting thread...

2 min read
Gut Health After 40: What Changes and What to Do
GUT 101

Gut Health After 40: What Changes and What to Do

Your gut at 40 is measurably different from your gut at 25. Some of that is natural. A lot of wha...

2 min read
The Enteric Nervous System: Your Gut's Own Brain
GUT 101

The Enteric Nervous System: Your Gut's Own Brain

There is a complete nervous system living in your gut that most people have never heard of. It is...

3 min read
How to Read a Probiotic Label Without Getting Lost
GUT 101

How to Read a Probiotic Label Without Getting Lost

Standing in a supplement aisle surrounded by probiotic products with bold claims and enormous num...

2 min read
The Gut and Your Skin: What Is the Connection?
GUT 101

The Gut and Your Skin: What Is the Connection?

If your skin flares when your digestion is off — or your gut feels worse during a skin flare — yo...

2 min read
Antibiotics and Your Gut: What to Expect and How to Recover
GUT 101

Antibiotics and Your Gut: What to Expect and How to Recover

Antibiotics are one of the most important medical developments in history. They also have a well-...

3 min read
Your Gut and Your Immune System
GUT 101

Your Gut and Your Immune System

You have probably heard that about 70% of the immune system lives in the gut. But what does that ...

2 min read
Food Sensitivities: What They Are and How to Find Yours
GUT 101

Food Sensitivities: What They Are and How to Find Yours

Food sensitivities are not the same as food allergies. An allergy is an immune reaction that can ...

3 min read
Bloating: What Is Actually Going On
GUT 101

Bloating: What Is Actually Going On

Bloating is one of the most common digestive complaints in the world. It is also one of the most ...

3 min read
A Beginner's Guide to Fermented Foods
GUT 101

A Beginner's Guide to Fermented Foods

Fermented foods have been part of human diets for thousands of years — kimchi in Korea, yogurt ac...

2 min read
Exercise and Your Gut: What Moving Your Body Does for Your Microbiome
GUT 101

Exercise and Your Gut: What Moving Your Body Does for Your Microbiome

Exercise benefits the gut through mechanisms completely separate from diet. The research on this ...

2 min read
Sleep and Gut Health: The Two-Way Street Most People Ignore
GUT 101

Sleep and Gut Health: The Two-Way Street Most People Ignore

Poor sleep and poor gut health tend to show up together. It is not coincidence — they are locked ...

2 min read
What Is Gut Imbalance — And Can You Actually Fix It?
GUT 101

What Is Gut Imbalance — And Can You Actually Fix It?

Your gut microbiome is not fixed. It shifts constantly depending on what you eat, how you sleep, ...

2 min read
Why Most People Are Getting Far Too Little Fiber
GUT 101

Why Most People Are Getting Far Too Little Fiber

If there is one dietary change with the most consistent, most researched, most significant impact...

3 min read
The 10 Best Foods for a Healthy Gut
GUT 101

The 10 Best Foods for a Healthy Gut

Good gut health does not require expensive products or complicated protocols. Some of the most ef...

3 min read
IBS vs. IBD: What Is the Difference?
GUT 101

IBS vs. IBD: What Is the Difference?

IBS and IBD share three letters and involve the same general area of the body. Beyond that, they ...

3 min read
How Stress Destroys Your Gut Health (And What Actually Helps)
GUT 101

How Stress Destroys Your Gut Health (And What Actually Helps)

Everyone knows stress can cause stomach problems. But the relationship goes much deeper than nerv...

3 min read
Prebiotics vs. Probiotics: You Need Both
GUT 101

Prebiotics vs. Probiotics: You Need Both

Most people have heard of probiotics. Far fewer know what prebiotics are. And almost nobody talks...

2 min read
Probiotics: What They Are, What They Do, and What to Look For
GUT 101

Probiotics: What They Are, What They Do, and What to Look For

Probiotics are everywhere — in yogurts, supplements, drinks, and a thousand marketing claims. Som...

2 min read
Leaky Gut: What the Research Actually Says
GUT 101

Leaky Gut: What the Research Actually Says

Leaky gut is one of those terms that gets thrown around constantly — by wellness influencers who ...

3 min read
The Gut-Brain Connection: How Your Belly Affects Your Mood
GUT 101

The Gut-Brain Connection: How Your Belly Affects Your Mood

You know that feeling when you are nervous about something and your stomach flips? Or when stress...

3 min read
10 Signs Your Gut Health Might Be Off
GUT 101

10 Signs Your Gut Health Might Be Off

Your gut talks to you all the time. The problem is it does not always speak through stomach pain....

4 min read
What Is the Gut Microbiome and Why Should You Care?
GUT 101

What Is the Gut Microbiome and Why Should You Care?

Picture a city inside your gut. Trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other tiny organisms live there...

3 min read