When your gut bacteria get drunk

If you follow me on Facebook, you might know that I gave up drinking alcohol several months ago.

​I am not an alcoholic, nor do I have what society would call a “problem” with alcohol. It’s just that I started to notice I was choosing to drink for the wrong reasons (you can read about that here).

Instead of taking action to deal with my feelings of being overwhelmed or lonely or whatever, I was choosing to numb out. And that was not leading anywhere good!

There are over 1000 strains of good bacteria in a healthy gut.

Plus, it was poisoning my gut bacteria!

I know this not just from studies I've read, like this one, but because since I stopped drinking, I’ve never felt so clear-headed, energetic, capable or healthy… and here’s why:

​Most us actually drink enough alcohol to cause dysbiosis — an imbalance in the gut microbiota. 

​If you drink more than 2-3 drinks a day, or more than 7 drinks a weeks as a woman, or 3-4 drinks a day or up to 14 drinks a week for a man… its too much.

We all have both good and bad bacteria living inside of us. Usually, the good bacteria keep the harmful bacteria in check.

​However, when the equilibrium is disrupted, say by too much alcohol – and/or poor diet, lack of sleep or routine, and too much stress - bad bacteria take hold and become a problem that leads to inflammation of the intestinal lining causing “leaky gut”.

"Leaky gut" is a term used to describe a hyperpermeable intestinal lining. Except that this lining isn’t meant to be permeable all the time – and when it is, we start to become very sick in many ways.

I’m going to explain what that looks and feels like in my next post, so stay tuned.

But if you’re thinking about how you can start right now, to nurture your gut bacteria and boost your mood and energy, start by switching out one or more of your daily drinks for a glass of gut loving kombucha, some sparkling pear juice or mineral water with lime.

Or get creative! Google “mocktails” and see what kind of fun you can have with drinks that nourish rather than poison :)

​With massive love for your gut,
Katanne