Gut Bacteria Disrupter #5: Dehydration

We have reached our final post! I hope this five part series on gut bacteria disrupters has been informative and helpful. Although I didn’t dive deeply into the science behind why each factor upsets our gut bacteria, I hope my overall point is clear: anything that our body perceives as stress (food, lifestyle, antibiotics, dehydration, etc) harms our gut bacteria. Our body does not discriminate between the sources of stress; it simply sees stress as stress. Therefore, any changes that we can make to reduce our stress, both physical and mental, will lead to great results!

Okay, onto our final gut bacteria disrupter: dehydration!

This is yet another simple factor that we can completely control. It’s pretty straightforward: drink more water. No, not tea, coffee, flavored water (Crystal light, I’m looking at you!), or whatever else. Just plain ole water. Aim to drink water between meals for the best benefit (drinking too much water with meals can flood the stomach and not allow for the full absorption of nutrients).

If you are dehydrated, your body can’t perform as it’s meant too, leading (once again!) to an imbalance in gut bacteria. When we deprive ourselves of water, we deprive ourselves of a vital nutrient, as our body can be up to 60% water! Plus, our bodies and cells use water to build materials, regulate body temperature, metabolize food, flush out toxins, and so much more. Basically, water does it all!

Keep a water bottle with you all day or at your desk. Aim to drink at least eight, 8 ounce glasses of water every day. Every morning when you wake up, drink a glass of water to get your systems ready for the day.

My bottom line? Drink. More. Water!

Summary

Most everyone’s gut bacteria is probably out of balance, as we all struggle with at least one of the five disrupters that I mentioned in this five part series: stress, antibiotics, food, lifestyle, and dehydration. However, by taking simple steps (which are outline in each post!) towards correcting imbalances in our body, we can achieve lasting health and happiness (and make our gut happy too!).