how to clean out your gut

A Definitive 3-Day Gut Reset Diet, From A Functional M.D.

Last updated on November 24, 2020

In both ancient Ayurveda and modern medicine, the importance of gut health as the crux of our physical and mental health has never been more clear. I often recommend a simple gut reset to my patients to help them address chronic issues and get their digestion back on track—it can be especially helpful after a period of time that's harsher on your gut (like the holidays) This real-food, three-day gut cleanse is a quick and effective way to address the root cause of digestive upset.

1. Start with an intermittent fast.

Just like you, your gut needs a period of rest and rejuvenation to function optimally. Giving it a break can reduce inflammation, shed water weight, and reduce bloating. Studies are coming out all the time supporting the benefits of intermittent fasting, which gives the body a break for a set number of hours each day so that your gut can repair, reset, and rest. The night before you start your cleanse, plan to fast for 12 to 16 hours. This is easier than it sounds—a 12-hour fast simply means stop eating at 7 in the evening and don't eat again until breakfast the next day until 7 a.m.

2. Begin your morning with water.

Drinking water, especially warm water on an empty stomach, is one of the best things you can do for digestion. According to Ayurveda, warm water takes less energy to digest and stimulates digestion while detoxing the system and helping food move through the digestive tract. Start your day with at least one full glass of room-temperature water before you consume any food.

3. Have a sugar-free breakfast.

Fruit sugars are OK (berries are best), but make sure they're accompanied by plenty of fiber and fat, so you don't have a blood sugar crash. Try this green smoothie recipe or this sweet potato hash. Buckwheat overnight oats are a great choice, as is a quinoa breakfast bowl.

4. Midmorning, have a cup of chai.

Boil 1 cup of water, then add in 1 heaping tablespoon loose chai tea. Add additional gut-supporting spices like ½ teaspoon each of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger. You can also add nutmeg or clove. Strain tea and add a splash of almond or coconut milk for creaminess.

5. Have a broth-based meal with probiotics for lunch.

Not only is broth soothing, but it aids in the production of gastric juices, strengthens the intestinal lining, soothes the gut, and aids liver and kidney function. Choose bone broth from high-quality, grass-fed animals or a vegetable broth, and add some extra vegetables to it for a filling, gut-friendly meal.

Adding 1 tablespoon of kimchee, sauerkraut, or some pickles to your meals is another easy way to work gut-friendly bacteria into your life. Other ideas: Stir 1 teaspoon or less (it packs a punch!) of miso in your soup, or sip on Kombucha, nondairy kefir, or kvass with your meal. Perhaps easiest, try incorporating a high-quality probiotic into your routine.

6. Don't snack between meals.

Giving your gut a break is a big part of this gut reset. Try to limit snacking, and if you're feeling peckish, have another glass of chai instead.

7. Add prebiotics to your dinner.

Hunter-gatherer societies ate 200 grams of fiber daily, while we get 15 grams with a typical modern-day diet. The best source of fiber is from complex carbohydrates from fermentable plant fibers or "prebiotics," which support good bacteria already present in the gut. Add more cellulose fibers into your diet; you can find them in the tough parts of veggies and fruit (think of broccoli stalks, the bottom of asparagus, kale stems, and orange pulp). The following foods are especially rich in prebiotics:

Yams and other tubers
Potatoes
Ginger
Leeks (green and white parts)
Fibrous parts of fruit and vegetables
Legumes/beans

Try to include at least one serving (extra credit for two or three!) of prebiotic food in your dinner. These curried sweet potato noodles are a great option, as is this lentil soup.

8. Minimize stress.

Stress has a negative effect on the gut. When you're stressed, you release peptides that lead to increased inflammation, gut permeability, visceral hypersensitivity, perception of pain, and gut motility. To minimize stress:

Try a mini-meditation: Take three long, deep breaths, with five counts in, and five counts out. Try not to think about anything but the breath going in and then going out. Do this two or three times a day.
Do at least five yoga stretches. Moving and stretching your tight muscles can really help get you into your calm state. I recommend a standing stretch, standing forward fold, seated twist, backbend, and a seated forward fold. Forward folds are especially helpful for stress.
Think to yourself when you start to get rushed: "I have plenty of time; there is so much time." This will give you the calm to do your task without being rushed. You'll be surprised by how much faster you are when you're calm!
When you get angry, repeat this mantra: "I am peaceful. I am happy. I don't let anyone change that."

9. Go to bed early.

Getting adequate sleep—more than eight hours a night—helps overall physical and neurological health and has a significant impact on stress levels, which will give your body the rest it needs to heal and reset your gut.

Repeat on Day 2 and Day 3, then check in with how you are feeling.

If you can take away just a few of these changes, you'll be setting yourself up for long-term gut success. Remember: Eat lots of fiber, take probiotics, and more fermented food to your routine, and get some sleep!