Harvard expert shares gut-health boosting ‘checklist’ to carry out every morning

A Harvard-educated doctor revealed the eight things he does every morning to take care of his gut health in a viral Instagram post.

Dr Saurabh Sethi, a gastroenterologist from California, USA, regularly shares advice to his more than 1.3 million followers on the platform.

In the final clip, which garnered 1,469 likes, he explained the things he would recommend others do.

He says the first thing he does is “drink water before coffee” because it “rehydrates the body after sleep and starts digestion.”

Getting morning sunlight in the first hour after waking up is the second thing he does; ‘it resets your body clock and increases serotonin for better digestion.’

The body clock, also known as the circadian rhythm, is the internal system that regulates sleep, temperature and hormone release.

before a to work The presence of sunlight in the morning led to improvements in the circadian rhythms of cortisol, a stress hormone secreted when the body is in a ‘fight or flight’ state.

Other research shown Higher cortisol levels cause inflammation, which can cause intestinal problems such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Dr Sethi also does ‘two to three minutes of deep abdominal breathing before breakfast’, explaining that this ‘activates the vagus nerve and calms the gut-brain axis’.

The vagus nerve sends signals from the gut to the brain, and the gut-brain axis is the connection between the two.

Although it doesn’t specify what type of deep breathing it takes, it usually involves gradually expanding your belly rather than your chest as you breathe.

The fourth habit he highlights is eating foods containing prebiotics, such as light green bananas and oats, for breakfast.

Prebiotics are compounds found in foods that help grow healthy bacteria in your gut microbiome.

A healthy gut microbiome has the right types of bacteria that thrive together to support digestion, the immune system, and even mental health.

Green bananas are rich in starch and pectin, two types of fiber that act as prebiotics and help support a healthy gut microbiome.

The fifth thing she does is add “protein and fiber” to her breakfast, which “balances blood sugar and nourishes the gut microbiome.”

Leading gut health expert reveals he eats Greek yoghurt with fruit to get healthy protein and fibre

She does this by eating ‘Greek yoghurt with berries, chia or flax’ and ‘eggs with vegetables and a kefir/lassi drink’.

Kefir, a type of milk, and lassi, a type of yoghurt, are fermented drinks that contain probiotics that are good for your intestines.

His sixth habit, he says, is ‘eating without screens’ because ‘eating activates the parasympathetic system and scrolling triggers the sympathetic system.’

The parasympathetic system is behind what is known as ‘rest and digest’, which calms the body to facilitate digestion.

Meanwhile, the sympathetic system is also responsible for the ‘fight or flight response’ that screens can trigger.

According to the NHS, these are two different branches of the nervous system, so we cannot be in both at the same time.

Previously, Chinese researchers also found that using screens while eating reduces intuitive eating (the process of listening to your body’s signals such as hunger and fullness).

Meanwhile, she goes for a walk every morning after breakfast ‘to aid digestion and reduce post-meal bloating’. Dr Sethi said this ‘made a difference’.

In her latest post, she said checking your stool every day can tell a lot about your gut health.

Dr Sethi also revealed that he checks his stool every day by looking at its ‘colour, shape and ease’.

To assess bowel movements, he uses the Bristol Stool Chart, which classifies stools into seven types based on shape and consistency.

The chart, available online, was developed by NHS medics in the UK to help doctors identify digestive or bowel problems.

Type 1 refers to hard, difficult stools, and type 7 refers to liquid or watery bowel movements.

‘Aim for Bristol between 3 and 4,’ advises Dr Sethi.

As a final tip, she recommends choosing two to three of these daily habits before adding more over time.

In another post just last month, Dr Sethi urged people to spend less time on the toilet to avoid a painful health condition.

He explained: ‘Extra sitting time increases pressure on the rectal veins, meaning a higher risk of haemorrhoids; so keep it to less than five minutes.’

Also known as piles, this unfortunate complication is the formation of lumps in and around the anus and rectum.

However, many social media users who commented on the video ironically said that they watched the video in the toilet.

One user wrote: “Looked at this video while on the toilet,” followed by laughing emojis, while another wrote: “Watching this on the toilet.”

But this is no laughing matter; A study earlier this month confirmed that using a smartphone in the toilet can almost double the risk of hemorrhoids.