TikTok’s latest craze is finally addressing important things!  No, it’s not a new dance move or workout.  It’s actually gut health.  With over 900 million views and growing daily, it seems that a commonly searched topic at the moment is #guttok. Now, as with any research one does, it is best to seek medical advice from an actual medical professional.  You know, the ones with degrees that you see on the walls of their offices?  A second resource is not TikTok, but let’s be honest, we’ve all searched or found ourselves in the middle of a rabbit hole on a topic we had no intention of finding ourselves in.

I recently found myself not knowing gut health was important, but after spending a tad too much time on this highly searched out topic, I have come to several conclusions.  I have diagnosed myself with terrible gut health, I am more confused with how to help it and now I have something more to worry about!  Never fear, the TikTok doc’s and your best friends’ second cousin has the remedy!  Since we all have “guts” it makes sense to figure out where to start.  According to Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, a New York Times bestselling author of The Fiber Fueled Cookbook and gastroenterologist, says the gut is “part of our body that processes and breaks down food and includes our stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and the enzymes we get from our pancreas, liver and gallbladder.”  He continues to share his insight on how the health of our “gut” is also connected to our metabolism, brain health, immune system and even our hormones.

Here’s where I stopped.  Hormones and gut health?  You mean to tell me that I could potentially reduce hot flashes and brain fog if I paid attention to what I put in my body?  According to Dr. Bulsiewicz  says it may be connected.  Paying attention to the amount of processed foods and the high sugar drinks we tend to crave, play a huge role in how we can feel mentally.  Incorporating foods that are high in certain vitamins and ones that have probiotics are a great place to start.

Do your research.  #guttok is trending on TikTok now, and I say this is one trend I definitely don’t mind finding myself in the middle of.