Your overall health relies heavily on one very important organ … the gut.

Today, doctors and researchers alike say your gut is responsible for your digestive health, immunity, mood, weight, skin condition, and much more. That’s why it’s important to keep your gut in tip-top shape. 

So how the heck do you do that?!

First, you must know that your gut is filled with trillions of bacteria. Don’t worry — this isn’t a bad thing! About 80 percent of that bacteria is “good” and the remaining 20 percent is considered “bad.”

Let me rephrase that — 80 percent of your gut bacteria is supposed to be good and the remaining 20 percent is supposed to be bad. With our poor diets and high-stress lifestyles, however, many people have way more bad bacteria than they’re supposed to. To help keep your gut bacteria in proper balance (and your whole body healthy), adopt these five daily habits:

1) Cut Out Sugar

Here’s a scary fact for you —  the average American consumes about 400 calories a day from added sugars. That’s way more than we’re supposed to eat! While sugar may please our taste buds, our insides certainly don’t share the love. 

Sugar acts like fertilizer for bad gut bacteria and yeast. To make matters worse, when bad bacteria takes over, many of our good bacteria is killed. This can lead to:

• Leaky Gut Syndrome
• Candida overgrowth
• Inflammation
• Weakened immunity
• Autoimmune disease
• Weight gain
• Skin problems

The list goes on. 

Now, here’s some more bad news. Doctors say sugar is extremely addicting, similar to how people are addicted to drugs. So once you’re used to eating a high-sugar diet, cutting back on the sweet stuff may be tough.

2) Eat Fermented Foods

Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, kombucha, kefir, natto, and tempeh are rich in probiotics. You may know by now that probiotics are beneficial bacteria that helps our gut health flourish. 

3) Take a Daily Probiotic

Don’t rely solely on probiotic-rich food to improve your gut health, though. In reality, the amount of probiotic-rich foods you would need to eat in order to get great and sustainable results is daunting. That is why doctors, medical professionals, and the Gut Health Project recommend taking a daily, high quality probiotic supplement e3 Biome..

Research suggests up to 80% of probiotic brands are useless. The main reason probiotic supplements fail is because they’re weak. Typically, capsules and tablets can’t protect the sensitive cultures from harsh stomach acids. This means, the beneficial bacteria never reach your intestine, where they can benefit your health.

4) Get Moving

A recent study showed exercise may promote a diverse gut microbiota (which is a good thing)! The study focused on rugby players who are regularly active. Researchers say the results showed a clear link between exercise and gut microbiota diversity.

5) Relax & Sleep

Stress impacts our health in many ways, including our gut bacteria. To help keep gut bacteria balanced, it’s important to keep stress at bay. I know this is harder said than done. After all, we have bosses to please, kids to tend to, and relationships to nourish. Plus, let’s not forget the laundry list of obligations we commit to on a regular basis. Despite the high-stress lifestyle we live, carve out some time for yourself. Dedicate 10 minutes in the morning to meditation. This can help silence the negativity in your mind. You can also take an hour to workout at the gym, spend some time walking outdoors, read a good book, or relax in a hot detox bath. Whatever it is that helps you de-stress, do that!