Restoring Your Gut After Antibiotics
Yes, there is a time and place for the use of antibiotics and they do save lives! However, by taking them there is long term effect on your gut. In some people it can take 6 months to 2 years to rebuild the good bacteria. After taking antibiotics, it is important to take necessary steps to start rebuilding your gut right away.
anti- means fighting, opposing, or killing, and bios is the Greek word for “life,” antibiotic literally means life-killing.
Antibiotics kill bacteria…. the good and the bad. Heal your gut and help prevent disease!
How do you rebuild your gut after taking antibiotics?
How do you put back the good bacteria? Once you finish the antibiotics it is imperative to being building the good bacteria right away.
Foods to Avoid:
Once you complete your antibiotics you want to avoid these foods for the first month:
- do not eat foods that are difficult for your body to digest and/or cause inflammation
- such as wheat, dairy and sugar
- avoid bad fats
- avoid fried foods/fast food
It can take a week to 10 days for your gut to feel better after taking antibiotics and it can take 2 to 4 weeks for your good bacteria to begin to rebuild.
Foods to Eat:
Stewed Apples/Apple Sauce
Recommended by Dr. Michael Ash and Dr. Antony Haynes from the Institute for Functional Medicine.
- 6 cooking apples, washed and diced (or apples of your choice preferably organic)
- 1/2 cup water
- handful of raisins
- 1-2 tsp cinnamon
Put all the ingredients in a covered pan and cook on the stove for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Cook until soft.
By cooking the apples, the pectin from the cooked apples is easily accessible to the good bacteria and the lining of your gut. Dr. Tom O’Bryan author of the Autoimmune Fix recommends to take a small bowl twice a day for a week. Then maybe once every few days afterwards for a month. This recipe provides great nutrition and helps heal your gut.
Chicken Bone Broth
The collagen from the broth acts as a natural prebiotic and helps seal the damage done by the antibiotics.
Root Vegetables
Root vegetables are a great source of prebiotics. The prebiotics help feed the good bacteria in your gut. Choose from a variety of root vegetables such as, sweet potato, carrots, beets, parsnips, etc.. Mix them all up, saute them in coconut oil, garlic and a dash of tumeric. Great side dish to any meal.
Fermented Vegetables
Choose 4 or 5 different fermented vegetables. When purchasing fermented vegetables be sure to avoid the “pasturized” kind. The pasturization kills the good bacteria. When choosing a variety of fermented veggies you add to the diversity of the good bacteria in your gut. Diversity of good bacteria is the key to a healthy gut.
Have you had to take antibiotics in the past? Did you incorporate stewed apples, bone broth, root vegetables or fermented vegetables into your diet afterwards?
Was the information helpful? I would greatly appreciate if you comment below and share on Facebook.
Karen Fleury’s – Clean Eating With Benefits
Skype: k.fleury73
E-Mail: karen@cleaneatingwithbenefits.com
“Providing information on clean eating and living a healthier lifestyle!”
PS: Take my Clean Eating Challenge. Rediscover what healthy feels like again!
If you enjoyed this post on Restoring Your Gut After Antibiotics please retweet and comment.