Here’s What Actually Fixed My Gut Health
Because spending thousands on biohacks, drinking my own urine, and nuking my microbiome didn’t heal me, but the basics did.
Throughout history, there have been some truly remarkable ways people have attempted to address their gut issues.
In 2014, BBC TV presenter Dr. Michael Mosley swallowed a baby beef tapeworm to study its impact on the human body. That experiment unintentionally inspired the so-called "tapeworm diet," which had both biohackers and middle-aged moms gulping down parasites in pursuit of weight loss and better GI health.
Another standout moment in gut health history was the 19th-century smoke enema. Yes, you read that right—practitioners used tobacco smoke pumped straight into the rectum to "cure" certain ailments and even revive the dead.
And then there’s the fecal transplant. One person’s poop becomes another’s miracle cure. This practice goes back centuries in traditional Chinese medicine and is now used in modern clinics for some tough-to-treat gut issues.
I’m guilty of trying wild health experiments too.
I’d rather not share some of my more, uh, adventurous moments with strangers—I get that would provoke some extremely weird looks (or running away). But, you? My community? Love you. I’ll let you in.
Here it goes. I’ve:
Taken fistfuls of probiotics at once and promptly vomited.
Used a hose for an ozone colonic (highly embarrassing).
Dabbled in a… “drink my own urine phase.” (Yeah, I know. But when you’re curious, you’re curious). Picture me in the shower, taking a Mason jar with me—to drink.
Did some of these work? Honestly, kind of, but none were lasting solutions. Ultimately, I’d still wake up feeling like last night’s dinner was sitting in my stomach like a brick. Bathroom visits were either Niagara Falls or the Sahara Desert.
It wasn’t until I returned to the basics that my gut started to heal.
I used to be super skeptical of foundational stuff. I’d tell myself, “The soil is destroyed; we need biohacks!” Cue me burning through thousands of dollars for quick fixes and ending up in the exact same health predicament—only broke.
Eventually, I surrendered my weird beliefs and learned that healing my gut required working from the ground up. I embraced simplicity. And guess what? It worked.
Here’s how I went from gut health chaos to feeling AMAZING.
Step 1: Fixing My Mouth First
So, quick flashback: my mom once put soap in my brother’s mouth because he wrote the word “b*tch” on the shower door. She felt bad but figured it was the punishment he needed. My instant thought was, “Wow! Fresh breath though?”
Turns out, scrubbing your mouth with artificial toothpastes, soaps, and mouthwashes can wreck the microbiome in your mouth, stripping away the vital bacteria that protect you from pathogens entering your gut and your brain.
The mouth is the first line of defense for our digestive health.
Nadine Artemis, the founder of living libations and a holistic oral care expert opened my mind to just how interconnected the health of your mouth is to the rest of your body.
“The mouth is the principal portal into our bodies; it interfaces, absorbs, and assimilates our world. The endocrine, immune, and digestive systems are intimately bound to the microbiome of our mouths. By understanding the human microbiome, we understand that our health depends on a thriving microbiome; and as human hosts to this bacterial banquet, the key to vitality in our bodies and mouths is bacterial balance.”
I realized I was nuking the vital bacterial colony in my mouth (and gut) every day with chemical products. I had to look for a strategy on how I could repopulate the beneficial bacteria in my mouth to ultimately heal my gut and my body.
Here’s what I did—and what you can do.
1. Ditch the toxic stuff ASAP. 🚫
Rule of thumb: If you can’t eat it, don’t put it near your mouth. Those poison control stickers on toothpaste tubes aren’t lying.
2. Try oil pulling. 🛢️
Every morning, I scrape my tongue, rinse with salt water, brush my teeth, floss, and then swish a coconut oil + essential oil blend (peppermint, thyme, oregano, etc.) in my mouth for 10 minutes.
It’s magical. This ancient practice restores good bacteria, eliminates fungi, whitens teeth, balances mouth pH, and even heals gums. The results? My teeth were noticeably whiter, and my mouth felt cleaner than ever!
3. Scrape the tongue. 👅
Tongue scraping is a game-changer for reducing toxins, preventing bad breath, and keeping your gut happy. It also stimulates digestion and reinvigorates taste buds.
4. Floss like your gut depends on it (it does).
After every meal, floss helps keep detox pathways open and discourages bad bacteria from thriving. If too much bad bacteria reside near your gums, they will eventually release harmful byproducts (endotoxins) which get absorbed by your gums and enter into the blood stream.
5. Invest in quality products.
Swapping my CVS “bargains” for actual products that could heal the root cause of my oral and digestive issues was life-changing. Here’s my rec list:
The Gut-Wrecking Foods: What to Avoid
Friday nights at Dairy Queen were pure euphoria. The swirling colors, teenage cashiers blasting odd music, and the glorious “m&m blizzard”
But the day after was absolute destruction. Me and my brothers called it the “DQ Stomach Hangover,” and I thought it was just what came with the territory. Eat the Blizzard, get wrecked brah.
Turns out, it’s not the ice cream or dairy itself (although Dairy Queen is def not using raw organic pasture raised dairy products, more on that later). All the other ingredients like the seed oils, artificial colors, sugar overload, and pesticide residues were hurting my stomach.
Here are the top foods I discovered were secretly assaulting my gut health—and why you need to reconsider them:
1. Seed Oils: The Silent Gut Destroyers
Seed oils are sneaky. They’re everywhere—from fast-food fries to “healthy” salad dressings, veggie burgers, and even your favorite granola bars. Foods marketed as health-conscious and clean often hide these oils behind confusing labels like “expeller-pressed canola oil" and what’s even more confusing is that you have agencies like the American heart association promoting these oils saying they are good for you, but many lipid scientists and new science disagrees. The truth is out. These oils are doing some serious damage to your gut and overall health.
Not all seed oils are bad. A cold pressed organic pumpkin seed oil is far different than the mass produced, hexane extracted canola, sunflower, soybean, corn and safflower oil that you will find in your local grocery store or restaurant.
In fact they are so dangerous, that studies are coming out showing the whopping amount of carcinogens that get produced while these oils are heated. They are so dangerous due to their unstable fatty acid profile which produces lots of toxins and oxidation when heated and eaten by us then leading to antioxidant depletion and free radical toxicity.
I was blessed to learn about the dangers of these seed oils through Catherine Shannahn, Cornell-trained biochemist turned family physician who has been warning about the consumption and use of these seed oils for many years.
Here is just one of the many mind blowing research she illuminates in her new book Dark Calories:
But toxicologists have tested restaurant frying oils. One of the most well-studied type of toxins is called alpha-beta unsaturated aldehydes, now thought to be the most carcinogenic agents in cigarette smoke. In 2019, a paper in the prestigious journal Nature reported that a five-ounce serving of french fries cooked in vegetable oil (from a well-known franchise, mind you, not one of those smaller restaurants lacking protective protocols) contains twenty-five times more of these dangerous aldehydes than the World Health Organization’s tolerable upper limit for exposure.
How Do Seed Oils Wreck Your Gut Health?
Inflammation Overload: Rich in omega-6 fatty acids, seed oils fuel chronic gut inflammation, damaging your gut lining and increasing the risk of leaky gut syndrome.
Oxidative Stress: When these oils are heated (think fried food!), they become oxidized, introducing free radicals that harm gut cells and inflame your microbiome.
Microbiome Imbalance: Studies show seed oils disrupt the balance of your gut bacteria—allowing harmful microbes to thrive, while suppressing the beneficial ones.
Endotoxin Production: Processing seed oils releases endotoxins, which are linked to inflammation, food sensitivities, and chronic disease.
How to Ditch Seed Oils (and Heal Your Gut)
The trick? Replace toxic, rancid oils with these stable oxygen resistant gut-friendly fats:
Grass-fed Butter/Ghee: Packed with butyrate, which strengthens your gut lining.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Full of antioxidants that nourish good bacteria.
Coconut Oil: Anti-inflammatory and great for cooking at high heat.
Grass-fed Tallow: A powerhouse for gut health with stable saturated fats.
💡 Biohack with Jack Tip: At restaurants, always ask which oil they cook with—most places default to canola or soybean. Bring your own stick of butter at throw it at the chefs face if they argue with you. Then proceed to become the head chef of the restaurant, source the highest quality foods on planet earth, and create the gnarliest restaurant of all time.
2. Pesticide-Laden Foods: The Microbiome Assassins
Glyphosate, the famous herbicide (aka Roundup), isn’t just killing weeds—it’s acting like an antibiotic and wiping out the good bacteria in your gut. But it doesn’t stop there. Pesticides like glyphosate also allow harmful bacteria to thrive, leading to a disrupted microbiome and even more inflammation.
How Do Pesticides Wreck Gut Health?
Kills Good Bacteria: Pesticides act like antibiotics and kill beneficial bacteria, upsetting the balance of your microbiome.
Increases Endotoxins: With bad bacteria thriving, you get increased endotoxins in your gut, which trigger gut inflammation, fatigue, digestion issues, and more.
Alters Microbial Diversity: Studies show pesticides reduce gut diversity, which is crucial for strong immunity and digestion.
How to Protect Your Gut from Pesticides
You don’t have to go 100% organic, but here’s what you can do to minimize exposure:
Prioritize the "Dirty Dozen": Buy organic for these heavily sprayed foods (apples, spinach, strawberries, etc.).
Wash Your Produce Properly: Use a baking soda wash or vinegar soak to remove pesticide residues.
Choose Organic/Regenerative Farming: Whenever possible, go for products labeled organic or regenerative—these practices prioritize soil health and reduce chemical toxins.
💡 Biohack with Jack Tip: If budget is tight, skip the fancy stuff and just clean conventionally grown produce with water, vinegar, or baking soda to slash pesticide exposure!
3. Mold and Mycotoxins: The Sneaky Gut Saboteurs
Unlike seed oils or pesticides, mold and mycotoxins hide in plain sight. No alarming labels or funky warnings—just your favorite coffee, grains, or cheeses quietly wreaking havoc on your gut.
How Do Mycotoxins Damage Your Gut?
Disrupt Gut Barriers: Mycotoxins can weaken your gut lining, making it easier for toxins to enter your bloodstream.
Imbalance Gut Microbiota: These sneaky toxins alter your microbial balance, reducing beneficial bacteria.
Trigger Inflammation: Your immune system treats them as invaders, cueing inflammation that impacts digestion and even mood.
Common Sources of Mold and Mycotoxins to Watch Out For
Coffee: Low-quality coffee beans are notorious for harboring mycotoxins like ochratoxin A.
Grains: Corn, wheat, and rice are especially prone to mold growth during storage (hint: avoid industrially processed versions).
Soft Cheeses: Brie, blue cheese, and similar varieties often contain gut-triggering molds.
How to Dodge the Mycotoxin Trap
Choose high-quality coffee that’s tested for mycotoxins (I love brands like Kion).
Opt for freshly stored, organic grains—or avoid grains entirely.
Limit your intake of soft cheeses or choose clean, reputable sources.
💡 Biohack with Jack Tip: Want to sidestep this mess entirely? Start with an elimination phase—ditch grains and mold-prone foods for a month and see how your body transforms. I eliminated these foods and then slowly incorporated cheese and coffee back into my diet. I eat very little grains but enjoy organic sourdough bread. More on that below.
4. Artificial and Processed Sugars: The Gut Microbiome Disruptors
Not all sugars are created equal. Natural sugars (fruits, honey) generally don’t mess with your body unless you have poor gut health—but processed and artificial sweeteners will destroy anyones gut. They feed bad bacteria, disrupt your microbiome, and inflame your gut lining.
How Do Artificial Sugars Hurt Your Gut?
Feeds Harmful Bacteria: Artificial sugars like sucralose and aspartame encourage bad bacteria and yeast overgrowth—leaving you with bloating, gas, and inflammation.
Leaky Gut Risk: High sugar levels weaken your gut barrier, allowing toxins to escape into your bloodstream.
Triggers Systemic Inflammation: Processed sugar intake drives gut inflammation that can spread to the rest of your body.
Reduced Microbial Diversity: A sugar-dominant diet starves the gut’s good bacteria, reducing microbial diversity (a key to strong gut health!).
What to Avoid and What to Swap In
Avoid these:
Artificial sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, saccharin).
Processed sugars hiding in soda, snacks, and sauces.
“Fake health foods” like granola bars and diet soda.
Use these instead:
Organic raw honey (buy local to help with allergies)
Organic maple syrup
Organic monk fruit or stevia.
Whole fruits, which pack fiber and polyphenols to stabilize sugar spikes.
💡 Biohack with Jack Tip: Retraining your taste buds is the ultimate upgrade. Cut the artificial stuff and rediscover the natural sweetness of whole foods—it’s life-changing.
Closing Thoughts for Gut Wreckers
Removing just these four main culprits—seed oils, pesticides, mycotoxins, and artificial sugars—can radically improve your gut and life. By taking baby steps and swapping out harmful foods, you can rebuild your gut without feeling overwhelmed. Think of it as biohacking made simple.
Rebuild Phase: How to Nourish and Strengthen Your Gut
By avoiding the nasty stuff, I began to feel amazing. Not only did my gut health heal—I could use the bathroom regularly without pain or bloating—but I also noticed higher energy levels, clearer skin, and an overall sense of wellness! It’s incredible how interconnected the gut is to everything in your body.
Now that we’ve eliminated the problem foods, it’s time to build up your gut health for even more vitality, boosted immunity, and better overall health.
Let’s gooo!
1. Stop Eating 4 Hours Before Bed
The digestive system needs rest, especially at night. When we eat too close to bedtime, our body diverts energy away from repair and recovery to process that meal instead leaving food improperly digested.
Why it works: Fasting for a few hours before bed allows your gut to enter repair mode, reducing inflammation and giving your digestive system a break. Nighttime is also when your gut microbiome rebalances itself and cellular repair happens.
Pro Tip: If you struggle to stop late-night snacking, sip on herbal teas like chamomile or peppermint to relax cravings—and your stomach.
2. Eat in a Parasympathetic State (AKA Rest and Digest Mode)
Stress is a digestive disaster. When your body is locked in "fight-or-flight" mode, digestion slows way down because survival takes priority over your body making enzymes and stomach acid. Your brain says, “Run from the lion now. Digest later!”
How to Eat in a Relaxed State
Deep Breathing Before Meals: Take 5–10 deep, slow belly breaths to signal to your body that you’re safe and ready to eat (no lions here).
Avoid Stimulation: Don’t scroll your phone, rush between tasks, or eat right after an intense workout. Chill out for 5 minutes before eating.
Savor Your Food: Slow eating = better chewing, which reduces the digestive workload on your stomach and intestines.
💡 Why it matters: Eating in a stressed state (or on the go) can lead to digestive symptoms like bloating, poor nutrient absorption, and reflux. Fixing this alone can be a HUGE game-changer.
3. Don’t Drink Fluids Around Meals
Drinking water, juice, or other liquids right before or after eating dilutes stomach acid, which decreases its ability to break down food. This interferes with digestion and can leave food sitting in your stomach longer than it should.
Before Meals: Avoid drinking 15–30 minutes before eating.
After Meals: Hold off for at least 15–30 minutes after finishing.
4. Reseed the Microbiome
Your gut bacteria are like tiny soldiers—they support digestion, boost immunity, and even produce feel-good neurotransmitters. After years of abuse (think antibiotics, processed foods, and stress), your microbiome needs to be reseeded with good bacteria.
How to Reseed Your Microbiome
Probiotics: Look for strains like Lactobacillus for digestion, Akkermansia for gut barrier health, and Bifidobacterium for brain-gut support. Rotate your probiotic supplements every few months for variety.
Fermented Foods: Add fermented veggies (sauerkraut, kimchi), kefir, and unsweetened yogurt to your daily meals.
Prebiotic Fiber: Fuel your good bacteria with garlic, onions, leeks, and asparagus. They LOVE this stuff.
Butyrate Supplements: Butyrate nourishes the cells of your gut lining (colonocytes), helping heal leaky gut and lowering inflammation.
5. Add Colostrum for Gut Repair & Immunity
Colostrum, the first milk produced by mammals after giving birth, is one of the most powerful gut-healing superfoods on the planet. It’s packed with immunoglobulins, growth factors, and nutrients that help repair the gut lining, restore microbiome balance, and boost immunity. This is especially helpful if your gut has taken a beating from antibiotics or chronic inflammation.
Gut Benefits of Colostrum:
Heals Gut Lining: Its growth factors (like IGF-1) repair and strengthen the intestinal barrier, reducing leaky gut.
Fights Bad Bacteria: Colostrum contains lactoferrin, which has antimicrobial properties that protect your gut from pathogens.
Boosts Immunity: Full of immunoglobulins, colostrum helps your immune system function efficiently—because 70% of your immune cells live in the gut!
💡 How to Use It: Look for high-quality, grass-fed colostrum powder. Add a scoop to a smoothie, or mix it into water for a gentle, gut-healing boost in the morning or between meals. Kion once again made a killer colostrum product.
6. Load Up on Nutrient-Dense, Gut-Healing Foods
Give your gut the nutrients it craves! Focus on whole, unprocessed foods that heal your gut lining, support digestion, and keep your microbiome happy.
Bone Broth: Rich in collagen and amino acids to repair gut tissue.
Wild-Caught Fatty Fish: Packed with omega-3s to reduce inflammation.
Dark Leafy Greens: Arugula, sorrel, mixed greens are loaded with nitrates, prebiotics and nutrients to keep things flowing. Avoid kale and spinach as they contain high amounts of oxalates which can damage the gut lining.
Raw Grass-Fed Dairy: Includes probiotics and enzymes for digestion.
Berries and Dark Chocolate (85%+ Cocoa): Full of polyphenols that feed good bacteria.
💡 Pro Tip: Start every day with a gut-friendly breakfast like eggs cooked in grass-fed butter with a side of fermented veggies and avocado plus some berries.
7. Heal Digestive Enzyme Deficiencies
Your body produces digestive enzymes in your saliva, pancreas, and stomach to help you break down carbs, protein, and fats. Our soil use to be filled with enzymes to help break down our food but over time our soil became depleted. Also the older we are the less digestive enzymes we produce.
Symptoms of enzyme deficiency include:
Gas and bloating after meals.
Feeling like food is “just sitting” in your stomach.
Undigested food in your stool.
Fatigue or sugar cravings after eating.
How to Support Enzyme Activity
Fixing enzyme deficiencies is simple:
Relax at Meals: Eating in a calm state boosts stomach acid and enzyme production.
Take Digestive Enzymes: Use a full-spectrum formula with protease (for protein), lipase (for fats), and amylase (for carbs). Bioptimizers is the best one I found in the market.
Fix Gut Inflammation: Chronic inflammation decreases bile production and enzyme efficiency, so address the root causes like stress and poor diet.
Closing Thoughts
I know it’s a lot. It was for me as well.
Trying to piece all of this information took years for me, but I hope you don’t have to go through all the soul searching. Just come check out this article :)
Take a bite here and there, and see what feels good. That’s what it’s all about.
If you have serious gut health issues and nothing seems to work, there are plenty of amazing doctors and healers in this world that can help you. You are not alone. We are in this together. We fix our gut, our mind, our body and soul and we make this world a better place. You are special. You are talented. Keep going on this brilliant journey.
Let’s gooo! 🙌
I’m grateful to my partners who create amazing health & wellness products.
Disclaimer. I am not a doctor. This is just some random stuff I learned on the internet. Pretend it’s a story. Ok bye.
I have never had gut problems, so take this with a pinch of salt if you want. I drink aloe vera juice every day (first thing in the morning before anything) 120ml and have done since 2009. Result? I'm never sick (touch wood!). Is it because of aloe? Is it because I'm naturally calm? Is it because I can sleep through anything? Who knows? As I said, I'm not sure it is the aloe, but I'm not stopping to find out.
Also try kefir and kombucha. Both are very cheap and u can do them yourselves at home then they brew and ferment to your unique environment. Makes a HUGE difference.
Check out a cultured life.