How to Press the "Reset" Button On Your Gut

The Seed Digest:

• Certain elements of celebrations (i.e., fatty foods, alcohol, late nights) can temporarily disrupt the gut microbiome.
• These disruptions can interfere with digestion and cause temporary bloating and irregularity.
• Seed’s DS-01^® Daily Synbiotic is a recovery ally, packed with bacteria that restore healthy gut function during times of occasional disruption.*

Indulgence is the spice of life. Ordering the over-the-top meal on vacation, staying up late to catch up with friends, drinking in celebration with loved ones—these are occasions to cherish and savor. Guilt doesn’t need to be part of the equation, and gut issues don’t need to leave you with regrets.

Follow our game plan to help your gut reset, recover, and get back on track quickly after a treat-yourself moment.

The Top Gut Microbiome Disruptors

Let’s double-click on how certain elements of celebrations can impact the gut on their way down: 

• Delicious as they may be, foods that are high in saturated fat (like red meat) can slow intestinal transit time (how long it takes food to travel through the GI tract) and make stool harder to pass.¹ Plus, their high sulfur content can cause the stools that do touch down in the toilet to take on a funky odor.² Other types of trans fats (baked goods, fried foods) may disrupt gut microbiota composition and contribute to slower transit times, leading to some, shall we say, unnecessary roughness in the bathroom,³ while added sugars can weaken the all-important gut barrier.^4,5
• Alcoholic beverages can also be a buzzkill for the gut. As ethanol (the active component in alcohol) is processed, it can harm the mucosal lining of the gut. This increase in gut permeability can open the door for toxins to escape the gut and circulate throughout the body, triggering inflammation.⁶ Certain bevs, like beer, also contain additives such as high-fructose corn syrup and artificial colors and flavors. These have been linked to disruptions in the gut microbiome that could contribute to digestive issues over time.^7,8  Plus, the ensuing dehydration leads to slower transit time in the gut, which can result in the overgrowth of harmful bacteria and a decreased diversity of beneficial microbes.⁹

To add insult to injury, research suggests that once you throw more than one disruption into the mix, the impact on the gut microbiome can multiply (i.e., drinking alcohol and having a poor night of sleep can disrupt your gut more than either stressor alone).^10,11 

The disruptions listed above can shift the composition of the gut microbiome in as little as 24 hours (sigh).¹² And when the microbiome is destabilized, our guts are less equipped to defend against harmful bacteria, fungi, or other pathogenic microbes.

If left unchecked, these changes can impair the microbiome’s ability to break down dietary fiber into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the long run. Certain SCFAs, like acetate and butyrate, act as premium-grade fuel for intestinal cells and they help form a strong barrier between the gut and the rest of the body.^13,14 Without them, our guts are not as well-defended from disruptors, putting us more at risk of future digestive issues. 

Your Gut Recovery Game Plan

To get your gut health back on track after a big night has you feeling down, it’s important to give your “good” gut bacteria the materials they need to restabilize. In the days that follow, eat plenty of fiber-rich plants, fermented foods, and healthy omega-3 fats, and consider taking a science-backed probiotic for a more rapid reboot. 

Probiotics contain targeted bacteria strains that, when delivered to the gut, help outcompete potentially harmful bacteria and restore balance in the microbiome. Different strains of bacteria have their own unique strengths. Some support digestion while others synthesize vitamins or modulate immune function.^15,16 

The 24 strains in Seed’s DS-01^® Daily Synbiotic act as a winning recovery team to rapidly restore healthy gut function during times of occasional disruption.*¹⁷ Our ViaCap^® capsule-in-capsule technology protects these strains from stomach acid, digestive enzymes, and bile salts. This helps ensure that they survive the earlier phases of digestion to reach the colon, where they can get to work quickly.

Unlike most probiotics companies, we run double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials (the MVP of scientific research) on our products to ensure the individual ingredients work together. Once in the colon, the strains in DS-01^® are scientifically shown to help the resident microbes in your gut strengthen the intestinal barrier and produce healthy gut metabolites—leading to less bloat and discomfort and smoother, more regular bowel movements, stat.*

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• How can I reset my gut naturally? Taking a probiotic supplement, particularly one that has been clinically tested, like DS-01^® Daily Synbiotic, can help quickly replenish beneficial gut bacteria during times of occasional disruption.*
• What should I eat to reset my gut? Everyone’s different, but a diet that’s rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, grains, and fermented foods tends to be best for the gut microbiome. Dig deeper into the best diet for gut health here.

The Key Insight

Though they’re nothing to feel guilty about, occasional indulgences can disturb gut health. Keep Seed’s DS-01^® Daily Synbiotic on hand to help your microbiome recover quickly so you can feel like yourself again.*