By Melissa Blake, ND

Circadian health might sound like a buzzword or the latest celebrity health trend, but it’s actually pretty important. You might not be familiar with the term “circadian health,” but it’s worth getting to know a little bit more about this often overlooked area of our health and wellness.

Circadian health refers to your body’s internal 24-hour clock and how your circadian rhythm influences how your body operates on a healthy sleep-wake schedule. The sleep-wake cycle influences a number of things from hormones to weight loss and various other aspects of health, so ensuring it’s optimized is important for overall health and wellness.^1-3 

Our internal clock

Our bodies have an amazing natural ability of keeping to a daily schedule via an internal 24-hour master clock. This clock contributes to the patterns, also known as circadian rhythms, of many biological activities including sleep-wake cycles, eating patterns, and hormone function.

Disruptions to this rhythm can impact health in many ways, often first appearing as changes in sleep, mood, and energy, with eventual negative outcomes that can include unwanted weight gain, memory issues, and digestive complaints.⁴

By Melissa Blake, ND     Metagenics

The evidence is overwhelming: diet matters. Much of the benefit of diet is related to the impact on the gastrointestinal system.

A few signs that your digestive system may not be working at its best include:

• Gas
• Bloating
• Discomfort
• Belching
• Cramps
• Changes in bowel movements (more frequent, less frequent, painful, urgent, loose, hard, changes in color, etc.)
• A bad taste in your mouth
• Changes in appetite

When it comes to optimal digestion, many foods and supplements support a strong digestive tract, while others do not and may even cause harm. This article is a discussion on the top five foods, or food-like substances, you may want to avoid or reduce for a happy and healthy gut.