Understanding
Your Gut
Your gut is the foundation of your entire body — not just digestion, but immunity, energy, and even how you feel emotionally. Before anything else can heal, this is where we begin.
Your Gut Does Far More Than Digest
Most people think of the gut as simply the place food passes through. But functional nutrition teaches us something different: the gut is the control center of your entire body.
It houses approximately 70% of your immune cells, produces over 90% of your body's serotonin, and communicates constantly with your brain through what scientists call the gut-brain axis. When your gut is out of balance, you don't just feel digestive discomfort — you may experience fatigue, brain fog, mood swings, skin problems, and chronic illness.
The gut microbiome contains trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When that community is in balance — diverse and thriving — your whole body benefits. When it's disrupted, it creates a ripple effect that touches nearly every system.
Courtney's whole-body approach begins here because it must. Gut health is not a trend — it is the biological underpinning of nearly everything else.
Signs Your Gut Needs Support
Many people don't realize their gut is struggling because the symptoms often appear in unexpected places. Watch for these common signals:
- Bloating or gas after meals
- Chronic fatigue or low energy
- Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
- Mood swings or anxiety
- Frequent illness or slow recovery
- Skin conditions (eczema, acne, rashes)
- Food sensitivities or intolerances
- Irregular or uncomfortable digestion
If you recognize yourself in two or more of these, your gut microbiome is asking for attention. The good news: it responds well to care.
The Gut-Brain Connection
One of the most powerful shifts in functional nutrition is understanding that your gut and brain are in constant conversation. The vagus nerve runs from your brain stem down to your gut — and about 80% of the signals travel upward, from gut to brain.
This means that when your gut is inflamed or imbalanced, your mental and emotional state is directly affected. Healing your gut is not just physical healing. It is emotional healing too.
Where are you starting from?
Before we begin healing, it helps to know what you're healing from. Take a moment to write honestly — no judgment, just observation.
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Module 1 Checklist
Whole Foods
as Medicine
"Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food." Every healing protocol Courtney uses begins with this principle — not because it's simple, but because it is foundational.
What Whole Foods Actually Are
Whole foods are foods as close to their natural state as possible — unprocessed, unrefined, and rich in the nutrients your body was designed to use. Not a health food trend. Not a restrictive diet. A return to the way your body knows how to be nourished.
When you eat whole foods, you are providing your gut with the complex fiber, natural enzymes, vitamins, and minerals it needs to maintain a healthy microbiome. When you eat highly processed foods, you are often feeding inflammation instead.
Why Processing Is the Problem
Processed foods are engineered to override your body's natural fullness signals, strip out fiber (the primary food source for beneficial gut bacteria), and introduce artificial additives that disrupt the gut lining.
The fiber in whole foods feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut microbiome. When you eat a diverse range of fiber-rich plants, you grow a more diverse and resilient microbiome — which means better immunity, digestion, and mood.
This is not about perfection. It's about shifting the majority of your eating toward foods that support your gut rather than burden it.
Building a Whole Foods Plate
Courtney's whole-foods framework emphasizes variety over restriction:
- Colorful vegetables
- Seasonal fruits
- Whole grains (oats, quinoa, brown rice)
- Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans)
- Quality proteins (eggs, fish, poultry)
- Healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, nuts)
- Seeds (chia, flax, hemp)
- Herbs and spices
Aim for variety across the week. Your gut microbiome thrives on diversity — eating 30 different plant foods per week has been shown to significantly improve microbial diversity.
Simple Swaps to Start Today
You don't need to overhaul everything at once. Start with small, sustainable shifts:
- White bread → whole grain sourdough
- Flavored yogurt → plain Greek + fruit
- Packaged snacks → nuts + apple
- Vegetable oil → olive or avocado oil
- Sugary drinks → water + sliced citrus
- Cereal → oatmeal with seeds
Your relationship with whole foods
Honest self-assessment is the beginning of real change. There are no wrong answers here.
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Module 2 Checklist
Fermented Foods
& Probiotics
Fermented foods are one of the most powerful gut-healing tools available — and they've been used in traditional cultures for thousands of years. Adding them to your diet is one of the most direct ways to nourish your gut microbiome.
What Fermented Foods Do
Fermentation is a natural process where bacteria and yeast convert sugars in food into acids or alcohol. This process creates live, beneficial bacteria — probiotics — that survive into your gut and help rebalance your microbiome.
Courtney consistently recommends incorporating fermented foods as part of a gut-healing protocol because they provide living reinforcements to your gut's existing bacterial community.
Probiotics from food are distinct from isolated probiotic supplements. Food-based probiotics come packaged with fibers, enzymes, and other co-factors that help them survive and thrive in your gut environment.
Fermented Foods Worth Starting With
- Plain yogurt (live cultures)
- Kefir (dairy or coconut)
- Sauerkraut (refrigerated)
- Kimchi
- Kombucha (low sugar)
- Miso paste
- Tempeh
- Pickles (naturally fermented)
Important: Look for the words "live and active cultures" on the label. Pasteurized or heat-processed versions will not provide the same benefit — the heat kills the beneficial bacteria.
Starting Slowly (It Matters)
If fermented foods are new to you, begin with small amounts — a few tablespoons of sauerkraut, a small portion of yogurt, a half glass of kombucha. Your gut needs time to adjust to an influx of new bacteria.
Some people experience temporary bloating or digestive shifts when they begin. This is normal and usually settles within 1–2 weeks as your microbiome adapts. Build slowly and listen to your body.
Don't Forget Prebiotics
Probiotics need food too. Prebiotics are the specific fibers that feed beneficial bacteria. Think of probiotics as the seeds and prebiotics as the soil. You need both.
- Garlic
- Onions
- Leeks
- Asparagus
- Bananas (slightly underripe)
- Oats
- Jerusalem artichoke
- Cauliflower
Your probiotic baseline
Take stock of what's already in your diet before adding more.
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Module 3 Checklist
Anti-Inflammatory
Eating
Chronic gut inflammation is at the root of most digestive disorders and many chronic illnesses. What you eat directly determines the level of inflammation in your gut — and certain foods are remarkably powerful at reversing it.
What Gut Inflammation Looks Like
Inflammation is the gut's immune response — it's not always bad. In the short term, it helps your body heal. But chronic, low-grade inflammation in the gut is the driver behind IBS, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, leaky gut, and many other conditions.
Foods high in refined sugars, vegetable oils, and artificial additives signal the gut to stay in a state of alarm. Anti-inflammatory foods send the opposite signal: your system can stand down and heal.
Turmeric, ginger, and omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish are among the most well-studied natural anti-inflammatories. They work by modulating cytokine production — the same pathways targeted by many anti-inflammatory medications, but without the side effects.
Foods That Reduce Inflammation
- Fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel)
- Leafy greens (kale, spinach, arugula)
- Berries (blueberries, raspberries, cherries)
- Turmeric (with black pepper to activate)
- Ginger (fresh or dried)
- Walnuts and flaxseeds
- Olive oil (extra virgin)
- Green tea
Foods That Increase Inflammation
Just as important as adding the right foods is reducing the ones that fuel the fire:
- Refined sugar and corn syrup
- Refined vegetable oils (soybean, sunflower)
- Processed meats (hot dogs, deli meats)
- White flour and bread products
- Artificial trans fats
- Alcohol (in excess)
- Artificial sweeteners
- Highly processed packaged snacks
You don't need to eliminate everything at once. Reducing frequency matters — a diet that's 80% anti-inflammatory gives your gut the environment it needs to heal.
Building Anti-Inflammatory Habits
A few simple habits make this approach sustainable:
Color your plate. The more colorful the vegetable mix, the wider the range of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Aim for 3–4 colors per meal.
Cook with turmeric and ginger. Add to soups, stir-fries, smoothies, or teas. They don't have to be prominent flavors — a teaspoon here and there adds up.
Choose fatty fish twice a week. Salmon, sardines, and mackerel are highest in omega-3s. Canned versions are just as beneficial and far more affordable.
Your inflammation picture
Awareness is the first step toward change.
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Module 4 Checklist
Hydration
for Healing
Water is the most overlooked gut-healing tool. Your digestive system depends on adequate hydration at every stage — from enzyme production, to nutrient absorption, to the movement of waste. Most people are mildly dehydrated most of the time.
How Water Supports Your Gut
Water is involved in nearly every digestive process:
- Breaks down food for digestion
- Dissolves soluble fiber (prebiotic food)
- Helps beneficial bacteria thrive
- Keeps the gut lining moist and functional
- Supports regular, comfortable digestion
- Flushes waste and toxins efficiently
When you're dehydrated, digestion slows, stool hardens, and the gut microbiome can become stressed. Consistent hydration is non-negotiable gut support.
Your Daily Hydration Goal
Courtney's general guideline: at least half your body weight in ounces of water daily. If you weigh 150 lbs, aim for 75 oz (about 9 cups). This is a starting point — adjust for activity, climate, and how you feel.
Drink a full glass of room-temperature water first thing in the morning before coffee or food. This rehydrates your system after sleep, stimulates digestive juices, and wakes up gut motility — gently preparing your system for the day.
Herbal Teas for Gut Healing
Herbal teas count toward your hydration and many offer targeted gut-healing benefits. These are Courtney's recommended herbal allies:
- Ginger tea — reduces nausea, bloating, and inflammation
- Chamomile — calms gut spasms and the nervous system
- Peppermint — relieves IBS symptoms and gas
- Licorice root — soothes the gut lining
- Slippery elm — coats and protects the gut wall
- Fennel — eases bloating and cramps
- Marshmallow root — anti-inflammatory gut support
- Green tea — antioxidants that reduce gut inflammation
Infused Water: Making Hydration Enjoyable
If plain water feels boring, infused water gives you flavor with added benefits. Add sliced cucumber + mint, lemon + ginger, or berries + basil to a pitcher in your fridge. Sip throughout the day.
What to avoid: Sugary drinks, diet sodas, and excessive caffeine all work against your hydration goals and can disrupt your gut microbiome. Replace one a day with herbal tea or infused water and notice the difference.
Your hydration honest check
Most people discover they're significantly under-hydrated when they actually track it.
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Module 5 Checklist
You've completed
Techniques for Gut Healing.
You now have five practical techniques rooted in functional nutrition — and more importantly, you understand why each one works.
Healing is not linear. Return to any module whenever you need a reminder. Download your workbook to keep your reflections and checklists in one place.
"Our food should be our medicine & our medicine should be our food."