Dear Reader,
Despite all the things that can go wrong with our gut and all the ways we can damage our GI tract, there are a lot of ways we can help things go right as well as actions we can take to heal or improve the GI system. Every time we enjoy a meal—be it french fries and a hamburger, or kale and black-eyed peas—we potentially change our microbiome. How we make that change is up to us, but for healthy change to occur, we must want to do it.
Change, as most of us know, can be hard to sustain. But when a new habit has a purpose that we value—such as eating food that supports the health of our body and brain—it’s much easier. The best way to make something a habit is to have a goal that is important to you.
Although there are endless food options available to us, many of them are not at all compatible with a healthy gut. It is a daily challenge to make the correct choices to help your gut have a fighting chance. These choices are sometimes not easy to make and may require discipline and purpose. When the pursuit of excellent health is our primary goal, we can take steps to reach it. Deciding that this pursuit is our mission is a process, and taking the first step can begin to shift our behaviors. And solidifying this behavior—making it habitual—is the key. | 
