Fit as fit can
The spring cure as the ultimate vitamin turbo

Do you feel the same way? You are looking forward to great outdoor activities and lots of nature in spring, but unfortunately you feel quite tired, listless and listless? Then we have a few helpful tips for you on how to get out of your current slump quickly and easily. You already feel great? Then a spring diet is still a sensible option! This will give you an extra booster to be well prepared against external influences such as environmental toxins or stress (also in the form of anxiety).

Gut well – all good?

Hippocrates already knew: “All diseases begin in the intestine.” And so it is not surprising that the most famous physician of antiquity also believed that the intestine was the father of all afflictions. How up-to-date this knowledge still is 2,500 years later is shown by our modern science, because it has long been proven that the intestine and its microbiome is responsible for about 80 % of our immune reactions and, moreover, about 70 % of the immune cells are located in our largest organ.

So if our intestines get out of sync, we usually notice it in a variety of ways. Starting with flatulence, constipation, diarrhea up to serious health effects such as chronic diseases. A well-maintained intestinal flora is therefore not only worth its weight in gold, but also the basis for our health and well-being.

The good-mood, bad-mood gut

Yes, you read correctly! Many emotions originate in the intestine. Before you think “What a nonsense!” you should ask yourself why the vernacular speaks of “butterflies in the stomach” or “love goes through the stomach”? Therefore listen to your “gut feeling” and read and be amazed:

The approximately 100 trillion living intestinal microorganisms provide a subliminal mood carpet by permanently communicating via nerve connections, hormones and other messenger substances.
Probiotic bacteria produce, among other things, neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and GABA, which have a massive influence on our mood. GABA – an inhibitory neurotransmitter – calms our nerves and certain brain regions when they show an overreaction due to negative stress, anxiety, depression or panic.
Approximately 95% of the known mood enhancer serotonin originates from the intestine, with the vagus nerve representing the central connection between the intestine and the brain, and 80% of it is continuously engaged in this activity.

“Spring is when the soul thinks colorful again.”

It’s greening and blooming, our mood is clearly more positive and life feels lighter overall. But what is the reason that spring makes us exhilarated and happy? Certainly from several factors, because in addition to the warmer temperatures and the more abundant fauna, fresh fruit and summer vegetables also provide a lot of joy in our intestines. Because if our intestines are happy, we are automatically somehow also…

Eat yourself happy!

As life is like that: Without Yin, also no Yang! And that means: Unfortunately, there are also many intestinal bacteria that can influence moods such as anxiety or depression. In this case, our originally balanced intestinal flora may be tilted and yeasts as well as pathogenic bacteria may have increased. The result can be a so-called dysbiosis, which manifests itself as follows:

Leaky gut syndrome (so-called holey intestinal wall)
Increased immune and inflammatory responses
Increase in anxiety and depression

The good news: The microbiome – in simple terms, our intestinal flora – adapts flexibly to our respective nutritional situation. So you can easily and actively contribute to making your gut feel good again! How exactly do you do that? You probably already know, by taking in more “well-meaning intestinal bacteria”. You could also simply say: Eat yourself happy!

With prebiotic and probiotic foods, you can succeed particularly well. While prebiotics – indigestible dietary fibers such as vegetables or our vitality product ColoSTABIL® – ensure that the bifidobacteria in the intestine feel particularly well, probiotics are living microorganisms. Prominent representatives here are the lactic acid bacteria or yeasts, which are usually found in lactic acid foods such as kefir, buttermilk or MyREGULATE.

Off to a (bowel) spring clean

After all the health background knowledge, we now come back to our original topic: the spring cure. Similar to the traditional cleaning of our four walls, the body is happy when we clean it internally again. And this cleaning, also called “Detox”, takes place for the most part in our intestines. The effect after a successfully completed cure: You feel more vital, fresher and full of energy. A radiant complexion, a few kilos less, a good mood and the strengthening of the body’s own defences are all included. For this reason, many people also like to practice the traditional “May potion”. This kind of immune cure goes back to the legendary abbess Hildegard von Bingen from the 12th century, who already knew in the Middle Ages about the importance of the intestine as well as the beneficial effect of medicinal and bitter herbs. And so, at the Maitrunk, a special wormwood potion is also drunk every third day in the morning from May to October to strengthen the vital forces.

However, since wormwood is certainly not suitable for everyone and from our point of view a spring cure should contain other important aspects, we have compiled some tips:

Listen to your gut and take care of your bowels by

rely more on probiotic foods such as buttermilk, kefir, yogurt or our MyREGULATE.
eat more bitter substances, because these already stimulate digestion in the mouth. The more you initially feel an aversion to the bitter substances, the more important they are! You can find them e.g. in chicory, radicchio, grapefruit, but also in our bitter herb aperitif HerbiGOLD (But beware: Here again alcohol is contained.).
you give up carbohydrates, junk food and sugar.
eats more dietary fiber or prebiotic foods. You can find more detailed information in our article “Dietary fiber – why is the intake so important? Suitable foods are many vegetables or our ColoSTABIL® and VitalBASE®. If you are unsure which foods are particularly suitable, then use our practical fiber table.
drink plenty of good water or unsweetened herbal teas – by the way, nettle or dandelion tea are helpful cure companions.
go to bed on time and thus give your body enough sleep.
take conscious breaks and relax, e.g. by taking a walk in nature, meditating or practicing yoga.
you have the urge to move. You don’t feel any or you don’t feel like it? Don’t worry, the desire to move usually comes from the cure on its own… if that should take, then just “close your eyes and get through it” and move moderately for about 30 minutes a day. Brisk walking, hula hooping or cycling are wonderful for this.
laugh a lot … but that comes automatically – you’ll see.

We wish you much success and a wonderful vital spring!