Your body knows the difference between when you feed it real food versus chemicals — and it reacts accordingly. To improve your gut health, I recommend a 5R GI-restoration program:

1. Remove GPS and DNA. Gluten, processed foods, and sugar (GPS); as well as dairy, nicotine, and alcohol (DNA) are all bad for your gut health. You should also stop eating any foods you suspect you are allergic to or cannot tolerate. And top drinking soda, even the sugar-free kind.

2. Replace. Swap the foods you removed with a better diet that emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables, high-quality protein, and adequate healthy fats. Try to include some fermented foods in your daily diet as well.

3. Reinoculate your gut. Probiotic supplements will help restore and rebalance the beneficial bacteria and crowd out the harmful kind. The supplement should contain both L. acidophilus and B. lactis strains of bacteria.

4. Repair. Taking supplements such as the natural anti-inflammatory curcumin and omega-3 fatty acids can fix damage to your intestinal lining. The amino acid glutamine is a primary energy source for the cells that line your intestines. Taking supplements may really accelerate healing.

5. Retain the gains. You’ll lose the gains you’ve made if you let processed foods, sugar, and other harmful foods slip back into your diet. For maintenance, I recommend adding a daily multivitamin with phytonutrients, vitamin D supplements (2,000 to 5,000 IUs daily), and 2,000 to 4,000 mg fish oil each day.