Charlie Munger used to say that all he wanted to know was where he was going to die, so he would never go there. I love that principle. Sometimes the fastest way to figure out what to do is to get crystal clear on what not to do.

So let's play a game. If I woke up tomorrow and wanted to wreck my gut as efficiently as possible, here's exactly how I'd do it. (Spoiler: a lot of us are already running parts of this playbook without realizing it!)

Why does this matter? Your gut is home to trillions of microbes that help regulate digestion, immunity, inflammation, and even mood. Treat them well and they work for you. Treat them poorly and they start working against you.

Let's count down.

6) Go Full Carnivore

Want to starve your best bacteria? Stop feeding them. In a landmark study published in Nature, researchers put people on an entirely animal-based diet for just five days. The result? A rise in bile-tolerant microbes (Alistipes, Bilophila, and Bacteroides) and a drop in the Firmicutes that ferment plant fibers into beneficial compounds. One of those bile-tolerant bugs, Bilophila wadsworthia, has been linked to inflammatory bowel disease.

Five days! Now imagine five years.

Your fiber-loving bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, which fuel the cells lining your colon and help keep inflammation in check. Take away the plants and you take away their food. Meat isn't the enemy here (I eat plenty of it). Eliminating everything else is.

5) Binge Drink

Nothing says "I don't care about my microbiome" like five drinks on a Friday night, followed by five more on Saturday.

Repeated heavy drinking disrupts the balance of gut bacteria and weakens the intestinal barrier, allowing bacterial byproducts to slip into the bloodstream. That's what people mean by "leaky gut." Large analyses of people with alcohol use disorder consistently show fewer butyrate-producing bacteria and more endotoxin-producing ones. Researchers have even found that alcohol-related gut changes can feed back into the brain, driving anxiety and cravings.

In other words, the habit protects itself. Sneaky, right?

4) Take Antibiotics Every Time You Feel Flu-y

Here's a fun fact: the flu is a virus. Antibiotics kill bacteria. So taking them for the flu does nothing for the flu and plenty to your gut.

Antibiotics are a gift when you truly need them (please take them when your doctor prescribes them for a bacterial infection!). But they don't discriminate between the bad guys and the good guys. Even a short course can reduce microbial diversity, and while most people largely recover over a few weeks, some species never come back. A 2026 study of nearly 15,000 adults found that certain antibiotics were associated with altered gut bacteria four to eight years after use.

Reach for them casually and you're clear-cutting a forest to get rid of a few weeds.

3) Overeat: High Saturated Fat, Excess Sugar, Low Fiber

If carnivore is the targeted strike, the standard Western diet is the slow siege.

Researchers compared four days of fast food with four days of a Mediterranean diet. The fast food drove up bile-tolerant bacteria (including our friend Bilophila) and knocked down the fiber-fermenters. The Mediterranean diet did the opposite. Four days was enough to see the difference!

Pile on excess calories, refined sugar, and saturated fat while skipping vegetables, beans, and whole grains, and you're running a famine for the good guys and a buffet for the troublemakers. A 2026 systematic review of 80 controlled trials confirmed the pattern: Western and animal-heavy diets reduced short-chain fatty acid producers, while high-fiber, plant-forward diets increased them.

2) Eat at Midnight, Then Sleep Five Hours

Your gut has a clock. Your microbes shift their composition and activity throughout the day, and they take their cues largely from when you eat and when you sleep.

So what happens when you scarf down nachos at midnight and get up at five? You scramble the signal. Short sleep and circadian misalignment are associated with dysbiosis, a weaker gut barrier, and higher inflammation. Even "social jetlag" (sleeping on a totally different schedule on weekends) has been linked to a less favorable gut microbiome.

Want the opposite? Close the kitchen two to three hours before bed and protect seven to nine hours of sleep. Your microbes (and your waistline) will thank you.

1) Never Move

And the number one way to destroy your gut? Sit. All day. Every day.

Movement literally moves things along. Regular moderate exercise speeds up intestinal transit, which lowers your risk of constipation, and structured exercise programs have been shown to reduce symptoms of chronic constipation and IBS. Exercise is also associated with a richer microbiome and more of those butyrate-producing bacteria. A meta-analysis of 25 trials found that exercise increased gut microbial diversity in adults.

How much does it take? The research points to 30 to 90 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity, three or more times per week, for at least eight weeks. That's not a marathon. That's a habit.

Flip the Script

Read that list again and do the opposite:

• Eat plenty of plants alongside quality protein
• Drink rarely, if at all
• Save antibiotics for when you truly need them
• Keep your plate balanced and high in fiber
• Close the kitchen early and guard your sleep
• Move your body every day

None of this is glamorous. All of it is self-mastery. And self-mastery is never the end goal. It's what frees you to give yourself fully to God and to the people He has placed in your life. A healthy gut means more energy for your spouse, your kids, your work, and your mission.

If you're ready to build these habits with a coach in your corner, book a free discovery call with our team today. We'll meet you where you are and help you take the next right step.

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References

1. David LA, et al. Diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the human gut microbiome. Nature. 2014. doi:10.1038/nature12820
2. Litwinowicz K, et al. Microbiome alterations in alcohol use disorder and alcoholic liver disease. Int J Mol Sci. 2023. doi:10.3390/ijms24032461
3. Leclercq S, et al. Intestinal permeability, gut-bacterial dysbiosis, and behavioral markers of alcohol-dependence severity. PNAS. 2014. doi:10.1073/pnas.1415174111
4. Pallejà A, et al. Recovery of gut microbiota of healthy adults following antibiotic exposure. Nature Microbiology. 2018. doi:10.1038/s41564-018-0257-9
5. Baldanzi G, et al. Antibiotic use and gut microbiome composition links from individual-level prescription data of 14,979 individuals. Nature Medicine. 2026. doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04284-y
6. Zhu C, et al. Human gut microbiome composition and tryptophan metabolites were changed differently by fast food and Mediterranean diet in 4 days. Nutrition Research. 2020. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2020.03.005
7. Aslam H, et al. Dietary interventions and the gut microbiota: a systematic literature review of 80 controlled clinical trials. J Transl Med. 2026. doi:10.1186/s12967-025-07428-9
8. Matenchuk BA, et al. Sleep, circadian rhythm, and gut microbiota. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2020. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101340
9. Bermingham K, et al. Social jetlag, gut microbial composition, diet and cardiometabolic health in the ZOE PREDICT 1 cohort. Eur J Nutr. 2023. doi:10.1007/s00394-023-03204-x
10. Min LZ, et al. Effects of exercise on gut microbiota of adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2024. doi:10.3390/nu16071070
11. Boytar AN, et al. The effect of exercise prescription on the human gut microbiota. Nutrients. 2023. doi:10.3390/nu15061534
12. Trojnar K, et al. How exercise affects gut bacteria and stomach problems: a summary review. Quality in Sport. 2026. doi:10.12775/qs.2026.54.70881
13. Idea credit to Dr. Karan Rajan

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