How I Healed My Gut After Antibiotics

A couple weeks ago, I had an unfortunate incident that led me to have to take antibiotics.

I know, I know. Antibiotics usually aren’t in my vocabulary, and I truly believe there are better methods to heal the body, but this was a one-off occurrence where I was in dire need of a quick resolution.

Background:

I spent a month in Central America with a couple weeks specifically in Costa Rica. After Costa Rica, I was headed on a long flight to Europe.

It was rainy season while I was there, which meant mosquitoes...lots of them. As my Costa Rican mom told me, it had been the worst mosquito season they had seen in years.

The last couple days I was there, I noticed my foot starting to hurt and swell. By the next day, while I was sitting at a coffee shop getting some work done, the swelling had easily tripled. At first I figured it would go down on its own, but it kept getting worse.

The pain became so bad that I started limping. At that point I knew it needed to be looked at. I was in a foreign country, had been bitten by mosquitoes and other bugs I had never seen before, and was about to begin a long trip to San José followed by a flight to Europe.

I went to the doctor and, luckily, she didn’t think there was any venom involved but there was no telling what bit me. She gave me antibiotics since my foot had become infected (which I was convinced I would not be taking). But by midnight, and after a day of staying off my foot, icing it, and putting it in salt water, the swelling remained… and even multiplied. The next day, everything looked the same and I had less than 24 hours before I would be starting a long trek to San Jose and an even longer trek to Europe.

At this point, I could barely walk, and given that I’ve had a scary experience in the past involving my lower extremities and long flights, I knew I couldn’t take the chance. With no time to heal using natural methods and no idea what had actually bitten me or how serious this infection could end up, I couldn’t risk it.

I took the antibiotics and immediately felt how off my stomach felt. And my stomach felt off for the next couple weeks….

After all, antibiotics don't just wipe out the harmful bacteria from your body but also take out a lot of the beneficial bacteria your gut relies on. While everyone's different, research shows it can take weeks, and in some cases even months, for your gut microbiome to fully recover.

Thankfully, I was able to get my gut feeling normal again. Here’s exactly what I did to heal it:

1. I didn't take any more medication.

I know a lot of people reach for another medication as soon as their stomach starts hurting, feeling weird or acting up. But after just finishing a round of antibiotics, the last thing I wanted to do was throw something else into the mix.

Instead, I wanted to give my gut a chance to recover on its own. My focus wasn’t on masking the symptoms… it was on supporting the healing process and giving my body the opportunity to rebalance after the antibiotics. After all, your body is constantly communicating what it needs. So if you’re feeling pain or discomfort, that’s a sign it needs attention.

2. I drank plenty of water

This one sounds simple, but it's something we often overlook. Hydration plays a role in nearly every function in the body, including digestion, nutrient absorption, circulation, and waste removal. It also helps prevent constipation, which can become more common after travel, changes in routine, and certain medications.

3. I prioritized fermented foods like sauerkraut and naturally fermented pickles.

Fermented foods naturally contain beneficial bacteria that can help support a healthy gut microbiome. Since antibiotics reduce both harmful and beneficial bacteria, I wanted to start reintroducing those good bacteria through whole foods rather than relying solely on supplements.

4. I ate probiotic-rich foods every single day.

Yogurt and kefir became staples for me over the next couple of weeks. I wasn't just having a spoonful here and there… I intentionally included them almost every day because I wanted to consistently give my gut beneficial bacteria to work with. If you're choosing yogurt, just make sure it contains live and active cultures and isn't loaded with added sugar.

5. I stayed on top of my electrolytes.

Most people think electrolytes are only important after a workout, but they play a role in hydration, muscle function, and many other processes throughout the body. Between the antibiotics, traveling, and the heat in Costa Rica, I wanted to make sure I wasn't just replacing water but also the minerals my body needed.

6. I avoided sugars, processed carbohydrates and artificial sweeteners

Diets containing added sugars and processed foods have been associated with reduced microbial diversity and increased inflammation in some studies. I wanted to give my gut the best possible environment to recover and re-grow its bacteria by focusing on nutrient-dense whole foods rather than making it more irritated.

7. I always ate before drinking coffee.

Coffee stimulates stomach acid production. Drinking it on an empty stomach can worsen stomach discomfort and dysregulate hormones, particularly when the digestive system is already irritated. Eating protein before caffeine helped my stomach tolerate coffee much better during recovery and provide a healthier environment for gut healing.

8. I ate plenty of vegetables, especially cooked ones.

Vegetables provide dietary fiber, which acts as a prebiotic. Unlike probiotics, prebiotics are the food that beneficial gut bacteria use to grow and thrive. While raw vegetables are healthy, I personally found cooked vegetables much easier to digest while my stomach was recovering. It allowed me to get fiber without making my digestive system work extra hard.

9. I mostly ate warm foods.

Warm, cooked foods are generally easier for the digestive system to process and help support healthy digestion, especially when the body is recovering from illness. Whether it's a warm bowl of soup, cooked vegetables, or herbal tea, I found that warm meals felt much gentler on my stomach than cold foods.

10. I prioritized healthy fats.

Healthy fats from foods like olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish provide essential fatty acids and help absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K. Rather than relying on heavily fried or ultra-processed foods, I focused on whole-food sources of fat to support overall health while recovering.

If I Had More Time...

If I hadn't been leaving the country the next day, these are the things I would have done to heal my foot rather than taking antibiotics:

1. Daily salt water soaks

Salt water has been used for centuries to help cleanse wounds and create an environment that's less favorable for bacterial growth. I would have continued soaking my foot daily to help keep the area clean and support the body's natural healing process.

2. Stayed off my foot as much as possible

Rest is one of the most overlooked aspects of healing. Every time I walked on my foot, it became more painful and swollen. If I had been staying in one place instead of preparing for a long travel day, I would have continued minimizing movement, elevating my foot above heart level whenever possible, and giving my body the opportunity to direct more energy toward healing.

3. Applying onion to the area

It may sound strange, but applying onion to an infected area is a traditional home remedy that has been passed down for generations in order to draw the infection out while supporting the body's natural healing process. Had I not been leaving the country the next day, it's one of the natural approaches I would have continued using.

Although I'm not happy that I had to take antibiotics, this experience reminded me of something important: sometimes our greatest lessons come from the moments we'd rather avoid.

It gave me the opportunity to revisit everything I know about supporting gut health and, more importantly, to share it with you. My hope is that if you ever find yourself in a situation where antibiotics are necessary or that your gut health is not the best, you'll walk away from this knowing there are things you can do to help support your gut and your body's recovery.

Sometimes life gives us experiences we never wanted, but if they allow us to help someone else, they become meaningful in a whole new way.

-HHE