Gut health is very crucial not only for your diet but also for so many aspects, from your food digestion and metabolism to your hydration
Poor Gut health can tremendously affect all aspects of life, from constant fatigue to low energy, upset stomachs, poor sleep patterns, and skin problems. Simply, the nutrition you are consuming is not being absorbed properly. Healthy well-being will always start with your digestive system.
What does Gut health mean?
- GUT MICROBIOTA
Gut microbiota is a tiny organisms living in your intestines consisting of Trillions of Microorganisms, Bacteria, and parasites. They shelter in our body and also live on the nutrients
Those microorganisms play vital roles in our digestive system. They act as a garden, so either they are healthy and provide an efficient aid for digestion, or they are depleted and they will upset the whole system
The Microbiota’s importance can be described as a whole organ, as some scientists do,
The food that we consume is very complicated, from complex carbs, to vegetables, to different protein types, to different fats, so Bacteria play a very important role in providing the necessary enzymes and acids to break down those complicated nutrients. As most of the enzymes produced are from the gut bacteria
On the other hand, bacteria also produce short-chain fatty acids, which feed the gut lining cells which keep your gut healthy
2. IMMUNE SYSTEM
80% of your immune system cells are in your gut, that can tells you how important your gut health is, which is why when we get bacterial infections, we lose our energy completely
The short-chain fatty acids directly affect our immune system by preventing the bacterial toxins from flowing to our bloodstream also have anti-inflammatory properties for our gut
3. Gut-Brain connection
The Gut and Brain communicate through a series of nerves, immune cells, and Hormones, so the brain acts like a controller and also a sensing part for the gut
The nerve network communicates directly to and from the brain and gives it the necessary data needed to interact, like the digestive performance, so those nerves act in both ways in communication
The hormones released from the gut as serotonin and dopamine so the healthier the gut, the higher the levels of serotonin and dopamine, and those hormones regulate mood and positive feelings The more you receive those hormone,s the more your mood is better
Signs of an Unhealthy Gut
Stress, lack of sleep, stomach upset constantly or for long hours, headache, heartburn
Causes of Unhealthy Gut
- Eating an unhealthy diet
- High consumption of sweets or sugar
- Poor sleep pattern
- Stomach infection (virus)
- Food intolerance
- very high fiber consumption
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
- Consuming uncooked meat, fish, or chicken
- Overconsumption of certain sweeteners, especially polyols or sugar alcohols (Sorbitol, Xylitol, Erythritol, and Maltitol)
- Overconsumption of fruits that contain sugar alcohol as well
- Overconsumption of oats (for some individuals)
If you have these issues, first, you have to check with your doctor. However
If you do not have a certain disease, food intolerance, or infection, then you probably need to reset and improve your gut health, as the blog title suggests:
How to Improve Gut Health
- Cardio (preferably fasted)
- Regular workout
- Reducing high-lactose products
- Reducing Gluten
- Eating fibers
- Taking one tablet of Probiotic daily
- Taking digestive enzymes 30 minutes before the meal
- Adjusting sleep pattern and duration
- Drinking more water
- Eat slowly and chew the food properly
- Consuming fermented food like yogurt and kefir
- Consuming one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per day
