Gut Health – What It Means to Feel It in Your Gut

Gut Health – What It Means to Feel It in Your Gut

Ever heard the saying, “I feel it in my gut”? Those people may actually be onto something from deep within the intuition of their own body. The gut to your body is just as important as your brain, and health experts acknowledge it as a cause of many illnesses and disease including type 2 diabetes, depression, autism and cancer.

Our body is filled with beneficial bacteria and organisms referred to as the microbiome, about 100 trillion to be exact. Specifically, there are ten microbial cells (90%) for every one human cell that calls our body home. These cells help us perform functions that sustain our life.

Scientists have uncovered that the human gut hosts a complex community of these organisms known as the gut microbiome, and are highly sensitive to what we eat. Our gut plays a fundamental role in breaking down and absorbing nutrients.

Poor dietary and lifestyle habits may be resulting in the wellbeing of your gut microbiome as well as your overall health.

1. Unhealthy Eating

Your microbiome thrives on a diet that is rich in nutrients. Processed foods, sugary snacks and bad fats will open the door for nasty bugs to flourish in your microbiome and likely cause acidic reactions, fatigue and sickness.

A diet for good gut health should include alkalized foods full of plenty of greens, sprouts, increased whole food fibre, and fermented foods like yoghurt and kefir. Foods to avoid include processed foods, high sugar content, gluten and MSG.

2. Medications

Antibiotics and many pharmacy medications fight off good bacteria as well as the bad. It’s important to remember to replenish your stocks of good bacteria if you take regular medication or antibiotics. Good bacteria can be regained through fermented foods and aids like Yakult and other probiotic supplements. 

3. The Contraceptive Pill

Although a great help for a lot of women, the pill can deplete your vitamin B12 levels, folate, and zinc as well as warding off some of your good bacteria. It’s important for women on the pill to focus on a diet with ample gut-healthy foods and supports.

4. Alcohol

Alcohol can increase acidity in your gut and alter the ecosystem of gut bacteria. It can be a leading factor to creating inflammation and a lesser absorption of nutrients from our foods, which also impacts on our cell nourishment.

5. Over Sanitization

Being too heavy-handed on sanitizers can create a bigger headache than worrying about having dirt-free hands! How are you supposed to build up an immunity to bugs without any exposure to them?

6. Stress Less

Stress is not good for anyone and causes blood to hurry away from our digestive tract and rush to support our vital organs. Stress over time can cause this lack of blood supply to our digestive tract and gastric secretions, thus resulting in poor gut health. Try to keep stress at bay by taking a moment to breathe and relax a little.

The gut is an important part of your body, and you need to make sure it is being cared for. A diet of nutritious foods and exercise is always a good place to start when it comes to promoting good health.

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