Gut Health Matters

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In recent years, the topic of gut health has become increasingly popular and there are a lot of good reasons for that. With the decline in the quality of our diets, more and more people are suffering from poor gut health. It’s no surprise that many foods, supplements and medications that supposedly improve gut health have been gaining a lot of attention recently. There’s a good reason for that.

More and more research suggests that gut health is very important for your overall health and longevity. It also suggests that poor gut health causes digestive issues, heart disease, skin problems (acne, psoriasis, rosacea, etc.), poor immune system and mental problems (depression, anxiety, brain fog, autism, and more).

So, the question you’re probably asking yourself now is: “how do I know if my gut is healthy?”

In no particular order, if you:

• Have regular daily bowel movements
• Don’t often experience gas and bloating
• Feel good and have lots of energy (lack of which can be caused by many other things, though)
• Don’t experience big weight swings on the scales (usually caused by constipation or water retention)
• Don’t get diarrhoea frequently
• Have an overall healthy and balanced diet

You probably have good gut health. However, some symptoms from above (such as weight swings or feeling fatigued) can also be caused by other issues; so do be conscious of that fact.

 

Symptoms of poor gut health

As we mentioned above, having poor gut health will likely result in a combination of symptoms, not just one or two. Don’t jump the gun right away if you tick off one or two boxes.

• You have digestive issues often; diarrhoea, gasses, constipation and/or heartburn/acid reflux
• Your breath smells bad despite taking good care of your oral health
• Your stools smell really bad and may not have the normal, brown colour
• You’re experiencing depression, anxiety, brain fog, low energy and irritability
• You’ve got skin problems such as acne, psoriasis, rosacea, etc.
• Your body weight is going up and down
• You’re not sleeping well

These are the most common symptoms and if you’re experiencing a combination of them, you should take note.

 

What impacts our gut health?

There are a multitude of factors that affect our gut health, such as certain medications, excessive stress and taking antibiotics. However, there is one major player that has the biggest impact on our gut health; nutrition.

You can manage your stress well, take dietary supplements, stay active and avoid antibiotics at all cost, but if your nutrition is poor, you won’t have a healthy gut. It really is as simple as that.

Classic signs of poor nutrition include excessive alcohol consumption, very high salt and fat intake, eating lots of junk food, eating very few fruits and vegetables and generally eating mostly fried and deep-fried foods.

 

Four ways to improve your gut health

1. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables

Fruits and veggies provide our bodies with the much-needed fibre, as well as many vitamins and minerals which are needed for healthy functioning. Fibre is very important for proper digestion of food and overall gut health. Aside from fruits and vegetables, you should also increase your intake of legumes, seeds, nuts and whole grains.

Many vitamins and minerals are also needed for optimal gut health and microbiome.

 

2. Eat probiotic-rich foods

The next step to encourage good gut health is to eat more probiotic-rich foods. Such are yoghurt (unsweetened variety), kefir, pickles, kimchi and tempeh.

Probiotics are healthy gut bacteria which promote a healthy digestive tract, boost immune system function and fight against the development of certain diseases.  

 

3. Take a probiotic supplement

On the note of probiotics, taking it as a daily supplement is also a good idea. Probiotic supplements are relatively inexpensive to buy and one pill a day can be an excellent addition to a solid diet.

 

4. Manage your stress

Very high levels of stress can negatively impact our gut health. There are many ways to tackle stress, but a great way to reduce it is to find something enjoyable such as a hobby and find some time to practice it each day.

Next to diet, managing stress is the most powerful thing you can do to improve your gut health, and with that, your general health.

 

References:

• 12 Health Problems Caused by Your Gut. Accord Clinical Research. https://www.accordclinical.com/news/12-health-problems-caused-by-gut/
• How good gut health benefits mind and body. European Commission. http://ec.europa.eu/research/infocentre/article_    en.cfm?id=/research/headlines/news/article_17_10_05_en.html?infocentre&item=Infocentre&artid=45996