Why Its Important to Keep Your Gut Happy

Gut health is a BIG topic of late, more and more research is showing the connection between the gut and the brain - called the Gut-Brain Axis. This connection shows how our gut influences our brain and as a result EVERY aspect of our health.

in today's post we are going to take a look at why looking after our gut is so important.

Our guts contain microbes and these microbes affect your physiology and keep the body and brain functioning as they should. These microbes can affect the way we store fat, the balance of glucose in our blood, and how you respond to hormones that signal hunger or satiety.

Microbes or gut bacteria produce neurotransmitters that work to regulate your mood, controlling release of serotonin, dopamine and GABA.

Even more interesting is research has found that a nervous system located in the gut (this is known as the second brain) can communicate with the brain (the one in your head ;-) ) playing an important role in certain diseases and in mental health.

So, in other words the overall health of your body and mind depends largely on the health of your gut. So it's pretty damn important.

Naturally, the kinds of food you consume will play a vital role in how healthy your gut is. Let's take a look at what kinds of foods are best for the gut so you have a good idea of what to include.

The Good:

Fiber -

fibre plays a major role in gut health, keeping the cells in the colon healthy. It keeps the digestive tract flowing and ensuring your bowel movements remain soft and regular.

Fermented Foods -

Fermented foods boost healthy digestion, in turn promotes a healthy weight and boost our immunity. Fermented foods are an excellent way to get your level of good bacteria up, they act as a food form of probiotics. Some ideas here would be sauerkraut, kimchi, miso and kefir. And yogurt is also amazing.

Now we also have the obvious ones like green leafy veggies, fruits, and herbs and spices like garlic and ginger.

The Bad:

here are 2 of the main offenders

Alcohol -

we all know too much of this is never good, but it spells big trouble for your gut health. Alcohol is associated with negative changes in bacterial microbiome.

Artificial sweeteners -

This has been a hot topic for a while. Artificial sweeteners have been connected to shifts in bacterial populations in rat microbiome. with follow up studies showing a link to glucose intolerance. Human research has noted that the connection led to changes in our microflora.

some other factors include a diet high in saturated fat and high in animal protein (red meat mainly) and food additives.

We don't have to abstain from all of these "Bad" foods however creating a balance of foods focusing on what helps you feel good. By being mindful of how our bodies react to certain foods gives us the power to choose what to eat in a way that benefits our bodies. And if, like me, you are one of unlucky that do have gut/digestive issues you know what I mean by foods that make you feel good/foods that make you feel bad.

So to sum up - take care of your gut and your gut will take care of you!