Did you know that your Gut is responsible for your overall well-being?
Your Gut sits at the core of your mental and physical health and impacts your overall health, mood and weight. When your Gut is out of balance, not only is your digestion compromised, but it triggers inflammation in your body, which in turn brings upon a multitude of inflammation related health problems, such as: IBS and other digestive related ailments, depression, weight gain, migraines, autoimmune diseases, food allergies and sensitivities, all the way to cancers.
It’s more than just a gut feeling!
There is a strong body of evidence regarding the connection between the Gut and the brain. Research shows that the composition of our microbiome (the collection of microbes and bacteria found in our Gut) could impact how we feel. That could explain why when we eat a diet full of sugars and refined carbs we are left feeling spacey, tired and later on depressed.
More than 70% of your body’s bacteria is found in the Gut and what you eat directly impacts the composition of the microbiome. It is important that we maintain a healthy balance of the good (beneficial) bacteria versus bad bacteria, in order for our Gut to function properly (about 80 to 20 ratio is ideal).
A well balanced Gut helps us fully digest the food, properly absorb nutrients from food, and keeps us at bay from infections and viruses. For that, we need to increase the intake of beneficial bacteria (known as probiotic) through our diet or/and probiotic supplements.
Top 5 disruptors of the Gut balance
Our Gut gets depleted of beneficial bacteria as a result of:
♥ Recurring use of antibiotics and steroids (even one round of antibiotic a year creates havoc in our digestive system)
♥ Chemicals and pesticides found in our food or environment
♥ Excessive consumption of refined sugars and carbs (white flour, white sugar, high fructose corn syrup)
♥ Excessive alcohol consumption
♥ Artificial sweeteners
How to improve your Gut health
In order to improve your Gut health you should focus on reducing the consumption of Gut hurting foods and increasing the consumption of foods containing beneficial bacteria. Therefore, aside from considering adding a potent probiotic supplement, you should focus on consuming more of the following foods:
♥ Fermented foods, such as vegetables in brine (e.g. sauerkraut, pickles)
♥ Kefir
♥ Yogurt (unsweetened)
♥ Umeboshi ( pickled ume fruits found in Japan, translated in English as “Japanese salt plums)
♥ Miso soup
♥ Tempeh
♥ Kimchi (traditional fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables, mainly cabbage with a variety of seasonings)
♥ Kombucha tea/drink (a type of fermented tea you can find typically in health stores)
The truth is, I could talk about Gut health and ways of healing your Gut for days, as I am living proof of the devastating effects an unbalanced Gut could have on our overall health. That’s why healing the Gut is my main focus when coaching clients for improving their health, weight and mood.
As you can see, healthy Gut equates to healthy body and mind. Therefore, it’s important you pay attention to what you eat and learn to listen to your Gut!
If you want to learn more about how to heal your gut and finally live a healthy-zesty life I invite you to check out my book “Your Healthy Zesty Life“. I talk a lot about the importance of a healthy gut, how to heal it and what other practices to implement in your life outside diet for promoting healing and feeling healthy and vibrant again!
Do you have any questions or Gut stories you’d like to share with me? Send them my way! I’d love to hear from you.
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