Cathal BarryA few tips to keeping your gut healthy
What we put into our stomachs plays a key role in how well we feel. Some people have trouble with digestion, which in turn can lead to an array of health problems.
Here are a few tips to keeping your gut healthy:
Inflammation
The bacteria living in our guts plays a role in the absorption of nutrients into your bloodstream. When you have abundant healthy bacteria in your gut, your body is able to effectively absorb nutrients from the food you eat. However, if you have more inflammatory 'bad' bacteria in your gut, pathogens and toxins are absorbed, while beneficial nutrients can be blocked.
Common symptoms of poor gut bacteria include all of the following:
- Getting sick frequently
- Constipation and indigestion
- Difficulty losing losing/gaining weight
To remedy an inflammatory gut, you need to eat in a way that promotes the growth of protective bacteria, and stop doing things that promote the growth of bad bacteria. You should:
- Avoid all drugs that arenít medically necessary, as antibiotics and use of other prescription drugs kill beneficial bacteria.
- Consume plenty of probiotic foods and consider taking a probiotic supplement.
- Eat a varied diet that is high in protein, vegetables and some fruits.
Intolerances
Poor digestion is not just about your gut bacteria. Another way it goes wrong is when you eat foods that your digestive system is not able to handle for some reason. Factors that cause us to be intolerant of certain foods include genetics and stress.
Common foods that people are intolerant of due to genetics include gluten, wheat, nuts, shellfish, lactose, eggs and soy. However, you can develop food intolerances to anything and people with poor guts are at a higher risk.
Digestion
Your intestines don't deal well with incompletely digested food. When large food particles reach your intestines, you arenít reaping the full benefits of the nutrition, and you're probably going to have digestive issues as a result.
Studies show you should be chewing each bite between 15 and 40 times to properly breakdown the food and get the reap the full rewards of the nutrition.
Taking digestive enzymes in supplement form can improve stomach acid and for many people this will solve the problem.
Stress
You may also experience digestive issues if you're under a lot of stress. Stress raises the hormone cortisol which drives the release of histamine, putting excessive pressure on your immune system. Histamine also leads to bloating and the release of other compounds that cause gut discomfort.
So, if you have a highly stressful life, try to focus on nutrition, sleep, hydration and deep breathing.
Taking some extra vitamin C and magnesium won't hurt either!