Do you find yourself waking up feeling sluggish? 

That bloated feeling pretty much all day long? 

Skin looks dull and your hair feels dry?

Trouble with concentration? 

Gassy and at times painful stomach issues? 

Well, these are all signs you have poor gut health and a sign to do something to work on your INNER health 

When we think of “gut health” we usually just think about how our stomach digests our food and yes this is one aspect however our gut health goes much further than that 

A healthy gut helps regulate our immune system, energy, produce and regulates hormones and removes toxins from our bodies 

“Your digestive system contains a healthy amount of bacteria, which helps regulate your digestion, benefits your immune system and, ultimately, contributes to your body’s overall regulation,” says Rouenne Seeley, D.O., a board-certified gastroenterologist who serves as the clinical assistant professor of medicine at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, and is an associate at Geisinger Medical Center. “When the bacteria in your gut becomes imbalanced, you’ll likely experience physical symptoms like gas, bloating, irritated bowel, heartburn and even unintentional weight gain or loss.”

Research has also shown that our gut and mental health are deeply connected 

In studies researching the connection between anxiety or depression with gut health they have shown that the nerves, in individuals in a prolonged anxious state, that stimulate the brain are constantly firing and at the same so are those in the GI Tract. This resulted in inflammation in the GI tract and as the inflammation worsened so did the psychological symptoms. 

Stress as we know has huge impacts on our mental and physical health. One of the biggest imapcts stress has physically to our body is in our gut. Stress inflames our intestines causing bloating, sensitivity to food and a stream of issues in digestion

So how do we keep this bacteria balanced?

Firstly lets break down what makes up the Gut Microbiome 

Our gut is one of the bodies most vital organs since it’s home to approximately 100 trillion micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses) 

These micro organisms work together in digesting food, protecting against pathogens and keeping metabolic functions in check for the body

When all these micro organisms are in good health we dont really feel anything, we just feel good 

However when they go out of sync these is why when we start to notice some or all of the symptoms i opened with – the skin issues, bloating, fatigue, broken sleep, gassy stomach issues and so on. 

Unfortunately a LOT of people tend to ignore these or even worse “normalise” them – especially now when social media is trying to normalise bloating as part of the “love your body” movement. 

Bloating after a large meal or around your menstrual cycle is NORMAL 

However continuous or painful bloating is NOT normal and its a sign something in your gut is unbalanced 

In fact. an imbalance in the intestinal microbiome over a prolonged period of time has been shown to be linked with all kinds of chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer.

How do we improve our Gut Health?

 For most individuals simply doing the things we know helps improve our health in general on a consistent basis is sufficient enough to greatly improve their gut health, ie:

• Drink more water 
• Get at least seven hours of sleep 
• Eat a balanced diet 
• Consume more fibre 
• Manage stress levels 
• Exercise regularly 

However if symptoms worsen or remain it is advised to go see your GP or work with a registered nutritionist/dietician to help overall your nutrition and to start identifying if you have sensitivities to foods 

This would include an elimination diet but as advised, most individuals will experience huge improvements in their guts by simply practicing healthy habits on a regular basis 

Gut Health: Do’s and Don’ts

Do consume fermented foods: apple cider vinegar, cheese, kefir, kombucha, miso, olives, Tempeh, yogurt and sourdough

Do eat slowly and chew your food properly: whatever you dont chew add strains your digestive system 

Do increase your fibre and water intake: fibre can help regulate and improve our microbiome while water also helps maintain healthy levels of bacteria in our guts 

Do exercise more, especially low intensity exercise like walking, yoga, swimming etc 

Don’t OVERconsume alcohol: alcohol can lead to inflammation in our gut hence causing problems when trying to digest our foods 

Don’t OVERconsume caffeine: Firstly, research has shown that caffeine helps to increase the amount of healthy bacteria in our gut. However, drinking TOO MUCH caffeine can irritate the lining of our guts

Don’t eat TOO MUCH processed foods: These foods are the hardest for our bodies to break down as they contain chemicals, toxins and so on. OVERconsuming them can cause our microorganisms to go out of sync causing gut issues  

——————

Note clearly: A healthy gut is not one size fits all. What may look as a healthy gut for one person is NOT the same for everyone else. 

As we say to all our clients GET TO KNOW YOUR GUT 

Get to know how YOUR gut feels, what foods work for YOU and what don’t, get to know what bowel functions are normal for YOU and so on 

If you have concerns around your gut health feel free to reach out to myself and my team of Dietitians/nutritionists to start overhauling your gut health effectively