Your gut is the host to an entire microbiome of bacteria – an estimated 100 trillion of them!
Keeping those bacteria happy, healthy, and in balance is a big part of a wellness lifestyle. As you can imagine, what you eat plays a very important role.
In this mini-guide, we’ll outline the basics of gut health. {Plus, you have access to lots of delicious recipes}. We hope you enjoy!
Your gut plays a huge role in your health, affecting not just your digestion but your mood, energy, aches and pains, and even your brain function.
You’ve heard these sayings before, for good reason:
- “Listen to your gut.”
- “Butterflies in your stomach.”
- “Gut instinct.”
For centuries, we’ve known that our gut and our well-being are connected.
Right now, science is uncovering just HOW linked they really are.
First: your gut (aka digestive system) and the amazing trillions of microorganisms that live inside it – breaks down everything you eat.
This gives your body:
- The fuel it needs to function.
- The components of all the numerous hormones, enzymes and compounds that power your body’s processes.
- The building blocks it needs to repair and recover.
Second: Your gut is a MAJOR part of your immune system
It serves as your body’s reception area, ushering in the good guys (all the nutrients and micronutrients in your foods) – and working hard to keep out intruders (pathogens, bacteria, and more).
It does both of these jobs thanks to a permeable lining called “gut associated lymphoid tissue” or GALT.
When your gut microbes are in balance and your GALT is working well, your gut will recognize a bad guy and attack it.
BUT… when your gut microbes are out of balance, those bad guys can start to push their way through the reception area, into the “inner sanctum” of your body – invading and growing.
This can cause all sorts of problems, from digestive upset to chronic inflammation and immune system issues.
If your gut has ever been out of balance, you know how uncomfortable this can be!
Over time, having an out-of-whack gut can raise real havoc with your energy, mood, and overall health.
What can cause a gut imbalance?
This is a huge area of study right now, but major players include:
- Antibiotics
- Infections
- A poor diet (high sugar, low fiber, etc.)
- Food sensitivities
- Stress
- Tainted food
- And more
Simply put, a healthy gut starts with a healthy lifestyle – getting enough sleep, reducing stress, and exercising.
In addition, one of the most important factors involves what you FEED your gut!
It begins with cleaning out the stuff that isn’t serving you: mainly high-sugar, low-fibre, and processed foods.
And then it’s about feeding your microbiome with more of the GOOD stuff.
We’ll break it down into two basic parts.
Prebiotics feed the probiotics in your gut
Prebiotics are made up of indigestible fibers such as inulin.
These fibers are tough enough to make it through your stomach and small intestine undigested.
They end up in your colon, where the healthy microbes feed on them.
This is just one reason why adding fiber to your diet is so important – it keeps your gut happier, healthier and in balance.
These foods work together to create a healthy, happy gut microbiome.
Probiotics are the “good” microorganisms – such as bacteria and yeasts – that live in your intestines.
They help digest foods, destroy disease-causing microorganisms, and create vitamins.
Probiotics naturally occur in your gut, but you also can get them from fermented foods and some supplements.
Research is still ongoing into exactly which strains of probiotics are the best, since they all do different jobs inside your body.
These foods contain insoluble fibre (such as inulin) that can travel through the top part of your digestive tract without breaking down.
- Apples
- Asparagus
- Bananas
- Barley
- Bran
- Cocoa
- Chicory root
- Dandelion Greens
- Flaxseed
- Garlic, leek and onions
- Jerusalem artichokes
- Legumes (beans and peas)
- Oats
You might not have heard of some of these foods (yet) but they all have one thing in common: they are fermented! The fermentation process creates gut-friendly “bugs”for your body.
- Kefir
- Kimchi
- Kombucha
- Miso
- Natto
- Pickles (picked with salt & water, not vinegar)
- Sauerkraut
- Tempeh
- Yogurt
If you found this article helpful, the complete guide has some great recipe ideas and is the full article. Complete your details below for the free EBOOK
