Human body is an ecosystem. This ecosystem can be disturbed by the presence of bad bacteria and Poor Gut health.
“Gut health is the key of overall health”
Kris Carr
Introduction
Gut health is crucial for your physical as well as mental health. Our body is made up of cells, but do you know? we have more bacteria in our body than cells!
The word ‘bacteria’ is infamous as it is associated with diseases, but not all bacteria are bad for you. The ones floats in your gut are the good example of that, as these bacteria found in your gut not only helps you to digest the food but they work for the overall wellness of the body.
What is ‘gut’?
The gut means gastrointestinal tract. A long tube which starts at the mouth, ends at the anus.
The food we eat is fragmented in the gut to a simple form so that it can enter the blood stream. In this way the food we eat is delivered as nutrients in the body.
Why gut health is important?
“Gut health” means the function and the balance of bacteria of esophagus, stomach and intestines.
The health of your digestive system is dependent on your gut health. A healthy gut contains healthy bacteria and immune cells which stands off infections, viruses and fungi. Healthy gut communicates with the brain through the nerves and harmones, it helps in maintaining health and wellness.
Gut health is a salient feature for weight loss as well. When it comes to weight loss we often pay much importance to certain foods, but forget about the other things. Gut bacteria provides certain chemicals that benefits gut health and promote weight loss.
Prebiotics and probiotics are important for gut health.
Prebiotics are kind of fiber, it acts as a food for gut bacteria. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are good source of prebiotics.
Probiotics are the live microbes. They give out health benefits to our microbiomes. Probiotics are typically found in fermented foods like yoghurt, kimchi, miso( japanese seasoning, made by fermented soyabeans), buttermilk, some particular types of cheese etc.
Probiotics boost the growth of good bacteria and prebiotics are good for probiotics, combination of the two is called synbiotic. The significance of synbiotic is that it helps probiotics to live longer. Good example of synbiotic is banana with yogurt.
Poor gut health not only impact you physically but it has an overall impact on you. This fact recalled me the famous Bollywood movie PIKU , which is also called as an emotional digestive tale. In the movie the character of Bhashkor which was played by the legendary actor Amitab Bachchan was hypochondriac with chroic constipation. Because of this bowel movement issue he remained irritated almost all the time, which lead to quarrels with all people around him.
Alarming signs of poor gut health
Definitely body alarms us by giving signs of poor gut health, below are few of them
- Bloating
- Gas
- Diahorea
- Skin issues (irritation, acne)
- Mood swings
- Constipation
- Facing mental issues like anxiety, depression, sadness,
- low energy and other mental health issues
- Weight gain/loss
- Sleeping disorder
- Heart burn
- Autoimmune issues
- Acid reflux
It is necessary to be watchful of these symptoms of poor gut health, as 70 percent of your immunity is based on your gut health. In order to safeguard yourself from any health problems, it’s important to take good care of your digestive system.
6 Ways to improve gut health
Stay away from excess use of antibiotics
Antibiotics eliminates all the bacteria from your gut whether good or bad. If you were on antibiotics because of some illness, you must be quite aware that your doctor also prescribed some probiotics like lactobacillus and bifidobacterium along with antibiotics. You should be very particular to have them with out any fail, as when you are on antibiotics, they wipe out all bacteria both good and bad. Consume antibiotics when it is unavoidable and prescribed by doctor.
Limit the intake of processed sugar and artificial sweeteners
Consuming too much of sweets may lead the way to gut microbes imbalance, and may cause obesity and metabolic diseases. If you have a sweet tooth in order to avoid bingeing make a habit of not to store packets of sweets at home. If you are having a craving to eat something sweet buy just one piece of pasterie or cake. Artificial sweeteners can give rise to bloating. It is beneficial for your gut health to limit the intake of processed sugar and artificial sweeteners.
Take enough sleep
Sound sleep is significant for gut health. If you are not regular with your sleep timings it leads to disturbed sleep cycles. This irregularity affects your guy health adversely. Taking inadequate sleep may cause inflammation and several chronic health conditions. Having undisturbed and sound sleep of atleast 7 hours is beneficial for your gut health.
Consume more probiotics and prebiotics in diet
Prebiotics and probiotics are helpful for gut health. Prebiotics are the food for the bacteria and other beneficial organisms in the gut. That’s why it’s crucial to include prebiotics in your daily diet, as they improves digestive health. High fibrous fruits and vegetables like beans, asparagus, garlic, onion, banana, nuts and whole grains. Try to consume variety of whole grains and lentils. Probiotics foods are fermented like yogurt, kimchi, miso etc. It is good to eat home made yogurt.
Bring down the stress
Your gut health is deeply connected to your psychological health. This is the reason why it’s necessary to control stress. Try to manage mental tension by meditation, enough sleep, breathing exercises, staying physically active, listen soft soothing music etc.
Make it a habit to drink enough water
As we all know, water is essential for our overall well-being. Habit of drinking adequate amount of water throughout the day is beneficial in maintaining the gut health. As drinking enough water has positive effect on the mucosal lining of the intestinal tract, with the help of which the things easily keep moving in the digestive tract. Along with this water is essential for the balance of good bacteria in the gut. So don’t forget to keep your self hydrated, as it’s the easy way to protect your gut health.
Final words
These are the certain manners, which you can practice in day to day life for a healthy gut. As now you all are aware that your gut can boost your immune system, elevate your mood by subduing the symptoms of depression and helpful in counter obesity. Make an effort to implement these ways and aptly follow plant based diet, a diet rich in fiber. As it come up with considerably healthy gut.
