All About the Gut
Is it just me or has "gut health" become an incredibly popular topic over the past few years? But what does gut health actually mean? And how do I know if mine is healthy?? I did some digging so you don't have to and want to share what I've learned - and how I'm incorporating gut health into my daily routine.
It all starts with bacteria... yum.
At its root, gut health is all about the health of your gut microbiome. Now idk about you but I haven't taken biology in a long time so let's establish what a microbiome is.
In your gut, specifically your large intestine, there are trillions of bacteria, fungi and viruses. These are collectively referred to as microbes and they each play a different role in our body and overall health. The working together of microbes is what we refer to when we say "gut microbiome" and the makeup and diversity your microbiome is generally what we mean when we say "gut health" (the more ya know!)
Each of us want to ensure we have a diverse and active gut microbiome. Scientists and medical professionals recommend a few things to increase microbiome diversity:
eating a diverse diet of whole foods to include fermented and high fiber foods
limit intake of artificial sweeteners (looking at your diet coke drinkers...)
taking probiotic supplements
limiting use of antibiotics
don't smoke
How do I know if my gut is healthy or not?
Signs you have a less than spectacular gut microbiome cover the gambit, but there are a few critical health concerns and diseases that stem from an imbalance in your gut.
There are some obvious signs that things may not be quite right in the gut. Things like irregularity, constipation, bloating, digestive issues, and abdominal pain are all indicators that the good and bad bacteria balance of your microbiome is off. But there are also less obvious issues we all can suffer from that may not seem so blatantly tied to our midsection.
You're constantly sick
You have depression, anxiety, or high stress levels
You have sensitive and/or inflamed skin
You have acid reflux
You are overweight or obese
You generally just lack energy or have brain fog
If you have any of a combination of these signs, your gut microbiome may not be functioning at its highest levels. Eating a diverse diet of high fiber foods, fermented foods, whole grains, and plant-based meals can help correct the imbalance.
However, today there are a lot of supplements available to us to fill the gaps when our diet is not what it should be. My favorite gut health supplement is a daily raspberry lemonade flavored drink. Fueled by pre and postbiotics, as well as 50mg of natural caffeine, this supplement has changed my insides, for the better. When taking regularly, I feel... lighter? Like everything is working inside like it should. Plus, I take this supplement in the afternoon for a little energy boost to get me through that post-daycare toddler evening routine.
The Brain-Gut Connection
I want to spend a few moments on this topic because it's something I recently learned about, and I think it's really important. Our gut affects more than just our digestive system processes, it also plays heavily into our moods and mental health.
You know that saying "I have a gut feeling"? Or your stomach has butterflies? Well, turns out there's actually some truth behind these phenomena.
As I said before, your gut microbiome consists of trillions of microbes that live within your large intestine. Scientists actually consider your gut microbiome to be another organ, some even referencing it as your "second brain". The microbes in your large intestine emit neurotransmitters that relay messages to the brain. The brain and the gut are DIRECTLY connected to one another, influencing how each other behaves and acts. When we are out of balance in the gut microbiome (or our thinking in the brain) it throws the other off as well. This connection is called the "Brain-Gut Axis" and its becoming increasingly studied over the past few decades.
As described in Psychology Today "the gut-brain axis is a channel by which the food we eat, after it is broken down by digestive enzymes and acted upon by the trillions of bacteria living in the gut, shapes our moods, our cognitive function, our reactivity to stress, our memory operations, how the brain ages, and much more. It’s also a pathway through which emotional experience can change the physiology of the body and affect how the intestinal system works". It's a pretty wild revelation. Knowledge of the gut-brain axis opens up a whole new world for not only understanding mental disorders but also for treating them.
Mental health has become such a focus, and rightly so, in recent years but this newer discovery of how our gut affects our mental health really opened my eyes to how what I was consuming could affect more than just my stomach. Now, that doesn't mean I still won't have Chick-fil-a and pizz a few times a month, but I am much more cognizant on the days and meals in between to ensure I am giving my body what it needs (and taking my supplements to fill any shortfalls!)
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