In the last few years, a number of food fads and diets have gained an explosion of attention with many people buying into these trends without consideration of what this means for their body or potential condition that they are living with. Gluten free foods are branded as ‘healthy’, and food bloggers love to tell us about fermented foods, but what does this mean and why are we told to eat them? In actual fact, diet can have a huge impact on all aspects of a person’s health (not just digestive health), and increasing scientific research is being published to support this; interestingly, gut health is now being recognised as an important factor behind many illnesses, other than food sensitives, such as immune disorders and mental health problems.
Why is Gut Health Important?
Every organ and system in the body talks to each other in feedback loops. They are all connected, and therefore a problem in one organ can have an effect somewhere else in the body. Sometimes, a health problem in one organ may even manifest elsewhere. Some nutritionists and scientists believe that a working digestive system is at the centre of a healthy body and mind, and keeps the body running like a well-oiled machine. The gut is even considered as the ‘second brain’ of the body due to the presence of millions of neurons that talk to the brain.
Not only is the gut responsible for breaking down the food you eat, but a large proportion of a person’s immune system (around 75%) lies within the gut. This explains why many immune related disorders, such as allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases and eczema, are linked to an unhealthy gut. This puts your immune system under pressure and can suppress its function.
As well as this, your gut is home to trillions of bacteria, called the microbiome. The modern world has probably convinced you to fear bacteria, but the bacteria in your gut is NEEDED and is very beneficial to you! Maintaining the ‘stock’ and diversity (up to 1,000 types of bacteria) of these microbes in your gut is very important and eating a balanced diet will help you do this.
What can Cause an Unhealthy Gut?
Like most systems in the body, a precise balance is required for the gut to keep ticking away. This balance can be altered by an overgrowth of ‘bad’ bacteria, artificial chemicals in food, and surprisingly, sugar, which can all reduce the amount of good bacteria and lead to a ripple effect of further problems. In addition to this, taking antibiotics to treat common infections and get rid of harmful bacteria, can seriously deplete the variety and amount good bacteria in your gut.
How can you Restore a Healthy Gut?
There are many ways to restore the balance of the microbiome in your gut, but the overarching theme is to make positive changes to your diet. Firstly, eating a varied diet, especially of plant derivatives, keep the bacteria extremely happy; the different types of bacteria in your gut all ‘feed’ on different types of food. Increasing your intake of fibre and avoiding processed foods can also help to maintain the bacterial balance.
Probiotic and prebiotic consumption is also extremely important. These words are thrown around a lot when talking about gut health and it is vital to know the difference. Probiotic food contain live bacterial cultures, to help replenish the stock in the gut and help to digest food, eliminate waste, as well as helping to regulate immune function and metabolism.. These can be found in many yoghurts that specifically state that they contain LIVE cultures, and other fermented foods (e.g. pickles). Prebiotic foods, such as garlic and onions, feed the bacteria in your gut and help they to grow and reproduce. Finally, be mindful when taking antibiotics to replenish your stores afterwards by eating probiotic and prebiotic foods, or alternatively taking a probiotic supplement.
I hope this summary of gut health and ways in which to maintain a healthy gut has been helpful, informative, and easy to ‘digest’.
I’m aware this is a very large topic area, and in-depth post would be extremely long, and deviate from the concise nature of a blog post. As with all my posts, I like to keep it simple for all audiences. However, I’d like to encourage those interested to read around the subject area. Got any primary scientific research papers to add? Link them in the comments section below!
Further Reading:
The Telegraph
The Conversation
Mind Body Green
Gut Health Project
BBC
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