The science of gut health & why it matters
People are often somewhat aware of their digestive systems (more so, when things go wrong!). But, did you know that your gut is like a second brain?
Your gut can influence, your actual brain, plus, your whole body via a variety of physical (vagus nerve), chemical (neurotransmitters) and hormonal means. It’s hugely influential to our overall physical and mental health, and this is why you need to look after it, but how?
What can you do to help?
- Employ sound digestive process, From early on, chew well, drink separate from your meals and use bitter herbs to kick start sluggish digestion.
- Prioritise having a variety of plant-based foods, each day - a natural diet. Fruit, Veg, wholerains, legumes, spices, herbs are all plant based foods, so try to get some new ones in, each day, and across all your meals and snacks for the week.
- Limit additives found in processed foods Additives stop the food going off, but can actually hinder our good bacteria too. Emulsifiers can affect special structures along our gut wall called tight junctions – this lets particles of food that are too big through, promoting inflammation and hyping up the immune system. Artificial sweeteners trick the body into releasing insulin which is inflammatory and has negative effects on our metabolic health in the long term.
- Stress less. Stress very directly depletes stomach acid which causes havoc. This connection should be recognised more.
- Move more. Sedentary lifestyles can damage the gut and offset the balance of bacteria. Moving more, especially outside, releases endorphins, can reduce stress and can positively influence your balance of gut bacteria.
Please comment if you have any questions or follow me for more gut health insights!
