What's in your GUT?
The gastrointestinal system, also referred to as the digestive system, gastrointestinal tract, digestive tract, or gut, comprises the mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small intestine, colon, and rectum. The gut serves many essential roles in sustaining and protecting our bodies’ overall health and wellness. Its job is to take in food, digest it, absorb nutrients, and expel the remaining as waste.
Is your gut health really that important?
All the food we eat is broken down in the gut to a simple form that can enter the bloodstream and be absorbed as nutrients throughout our bodies. This process runs smoothly only with a healthy digestive system.
A healthy gut consists of good bacteria and immune cells that ward off infectious agents like harmful bacteria, viruses, and fungi – in order to prevent inflammation (while bad bacteria promotes inflammation).
When the gut works as it’s supposed to, these two types of bacteria (good and harmful) keep each other in check. But when that balance gets altered, inflammatory bacteria can take over. Harmful bacteria can produce metabolites that pass through our gut lining and into the bloodstream, spreading the inflammation to other parts of the body. Sounds chaotic, right?
What affects your gut health?
- Bad food choices are the common culprits of heartburn, bloating, and constipation. To prevent this, consume alcohol and caffeine in moderation and avoid fried foods. If you keep having gut problems despite making wise food choices, it’s time to look deeper. Maybe try an elimination diet to reset homeostasis and get to the root of your issues, or consider consulting with your practitioner (just make sure you’re working with the right one).
- Medications such as over-the-counter painkillers and drugs used to treat acid reflux, diabetes, and psychiatric conditions all have been linked to microbiome changes. But the best-known gut-altering drugs (not in a good way) are antibiotics. Although antibiotics are prescribed to kill harmful bacteria, it can also wipe out bacteria of all kinds – even the good ones. Antibiotics are necessary in some cases, so I’m not knocking them when necessary, but there are things you can do to fare better while on them.
- It’s common for people with inadequate sleep to suffer from nausea, bloating, constipation, and other digestive concerns. So getting the right amount of quality sleep is also important. Be sure to check out my post on sleeping better for help there.
- Emotional stress also plays a big role in your gut health. Regular exercise is an excellent way to reduce stress levels and help maintain a healthy weight, positively affecting your gut health. For many other ways to try managing stress, see my recent series on stress tips.
- There are other conditions and cofactors which can have a direct impact on your gut health. It can be quite subjective, so if you suspect you’re dealing with a compromised gut microbiome and would like some helpful insights, be sure to book your free consultation with me today so we can get started!
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What are the signs that you have an unhealthy gut?
It’s often easy to tell when the microbiome is thrown out of balance. Bloating, gas, diarrhea, stomach pain, or nausea are all direct signs that something in the gut isn’t working as it should be, but these imbalances often fix themselves after a short time. Still, symptoms such as:
- weight loss without a good reason
- blood in the stool
- black stool (a sign of bleeding in the gut)
- severe vomiting
- fever
- severe stomach aches
- trouble swallowing food
- pain in the throat or chest when you swallow food
- jaundice (a yellow discoloration of the skin or eyes)
could all indicate an underlying gastrointestinal problem with severe consequences and may require a medical diagnosis and treatment. If left untreated, you’re at a higher risk of getting conditions such as skin disorders, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory responses, and other health concerns such as colon cancer, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or irritable bowel syndrome(IBS).
It’s good to be aware of these additional indications of a gut health problem:
- Frequent or severe stomach discomfort (gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain)
- Skin irritation or allergies (which you never had before)
- Food cravings due to a high sugar diet
- Sleep disturbances or constant fatigue
- Autoimmune conditions
How to maintain a healthy gut?
Try to maintain a nutrient-dense and balanced diet, and avoid consuming foods you may not tolerate well or foods that cause you inflammation. In addition, stay hydrated, exercise regularly, and get enough quality sleep. Finally, reducing and managing your stress levels may also help. Practicing healthy habits will help you maintain a healthy gut.
At the same time, it’s equally important to avoid harmful habits like smoking and excessive alcohol intake—which can certainly disrupt the microbiome balance.
You should also avoid unnecessary medications. There are many things we can improve without medication, and many medications don’t always work to solve the problem they’re meant to. We don’t want to be taking something we don’t actually need. Be sure to speak with your doctor at length and get all of your questions answered before adding prescriptions to your plate.
Limiting dairy, processed meats, and refined sugars can also improve gut health. Instead, eat fiber-rich fruits and vegetables and fermented foods like kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi. Bone broth has incredible ingredients that will help repair and maintain a healthy gut lining. Start your day with a nice hot, nourishing cup of bone broth!
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The Takeaway
Having a healthy gut goes a long way in preventing more serious issues. All of our bodies’ systems are connected, so it only follows that a happy gut will equal a happy brain, a happy heart, etc. It doesn’t take much to optimize your gut health, but it’s not an easy task either. It takes hard work and diligence – but it’s worth all of the effort. Pick just one of my tips here and start applying it today. Then add on another one next week. And so on. And if you ever feel stuck and want some help, I’m just a click away. I invite you to schedule your free consult today to get the ball rolling in the right direction – you’ll be glad you did!
