Gut health affects many things in your body and is essential to your overall wellness.
Gut health and immune system, body functions, and mental health are tightly connected.
Who would have imagined that gut health was a complex system that had so many different ramifications and impacts on our wellness?
Actually autoimmune disease, fatigue, constipation, dry skin, mood disorders, allergies, migraines, skin problems, cancers, and many other afflictions are linked to gut health.
If you suffer from one of these conditions or more, there might be a chance you have a gut problem.
In other words, your gut is more elaborate and intricate than the simple function passing food through.
Actually, your gut is your body’s second brain, and to have a healthy brain, you need a healthy gut.
How is that possible? Read on.
How does your gut work?
A healthy gut contains a ton of good things that help your body fight infection.
What are these good things?
They are essentially cells and good bacteria. There are literally trillions of cells and good bacteria in your gut to fight bad bacteria, fungi, and viruses that are attacking your body.
That complex system of good microorganisms living in your intestines is called “gut microbiome.”
Think about your gut as a supercomputer.
It gets information, treats it, and sends information to your brain.
There is a constant exchange of information between your gut and brain. That communication is enabled through a dense nerve system and the production of hormones.
A healthy gut orchestrates the balance of hormones letting the body know how much of each hormone is needed.
That balance can be negatively affected in different ways. In the case of imbalance, your gut will not send the right message to your brain.
If that happens, your glands do not get the right information and do not create the right amount of hormones the way they should. Ultimately, it creates health problems.
How to Identify Gut Health Problems?
In general, our modern lifestyle is detrimental to our gut health:
- Stress
- Eating habits with processed foods, GMOs, high-sugar content
- Short sleeping cycles
- Pollution
A modern-society lifestyle impacts different aspects of your health. Literally, your gut microbiome is attacked every day, and its balance is constantly jeopardized.
Over time, it translates into:
- Migraines
- Memory issues
- Concentration
- Digestive issues
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Gas
- Heartburns
- Heart problems
- Immune system deficiency
- Weight gain
- Skin problems
- Mood swings
- Hormone issue
- Thyroid disorders
- Sleeping disturbance
- Fatigue
- Allergies
- Food intolerance
These are all signs of poor gut health which may lead to more severe problems.
Therefore, to avoid terrible conditions, it is critical to change behaviors linked to your lifestyle to re-establish gut health.
What to Do For Your Gut Health?
There are a few things you can do to re-establish a healthy gut, that does not involve medication.
The secret is to progressively change your lifestyle, be more aware of your environment, and the triggers that cause inflammation in your body. There are six rules you need to know:
Get some good sleep
With business working and family schedules, it feels sometimes hard to fit everything in 24 hours. Yet, not getting enough sleep is detrimental. Prioritize a good night of sleep with 8 to 9 hours.
Cut sugars
The more you ingest sugar, the more you crave for sweet food or drinks. Processed food contains added sugars to improve taste and create dependency. Yet, sugars have a negative impact on your gut good bacteria. Sugars increase inflammation in your body that leads to conditions. To control and reduce inflammation, stay away from sugars.
Be selective with your drinks
Drink water. It’s that simple. Soft drinks, Fruit juices, and alcohol are bad for you, so please stay away from them. If you cannot cut them completely, try to reduce them substantially. Instead, drink water more frequently throughout the day, not only to stay hydrated but to improve your gut health.
Prioritize plant-based foods
Reduce your consumption of processed foods. They contain high amounts of sugar, fat, and sodium. To improve your gut health, increase your consumption of plant-based foods and fibers. If plant-based foods are better for your gut health, make sure to eat organic and non-GMO foods.
Try supplements
There are ways to improve good bacterial growth by increasing your intake of probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotics are good bacteria and prebiotics are food for these good bacteria. Overall, both contribute to a better microbiome.
Take time to eat
Although it can be hard to sit down and eat a healthy meal, swallowing food in a blink of an eye is not good for your gut health. Try to ritualize your meals. Sit down and chew your food to help improve the digestive process.
Fix Your Gut Health Naturally.
Your gut health is the keystone of a stronger heart, better brain functions, and immune system.
So many diseases and conditions can be avoided if gut health is considered in an overall lifestyle plan.
Therefore, take a chance to make the right lifestyle changes to improve your gut health. By improving your gut health you can positively change your life.
