Did you now that
70% of your immune system lives in your gut?
Poor
digestive health can lead to autoimmune conditions, weight gain, and sleep disturbances. It's important to pay attention to your gut health to ensure optimal wellness.
Your gut does more than digest the food you eat. Every system in your body is intertwined to work together to promote optimal health. And your gut is right at the center of it all.
Keep reading to learn why digestive health is essential and how to best promote it in your life.
- The Gut and Brain Connection
Think of your gut as a communication center for your brain. It's able to send information to your brain to ensure improved digestion. Your stomach can tell your brain what, how much, and when to eat or drink.
If you have a fatty meal, your brain and gut decide together to hold onto that food a little longer.
This collaboration ensures that once food has been broken down, it can travel further down the digestive tract.
Did you know that your gut is home to
trillions of microbes? These microorganisms are capable of creating other chemicals that affect your brain. The microbes can even
affect your moods and emotions.
A healthy digestive system ensures the messages passed between your gut and brain encourage overall wellness.
- The Gut Can Fight Diseases
It's fun to think of your gut as a cape-wearing superhero with the most unfortunate home. The truth is, that's basically what it is.
Your gut is one of the most important
disease-fighting systems in your entire body.
The acids and enzymes in your stomach sterilize food to protect you from infections.
Your gut is home to a microbiome. It's where different bacteria live. These bacterias work together to ward off disease and maintain good health.
The good bacteria in your gut keep the harmful bacteria in line. They can multiply at a fast enough pace that the bad stuff doesn't have time to thrive. The key is to strive toward having a healthy gut bacteria equilibrium.
- The Gut Can Affect Your Mental Health
As we mentioned earlier, your gut microbes can affect your mental health. Considering that
90% of the body's serotonin is made in the gut, it's no surprise that your diet can alter your mood.
Serotonin is both a neurotransmitter and a hormone. It’s vital in several biological processes like mood regulation. People with lower serotonin levels are
susceptible to depression and other mood disorders.
Having too much or
not enough of certain bacteria can affect your mental health.
- The Gut Can Affect Your Sleeping Habits
It seems that gut microbiome and sleeping habits are a two-way street. The microbiota can affect our sleep and our sleep can affect our gut microbiome.
People with sleep airway disorders may have a
less diverse microbiome. This can affect the production of serotonin and melatonin, leading to inadequate sleep.
Taking Charge of Your Gut Health
Now that you see how vital your digestive health is, let's look at how to improve digestion.
Introduce a High Fiber Diet
A diet high in fiber will keep your bowels working as they should be. These foods can prevent and treat certain GI conditions like IBS. Not only that, but high fiber foods will keep you satiated and aid in weight loss.
Aim for a mix of insoluble and soluble fibers. The right balance of these fibers ensures your stools are the right consistency.
Insoluble fibers won't dissolve in water. They include foods like wheat bran, nuts, and cauliflower.
Soluble fibers draw water in and add bulk to your diet without adding too many calories. You can find soluble fiber in foods like oatmeal, strawberries, and carrots.
Choose Foods Lower in Fat
High-fat foods slow down the digestive process, making you prone to constipation. You should never try to cut out fats, as you need them for energy and cell growth.
The key is to choose healthier options to meet your fat quota. Avocado and fatty fish are great choices to ensure you're getting the right kind of fats.
Stay Hydrated
Ensure you are drinking the recommended daily amount of water. H2O helps keep things moving through your digestive tract. Drinking enough helps make sure your stools are the right consistency.
Get Moving
An active lifestyle increases blood flow and boosts metabolism. These factors both help the digestion process go as it should.
Exercise will help you maintain a healthy weight, too. Aim for at least three active days every week.
Manage Stress
Being under too much stress for too long can wreak havoc on your digestive system. Practice meditation or calming strategies to help cut back on everyday stressors.
Consider Probiotics
There are several benefits to incorporating probiotics into your diet. They can help you balance the good bacteria found in your gut. If there are too many bad bacteria, probiotics will help restore the natural balance.
Probiotics can even help people with GI disorders like IBS or Crohn's disease. Certain strains can alleviate some side effects of these conditions.
You can find probiotics in foods like yogurt and kefir. They can also be taken daily in supplement form.
Parasite Cleansing
This cleanse is exactly what it sounds like - a way to eliminate the parasites from your body. Parasites like tapeworms, roundworms, and pinworms can all uncomfortable side effects. They can even leave you malnourished and lacking in the vital nutrients your body needs.
Improved digestion is only one side effect of a parasite cleanse. Read more about what to expect when you cleanse here,
https://microbeformulas.com/blogs/microbe-formulas/13-1-benefits-of-natural-parasite-cleansing
Never Underestimate the Importance of Digestive Health
Hippocrates said that all disease begins in the gut. Whether you believe that or not, it's clear that digestive health is a vital component of wellness.
We hope you have found our digestive health tips useful. You have nothing to lose by committing to take care of your gut health.
If you're looking for more tips on living your healthiest life, stick around on our site. Be sure to check out the Mind & Body section for blogs like the one you just read.