Tips to keeping your GUT healthy!
In order to achieve our optimal healthy, we must maintain
our gut heatlh. Most of health problems can be traced back to our gut as trillions of microbes reside there.
Our gut is home to 70-80% of our immune system, with evidence that links the
health of our microbiome to the health of our skin, digestive system, body
weight, energy levels and mood – practically everything.
Nutritionist,
Jessica Sepel, shares her top 5 tips for supporting your gut bacteria to create
a healthy, happy, thriving micro biome.
Tip 1: Slow
Down
Our gut is
our second brain and with around 90% of neurotransmitters responsible for mood
being produced in the gut, we can’t deny that stress has a pretty significant
impact on gut health. The hormones released when we’re under stress (even
low-grade chronic stress), can negatively influence our gut bacteria. When your
microbiome is out of balance, it can affect our mind and mood. Don’t forget to
take time to stop and breath and slow down your eating. This will help to put
your microbiome back into gear, leading to a happier you!
Tip 2: Make
Friends with Fermented Food
Fermented
food, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, kefir and natural yoghurt, are
great foods to incorporate into your diet to nourish the good bacteria in your
gut. These foods contain natural probiotics that improve the entire functioning
of the microbiome. By consuming good bacteria, you are getting rid of unwanted
bacteria and therefore improving the overall function of your gut!
Tip 3: Pop
a Probiotic
It is not
always easy to get enough natural probiotics through foods, such as fermented
foods, so therefore probiotic supplements are a helpful way to ensure you are
getting the necessary amount of probiotics daily. These supplements are helpful
for rebalancing the microbiome in more specific conditions such as
eczema, candida, IBS or autoimmune disease.
Tip 4: Feed
the Friendly Bacteria
Prebiotics,
as opposed to probiotics, are foods for the friendly bacteria residing in your
gut. Through incorporating more prebiotics into your diet through green veggies
such as asparagus, artichoke, fennel, dandelion greens, chicory, garlic and
broccoli, your gut will become more balanced. Additionally, resistance starch, found
in unripe bananas, potatoes, brown rice and barley, plays a key role in gut
health as it promotes the production of an extremely beneficial substance known
as butyrate. It is the preferred fuel source for gut repair, improving
metabolism, reducing inflammation and nourishing the gut lining.
Tip 5: Quit
the Sugar
Refined,
processes sugar affects our microbiome by feeding the bad bacteria and limited the
growth of good bacteria. Artifical sugars are found to have the same effect, leading
to inflammation, blood sugar dysregulation and poor metabolism.
Your gut health is essential to your overall wellbeing, so
follow these 5 tips and you will see the benefits!
- Remy
