Why is gut health so important?
The health of your digestive system or gut is vital to your overall wellbeing. Largely responsible for the critical functions of the body’s digestive and immune systems, the “microbiome” in your digestive system can affect your body’s vitamin and mineral absorbency, hormone regulation, digestion, vitamin production, immune response and ability to eliminate toxins, as well as your overall mental health.
Hidden in the walls of the digestive system is the enteric nervous system- a kind of second brain. Scientific research into this “brain in your gut” is transforming our understanding of the connection between digestion, mood, health and the way we think.
The human microbiome explained
The microbiome is defined as the collective genomes of microbes, composed of bacteria, bacteriophage, fungi, protozoa and viruses that live inside and on the human body.
The microbiome lives in your gut and the other openings of the body such as the mouth, genitals and nose. 80% of the immune system is in the microbiome. When your microbiome is balanced, you’re generally healthy, in a good mood and have alot of energy. Recent findings suggest that an altered gut microbiome is associated with inflammatory bowl disease and obesity, indicating that the health of the gut’s microbiome should be considered a contributing factor in several common diseases
There are 1000 species in the skin, 500-1000 in the intestines, 60 species in the urogenital tract 25 species in the stomach, 600+ species in the mouth, pharynx, respiratory system.
Unbalanced gut microbiome
Unfortunately, an unbalanced gut microbiome, or dysbiosis is common today. Thanks to years of following diets high in processed foods, consuming non-organic meat and excessive dairy products, taking rounds of antibiotics and antacids and experiencing chronic stress, many of us have impaired gut health and suffer with symptoms of gut imbalance such as bloating, irregular bowel movements, pain and acid reflux.
What effects the gut microbiome?
Birth and Genetics
What have trillions of different bacteria living in our guts and our precise bacterial mix is unique. Our gut bacteria are partly inherited, but are strongly affected by lifestyle and environment. Babies get their first major dose of microbes from their mothers as they pass through the birth canal.
Lifestyle
The gut is very vulnerable to the presence of chronic stress. Diet and other lifestyle factors can greatly increase stress. When you are stressed the body redirects energy used for digestion, so the body can counter your stress response, which impairs digestive processes. Not only does stress affect the gut’s physiological function, but it has been shown to change the composition of the microbiome.
Exercise will help to improve balance and diversity and provide other health benefits, such as reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Your gut is vulnerable to stress
Antibiotics
A dysbiotic or imbalanced microbiome may not perform vital functions such as nutrient supply, vitamin production or protection from pathogens, which can cause diseases.
Dysbiosis of the microbiome has been associated with many health problems and casually implicated in metabolic, immunological and developmental disorders. It has also been linked to susceptibility to the development of infectious diseases. Even short courses of widely used antibiotics can lead to longterm changes to the gut microbiome, so reducing your use of antibiotics will reduce your risk of dysbiosis.
Antibacterial soaps have also been found to have changed the gut microbiome and have also been found to contribute to antibiotic resistance.
Many other medications can have negative impact on the gut health such as proton pump inhibitors, steroids, and NSAIDS (Non steriod anti- inflammatory drugs)
How to support and repair the microbiome
Remove sugar and processed foods from your diet-try a seven day sugar detox for an easy start. Refined carbohydrates, sugar and processed foods get absorbed quickly in your small intestine without any help from your microbes. That means your gut microbes stay hungry and they snack on the cells that line your intestines and can cause “leaky gut syndrome.”
The intestinal lining is meant to be a strong barrier between the gut and the rest of the body.
When food enters your bloodstream, causing your immune system to attack them and ultimately, your own tissues. This may lead to an inflammatory response.
Fermented Foods
Re-inoculate your microbiome by including fermented foods in your diet. Fermented foods seed your gut with healthy bacteria. Sauerkraut and Kimchi ( Cabbage) Kefir ( Milk) and Kombucha ( tea) are all fermented and rich in probiotics and prebiotics.
Food supplements that support the gut
Fibre
Dietary fibre is important to many intestinal tract functions, including digestion and waste. Fibre is important for bacterial diversity of the gut microbiome. There are two kinds of fibre: soluble, which swells up and holds water, and insoluble which does not. Both types are beneficial. Soluble fibre is found, for example, in psyllium seed and insoluble in acacia gum. Flaxseed and hemp seed contain high levels of both soluble and insoluble fibre. Chia seeds are rich in fibre and also work as prebiotic, supporting the growth of probiotics in the gut.
Probiotics
Numerous studies have shown how probiotics benefit and support the microbiome. Probiotics are often called “good” or “helpful” bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. These bacteria are also known for their beneficial effects on the immune system and health. The term “pro” means “for” and “biotic” stands for “life”.
Lactobacillus
A member of the Lactobacillus genus of bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus is the best known beneficial gut bacteria. L. acidophilus is commonly found in food such as yoghurt and fermented soy products, such as miso and tempeh. It is one of the most commonly used probiotics. Different strains can help with diarrhoea and may help with people who can’t digest lactose, the sugar in milk.
Bifidobacterium
Another popular supplement also found in some dairy products, biofidobacterium may help ease the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and many other conditions.
Bacillus Coagulans
Bacillus coagulans is used similarly to Lactobacillus and other probiotics as a “beneficial” bacteria to improve gut health and for general digestion problems.
Prebiotics
Prebiotics are different to probiotics- they are substances that may support the growth of “good” bacteria in the intestinal tract. They can be seen as a “fertiliser” to bacteria helping it to grow in the gut. Inulin is an example of a prebiotic often used to support gut health.
The Sacral Chakra
In terms of energy this chakra governs intimacy, emotions, passion and pleasure. When we suppress our emotions and don’t express how we feel this can cause problems in our gut. That funny butterfly feeling in your tummy. Your gut is communicating with you. It’s your intuition, we should be more in tune with the way we feel but this means sitting with our emotions, acceptance and knowing you are a creator we al have the power to transform. We can easily get caught up in the emotions of our past.
On my own journey to healing my gut, I had to also do the inner work. Heal the inner child, find pleasure again, and feel completely worthy of a life full of passion and purpose.
We cant feel good all the time, happinesses is a pursuit. We have to cultivate self worth and self love. We have to be aware of what lights us up and what is taking us away from that.
You hold the key, keep going inward.
