Six reasons gut health is important and six things you can do to help
What do we mean by gut health?
The gut is a vastly complex system housing cells and bacteria which all work together to breakdown food, absorb nutrients, fight pathogens, and remove waste. The gut is intrinsically linked to our overall health and if the gut is compromised, this can have a negative knock-on effect. We want all the cells, the gut lining and the gut bacteria working optimally so that the digestive system can work effectively and keep us in good health.
Six reasons gut health is important
The gut is the body’s exposure to the outside world forming the barrier between our bloodstream and our environment. This is one of the reasons the gut houses so many important cells connected to the different organ systems, so it can quickly communicate any issues.
The gut is where we break down the food that we eat so that we can extract and absorb all the necessary sugars, fats, proteins and micronutrients (e.g. vitamins and minerals) from our meals to survive.
The gut plays a crucial role in immune function. As the gateway into our bloodstream, the gut is our first line of defence and the intestinal immune system is constantly dealing with pathogens and toxic substances coming into the body. Approximately 70% of the cells that make up the immune system reside in the gut. Also supporting the immune system are the gut bacteria which produce short chain fatty acids with an anti-inflammatory effect.
The gut and the brain are in constant communication; the gut needs to effectively communicate to the brain if there are problematic foreign bodies entering the system, and the brain needs to quickly tell the gut how to react. A good example of how closely they communicate is the instant feeling of butterflies as a sign of nervousness.
Gut bacteria produce neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) which facilitate communication between the cells of our nervous system. One of these neurotransmitters is serotonin which plays a particularly important role in mood regulation.
Excretion – effective excretion is crucial to remove waste products from the body such as foods, hormones and dead cells. If this is compromised it can lead to a toxic build up in the body.
Six things you can do to help improve gut function
Ensure a varied vegetable intake of 5-7 portions per day. Vegetables not only provide micronutrients needed to support our health, the fibre content will aid the digestion process and certain fibres are prebiotic which feed your gut bacteria encouraging the good bacteria to flourish. One portion of green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, greens, swiss chard) per day can help to increase your intake of magnesium, a vital mineral for muscle function which supports the movement of the digestive tract.
Cut down on processed and sugary foods – these can negatively impact the balance of gut flora encouraging bad bacteria to grow. Additives in foods may also irritate the gut which can lead to inflammation.
Include two or more fermented foods in your diet throughout the week with at least one portion per day. Fermented foods include kimchi, sauerkraut, yoghurt, kefir, tempeh, miso. These foods are a great probiotic providing lots of good bacteria for the gut and the fermented vegetables are also a prebiotic which means they nourish your existing bacteria.
Stay hydrated! Like all other systems, the digestive system relies on adequate hydration and requires water to aid the movement of food and waste substance through the digestive tract.
Try to reduce stress and relax before you eat a meal. When stressed, the body pumps out cortisol which prepares the body for an acute stressful event. This indicates to the digestive system that it needs to reduce activity so energy can be used elsewhere. Eating while the digestive system is operating less efficiently can negatively impact how food is broken down and absorbed. Slowing down and relaxing before a meal and even smelling your food to salivate will kick start your digestive system and prepare it for food.
Listen to your gut. If you have a feeling something doesn’t agree with you, try removing it from you diet; it may be irritating your gut which can lead to inflammation.