This is how you can improve the health of your gut

 Gut health is all everyone is speaking about at the moment. 

Our gut is our digestive tract and it contains trillions of bacteria (300-500 different species) that affect our overall health and wellbeing. 

Bacteria is involved in our digestion, helping us to absorb nutrients, produce vitamins including folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin K, can help to regulate the immune system by killing harmful bacteria, regulates our hunger levels and metabolism and can also determine how well we sleep at night.

Gut health is associated with a number of diseases including digestive cancers, inflammatory bowel diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, antibiotic associated diarrhoea, cognitive issues and obesity.

The gut microbiome is affected by not only the food we eat, but other lifestyle factors such as physical activity and stress.

 Here's a few food and lifestyle tips that you can implement to increase the diversity of your gut bacteria and improve the health of your gut. 

1. Increase your fibre intake

Fibre is a form of plant-based carbohydrate which is not digested in the small intestine and reaches the large intestine. Fibre has been shown to increase the good bacteria in the gut.  Fibre can be found in fruits and vegetables, wholemeal bread, brown rice, beans, pulses and oats. The more variety we can get the better.

Try this:

- Add fruit to your breakfast cereal, oats, your snack or dessert 

- Swap white bread, pasta and rice for brown or wholemeal versions 

- Swap half the meat in your usual bolognese or curry for lentils or beans 

- Keep a frozen supply of veggies in your freezer, so that you are never without

- Add nuts and seeds to yogurt, cereal, oats or toast

 

2. Reduce stress

Easier said than done, I know. The health of your gut affects your brain more than you'd expect. 

The gut-brain axis describes a communication pathway between the central nervous system and the digestive tract.

This two way communication between the brain and the stomach uses hormones and other magical messengers to manage what we do and how we feel day-to-day. Communication occurs through the Vegas nerve too, which connects all your major organs. You know when you feel a bit nervous, and you have butterflies in your stomach?

Stress can change the balance of our gut microbiome by favouring unhelpful bacteria, which can result in feelings of depression and anxiety. Our gut produces serotonin, a happy hormone. When levels of this are low it can create feelings of anxiety.

When we are stressed, the body produces cortisol – a hormone which has an important function in the stress response. Some of these functions are relative to the gut as it works to divert blood away from the gut to the muscles and slow the production of saliva in the mouth so the enzymes available to breakdown our food are reduced. The stress response can also cause digestion to slow or cause sudden evacuation and downregulate the immune system. 

This isn't too bad for a short period of time, but over an extended period of time it may lead to food not being digested and absorbed properly, which can cause a decrease in the diversity of gut bacteria. 

Try these: 

- Find time to switch off

- Eat mindfully

- Prioritise yourself

3. Do some physical activity

As well as being good for stress and anxiety, physical activity has been shown to increase the diversity of the gut microbiome and can be key to maintaining a healthy gut.

Remember physical activity doesn’t need to mean high intensity exercise. It could be as simple as a 10 minute walk, or a dance around the kitchen, some yoga, or taking the stairs. 

4. Prioritise a good night's sleep 

 

The gut microbes function according to the circadian rhythm, which surprisingly also regulates the sleep cycles! Your circadian rhythm responds to light and dark which regulates physical and mental processes that occur at different times. Going to bed at irregular times and not getting enough sleep can cause disruption in your gut microbes. Your gut needs sleep just as much as the rest of your body does. 

 

5. Eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables

 

The bacteria breeds and grows like wildfire, and will thrive off of the food that it is given. Eating a wide range of plants will feed and encourage the good, healthy bacteria to populate as well as diversify the colonies. Limiting processed foods and added sweeteners will help to minimise disruption in microbes.

 

6. Consume probiotics and prebiotics

 

 Probiotics are a live microorganism that when consumed can confer a health benefit to the host – that’s you btw. They help to increase the diversity of good bacteria in the gut and can be found in live yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha and kefir. Probiotic supplements are available over the counter and may be beneficial for some - definitley not necessary. 

Prebiotics are a specific type of fibre which feed the good bacteria in your gut, keeping it alive so it can do its job. Prebiotics can be found in onion, leeks, garlic, unripe bananas, asparagus, artichokes, olives, apples and almonds.  

 

 

Maintaining the right balance of friendly and unfriendly bacteria in your gut is touted to improve digestion, reduce inflammation, decrease anxiety, and even improve brain function and mood.

A healthy balance of gut bacteria is also said to boost metabolism, eliminate cravings, and help you shed excess weight. 

Give it a go. 

Kate Xx 

 

I'd be grateful if you shared this post so others can enjoy it too. It's simple, just click the 'share' button below. 

Be sure to subscribe using the 'subscribe' button at the top of the page, so you're the first to know when I post next.

 

 I post regularly on here and Instagram with self-love, body positivity and recipe ideas so that you can bloom into your best self, with me.