The gut is the most incredibly complex, sophisticated and brilliant organ of your body. The most important role in your body has been given to the gut. It’s the one who choreograph the entire body’s functioning with intelligent planning and actions. Your small and large intestines, which are part of gastrointestinal canal (GI tract), are together called your gut.
Our gut is home to more than 100 trillion bacteria and microbes. The bacteria play a vital role in our metabolism and health. The bacteria feed on dietary fiber while they perform a variety of duties, including helping to make vitamins B and K, and breaking down dietary fiber. This breakdown results in a release of beneficial, anti-inflammatory fatty acids that are vital energy sources for your bodies. Not all bacteria are good bacteria. You need to get rid of some harmful or unfriendly bacteria and replace it with beneficial bacteria. The key is to balance the ratio of good to bad bacteria.
The key roles of your gut are: Assimilation and adsorption of the food that we eat, digestion, nutrient absorption and transportation, detoxification and elimination of wastes.
Gut health, the second brain is a foundation of your physical, physiological and mental health. Your brain and gut are connected by a network of neurons, chemicals and hormones.Your gut relies on just the right balance of different bacteria to digest your food and to prevent infection and inflammation. It aids in the digestion of the foods you eat, absorbs nutrients and uses it to fuel and maintain your body.
If your gut health is imbalanced and your immune system is hindered, your serotonin and hormones will have challenge to stay healthy. Your gut is also where your body gets rid of metabolic waste and toxins.
Few signs indicate that your gut health is not in a great shape. These include frequency of acidity, bloating, gas, food intolerance, diarrhea, constipation, feeling of fullness, bad breath, heart burn, skin irritation. These frequent symptoms are an alarming sign which means a thorough check of your gut health is required.
Many factors, including the foods you eat, can affect the health of your gut, including the type of bacteria it contains. Several other factors that contribute to poor gut health are:
1. Consumption of junk food and invisible sugar.
2. Stress, unhappy, and dissatisfied life.
3. Fad diets.
4. Lack of exercises.
5. Frequent use of Antibiotics and pills.
6. Poor nutrition and irregular meal time.
7. Excessive use of caffeine, alcohol and tobacco.
8. Disturbed sleep.
9. Erratic lifestyle.
Dietary modifications for gut
1. Consume a various range of foods: Eating a variety in diet rich in whole foods can lead to a diverse microbiome, which is beneficial for your health. There are hundreds of species of bacteria in your intestines, each of which plays a specific role in health and requires different nutrients for growth.
2. Consume whole grains: As whole grains contain non-digestible carbohydrates that can promote the growth of beneficial bacteria within the gut micro biome. These changes to the gut flora may improve certain aspects of metabolic health. Take plenty of oats, ragi, quinoa, cornmeal, dalia, kuttu.
3. Consume a plant based: Vegetarian and vegan diets may improve the micro biome. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of nutrients for a healthy micro biome. A number of studies have shown that vegetarian diets may benefit the gut micro biome, which may be due to their high fiber content which your body can’t digest. Certain bacteria in your gut can digest fiber, which stimulate their growth. Eat a range of fruits, vegetables, legumes and beans.
4. Consume fermented foods:Fermented foods like plain curd, butter milk, idli, dosa, dhokla can benefit the microbiome by enhancing its function and reducing the abundance of disease- causing bacteria in the intestines.As fermentation is a process in which sugars they contain are broken down by yeast or bacteria. Many of these foods are rich in lactobacilli, a type of bacteria that can benefit your health.
5. Consume foods rich in polyphenols: Polyphenols can’t be digested efficiently by human cells, but they are efficiently broken down by the gut microbiota. Polyphenols are plant compounds that have many health benefits, including reductions in blood pressure, inflammation, cholesterol levels, and oxidative stress. Foods rich in polyphenols are dark chocolate, apples, almonds, onions, broccoli, green tea, berries.
6. Consume nuts, seeds and herbs like almonds, cashew, chia seeds, flax seeds, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, basil leaves as they are rich in antioxidants, which helps in maintain the gut health.
7. Avoid consuming refined carbohydrates, white chocolate, spicy foods, fried foods, packed foods, stale food, aerated drinks, alcohol , junk foods, artificial sweeteners, red meats and saturated fats.
Tips to improve gut health
1. Eat slowly:Chewing food thoroughly at least 20 to 25 times will help digest and absorb nutrients properly. This may help you reduce digestive discomfort and maintain a healthy gut.
2. Include prebiotic or probiotic like high fiber fruits and vegetables, whole grains, curd, buttermilk, idli, dosa, homemade pickles in your diet will help improve your gut health.
3. Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of water may be associated with increased diversity of bacteria in the gut. Staying hydrated can help prevent constipation also.Drinking lukewarm water has been shown to be good for digestion as well. Eat plenty of foods high in water content like cucumber, watermelons, melons, tomatoes, lettuce, celery, etc.
4. Modify your diet:Reducing the amount of processed,high sugar and high fat foods may lead to better gut health. Stop eating CRAP, C- Carbonated Drinks, R- Refined Sugars, A- Artificial foods, P – Processed Foods.
5. Lower your stress levels:You need to reduce your stress levels as high levels of stress are hard on your whole body, including your gut. You can reduce your stress by meditating, practicing exercise and yoga, spending quality time with family and friends, getting a massage, watching your favorite shows, listening to your favorite music, playing with kids or pet, diffusing essential oils, going for short vacations.
6. Get enough sleep: You should sleep uninterrupted for 7 to 8 hours at night. As not getting sufficient quality of sleep may impacts on your gut health.
7. No or less consumption of antibiotics as it affects the gut health.
Your gut is your safety vault for optimal health. If guarded well, it can make you healthy and even wealthy and wise. If not taken care of or ignored, it can become a host for all your immunity, hormonal, emotional and weight related problems.
Eating a plant- based diet that includes fiber from colorful fruits and vegetables, fermented foods, having a healthy sleep habits, exercising, meditation, and managing stress levels are important ways to support a healthy gut. The best way to get a healthy gut is to eat a fresh and balanced diet. A healthy gut system can balance your overall health, body, mind and soul.
