“80% of the immune system is located within or associated with, our digestive function. So, if you have a health issue, hormone imbalances or autoimmune response, the gut is an excellent place to start to look for answers.” – Dr. Steve Burlison
The gut or gastrointestinal tract is the long tube that starts at the mouth and ends at the back passage (anus). It is the most essential and critical part of your body and responsible for the complete digestion of foods in your body.
The functions and health of all other organs of the body depend on the health of the gut. Gut health is the essential aspect of maintaining the proper functions of your body. As digestion of food is must for energy production, and it happens in the gut. So, how can you ignore Gut health?
Even Web MD talks about ‘How Your Gut Health Affects Your Whole Body’
What Role Does the Gut Play in Our Health?
Second brain
The gut is called the ‘second brain’. It has neurons just like our brain. These neurons communicate with the brain. A total of around 500 million neurons play an important role in the transfer of energy from food into the fuel and chemicals that drive the entire body. The gut environment, or gut biome, is an incredibly delicate balance of trillions of micro-organisms and about a thousand different species of bacteria. These microbes play a role in the digestion of foods.
The gut has too much complexity, and incredible structure and health are also crucial in all regards. There are more than 300 different species of bacteria in our digestive tract and essential for digestive processes. Some of them are incredibly beneficial, but some may cause problems for you. Bacteria enhance your multiple functions like reduce stress and anxiety, boost the immune system, and combat obesity.
We will discuss all the aspects linked to Gut Health, infections, disorders, signs of a healthy and unhealthy gut, and ways to improve gut health in this article. We will take start with symptoms of a healthy and unhealthy gut.
Signs of Healthy and Unhealthy Gut
Many facets of modern life can disturb your gut’s normal flora and cause many problems for you. The most common characteristics are little or no sleep, high-stress levels, high sugar, processed foods, and a few antibiotics. There are some signs of an unhealthy and healthy gut:
1. Changes in Stomach
The stomach is the most significant part of the gut and plays the most crucial role in the digestion of food. If there is any stomach’s problems like gas, constipation, heartburn, bloating and diarrhea, etc., are the signs of an unhealthy gut. These all problems are the signs of an unhealthy gut and can cause difficulties in eliminating waste and food processing. If your gut is working discussed functions properly, then you have a healthy gut.
2. Amount of bacteria
We know that more than 300 species of the normal flora of bacteria are in the gut, but high sugar foods can reduce the amount and cause problems for you. Without bacteria, there could be inflammation of your gut and cause difficulty in digestion of foods, etc. The gut with an average level of bacteria is normal and healthy.
3. Changes in Weight:
Any gain and loss in weight without any specific reasons can be considered an unhealthy gut. You will be unable to absorb a balanced amount of nutrients or more than regular nutrients like sugars, fats, and proteins. An increase in weight without any reason can cause obesity and other health problems for you.
There will be no such issues of weight increase or nutritional deficiency with a normal and healthy gut, and you will be able to live an active life. You will be able to get proper levels of nutrients etc.
4. Disturbance in sleep and pain
If there is no pain and you have proper sleep, your gut is in good health, but if there is insomnia or poor sleep, you are under arrest for an unhealthy gut. An unhealthy gut can cause too much disturbance and chronic fatigue for you. An unhealthy gut can disturb the average level of serotonin, and a well-known hormone plays a role in the maintenance of sleep and mood.
Serotonin is produced in the gut, but its average level will be disturbed, destroy your happiness, and cause pain due to infections in the gut. Whenever there is any problem with your sleep, we can say it your gut’s problem.
5. Skin problems
Skin is a sensitive part of your body that can be affected by an unhealthy gut. If your skin is normal and smooth, then there is no problem, but it can be related to a damaged gut, if you have eczema. Any problem with the gut can leak proteins from the gut to the body, which then irritates your skin and causes irritation.
How to Improve Gut Health
You can improve your gut health with few practices. Some of them are:
Take proper sleep.
Sleep has too many effects on your gut health, and its disturbance can cause multiple problems for you. You can avoid problems and improve gut health with proper sleep of 6-8 hours daily. If you are unable to sleep properly, you can consult with your doctor. The doctor may recommend you some sleep-improving tablets which can maintain sleep and improve your gut health.
Reduce your stress levels.
We have discussed above that stress can be harmful to your gut health. How can you reduce stress levels? There are some ways by which you can maintain an everyday life and reduce stress etc. Some are:
- Walking
- Running
- Meditation
- Getting a massage
- Discuss issues with family and friends.
- Reduce intake of caffeine.
- Reduce the use of oily products.
- Yoga
- Laughing etc.
Eat foods slowly.
Some people take foods too fast during eating, and this can cause problems with proper digestion. Many authorized physicians recommend boosting absorption, digestion of foods and nutrients by taking foods slowly and steadily. Slowly eating maintains the normal function of the gut and gives you relief from gut discomfort and pain.
Drink water
Whenever you feel any difficulty or pain in your gut, drink water and stay hydrated. Plenty of water maintains the normal bacterial flora of your gut and benefits your gut’s mucosal lining. Staying hydrated is one of the best and common ways to boost gut health.
Check for food intolerances.
Some people who have multiple health problems like cramping, diarrhea, pain in the abdomen, rashes, nausea, acid reflux, etc., may be suffering from food intolerance. Try to improve these symptoms with various tricks and maintain normal gut health. You can check out food intolerances with these symptoms and avoid them in the future.
Change your diet.
Some people may have an allergy to foods that can affect their gut health, like high sugar foods, high-fat foods, and processed foods. These foods can cause a gut problem for you, and you can change food habits and maintain normal gut health.
Some plant-based foods and lean protein can maintain your gut health. A diet having high fiber can be effective for your gut health.
Infections linked to the gut.
The most common infection related to your gut is bacterial gastroenteritis. The most common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis is:
- Shigella
- Salmonella
- E. coli and some other species of bacteria.
Some of the common symptoms of infections are:
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Abdominal pains and cramps
- Vomiting
- Nausea
You can avoid these infections using some beneficial health foods like proteins-based diets, leafy foods, etc.
Best foods to maintain Gut Health.
We know that Gut health and diet are significantly linked, and both depend on each other. You can get normal health by avoiding highly processed foods, high-fat foods, and highly refined sugars foods. These foods can destroy and reduce your gut bacteria’s normal flora and reduce your gut’s growth.
Some foods can boost your gut health with essential and practical functions. Some foods are:
1. High fiber foods
High fiber foods have too many positive impacts on your gut health and give you some relief. Some of the foods are:
- Legumes
- Oats
- Bananas
- Berries
- Beans
- Leeks
- Asparagus
2. Onion and Garlic
Some studies suggest that garlic and onion have some anticancer and immune-boosting properties and boost your immune system, directly affecting your gut health. Garlic and onion improve the primary functions of your gut and act as an anecdotal.
3. Fermented foods
Some fermented foods are best for your gut health. Some gut improving fermented foods are:
- Kimchi
- Yogurt
- Tempeh
- Miso
- Kefir
- Sauerkraut.
These fermented foods are a great source of probiotics and can improve normal gut flora in number.
4. Collagen boosting foods.
You can improve your gut health with the use of some collagen-boosting foods like salmon and bine broth. These foods can boost your overall health along with gut health. These collagen-boosting foods can act as anecdotal. You can promote your muscle power with the use of these collagen-boosting foods.
You can try some foods like:
- Mushrooms
- Dairy foods
- Milk
- Meats
The Bottom Line
We have discussed all the aspects related to your gut health like signs of a healthy and unhealthy gut, how to improve gut health, maintain normal flora of the gut, food used to boost gut health, and many other things in this article. The gut is an essential part of our body, and all organ-based functions depend on gut health.
You cannot ignore gut health as it can be harmful to you. Gut infections can cause tumors of the gut and many other problems. Eat best, sleep properly and do your exercise to maintain health and average body’s functions. Live an active life to avoid multiple health problems. Do your exercise correctly and avoid high fats foods.
