Did you know that the human gut contains an average of 100 TRILLION microorganisms?
Wait, we’re full of bacteria? Maybe it’s just me but that sounds a little gross!! We’re talking about 5000 different species, weighing around 2 kilograms (about 5 pounds), and our gut contains 10 times MORE bacteria than the rest of the body!
Okay, that’s actually kind of cool.
Gut Health Facts:
Our stomach or gut is vitally important to our overall health because it influences mood, digestion and our immunity, just to name a few.
- Our gut is the “gatekeeper” of our health.
- Whatever enters our gut isn’t truly ‘inside’ our body. All along the walls of our intestines, a single layer of cells forms the boundary between what’s in our gut and what gets absorbed and circulated to the rest of the body. These cells, together with the mucosal layer, gut microbiota, and immune system, make up the gut barrier.
- We all know people that look like the picture of health and get sick all the time and that is because wellness is a direct reflection on gut health with 80% of our immune system being produced in the gut.
- The immune system is defined as the network of cells, tissues and organs that work together to protect the body, helping to fight off sickness.
- Good nutrition is important for proper gut microbiota and immune function. A healthy, balanced diet and lifestyle can support our immune system, and help our digestive system work better, whereas a poor diet can compromise the immune system, leading to greater susceptibility to infections.
- Serotonin is your happy hormone that affects mood, libido, digestion, and produces melatonin that helps you sleep better and 90% of serotonin is made in the gut.
⬆️ Click the whole foods image to see how I achieve good Gut Health every day!
The Key Components to a Healthy Gut:
Let’s dive into how our gut and immune system are connected, and how nutrition plays a role.
- Whole foods (versus artificial vitamins) provide protein, healthy fats, antioxidants and many vitamins and minerals that are essential for the proper functioning of the immune system.
- The Standard American Diet (SAD) is not diverse. It’s rich in fat and sugar.
- Dietary fiber can help improve blood cholesterol levels and lower our risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity and even type 2 diabetes.
- If we’re trying to lose weight, fiber can help you feel full, which means we’ll be satisfied with fewer calories.
- Fermented foods have undergone fermentation, a process in which the sugars they contain are broken down by yeast or bacteria. Fermented foods improve gut health.
- The lifestyle approach – eat well, move (helps to heal the gut lining), get outside, cut off screens, sleep well, stay hydrated (boosts digestion by eliminating constipation and removing waste effectively).
- Fruits and vegetables are the number one way to improve gut health because they are the best sources of nutrients, also referred to as the microbiome.
- Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber and contain good bacteria. When our guts digests the fiber, it makes more good bacteria, which is what we want to happen!
Practical Tips for Everyday Living:
- Juice Plus is a whole food blend of 30 fruits, vegetables and berries which contain prebiotics and probiotics, proven to increase butyrate to heal the gut lining.
- Probiotics are microorganisms that live in the gut, we can get them from fermented food, fruits and vegetables.
- Prebiotics fuel the microbiome – bacteria in the gut – and feed the probiotics.
- Those gut microbes/bacteria are healthiest and can support a strong immune system when their hosts (that’s us) consume a healthy, balanced and diverse diet.
- Consistent use leads to metabolic reprogramming allowing us to crave healthy food again.
- Fiber Fueled, written by a gastroenterologist, is a plant based guide to gut health, losing weight, restoring health and optimizing the microbiome. Complete with a 4-week meal plan.
- Many people who transition to a plant-based diet report that cravings for foods they once loved gradually disappear over time.
- Scrappy Cooking helps us eat more plants through easy vegan meals, reducing food waste, and a cookbook to help with your food scraps.
- A fiber rich breakfast such as oats, vegetables, seeds, or legumes.
- Whole grains are good sources of dietary fiber, which we all need. Most refined grains contain little or no fiber. Common whole grains include: brown rice, oats (steel cut/rolled), quinoa, whole wheat bread, barley.
- Refined grains have been milled (ground into flour or meal) in a way that removes the bran and germ. This gives them a finer texture and improves their shelf life but strips the grain of important nutrients you need, including B vitamins, iron and dietary fiber.
A rich diverse diet with a variety of foods including: fermented foods, probiotics and prebiotics, whole foods including fruits and vegetables, are important in helping us meet our nutrient needs and support the proper function of the immune system, a healthy strong gut and our mood.
Research shows that the gut plays an even more complex and pivotal role in our overall health than we previously assumed. Beyond digestion, the gut has an impact on the functioning of our body, mind, and immune system. When you do get an infection or become sick, a healthy immune system helps you fight infections and heal wounds – which of course is what we all want. Let’s all give our gut and it’s bacteria a boost and start eating better today!
