Health: Let’s talk Gut Health and what it means to your overall health?

Gut Health.  Seems to be quite the buzz around about the health of our gut at the moment… but what is all the fuss about?  And is the state of our gut that important in the scheme of things?

The GUT – you’ve heard about it, talk about it – but what is it?  Is it your stomach?  Your intestine?  Your bowel?  Well, yes, yes and yes, but it is also SO much more.  The gut (or gastrointestinal tract) is the long tube that starts at the top – the mouth -and includes the stomach, small and large intestine and ends at the bottom (literally!). The gut processes food – from the time it is first eaten until it is either absorbed by the body or passed out as stools (faeces).  It is obvious then that the health of the gut is critically important in the efficient functioning of your body.

Digestion begins in the mouth with the chewing action of our teeth and jaw.  Our salivary glands release saliva which immediately begins to break down the chewed food.  The longer that we keep the food in the mouth being chewed, the easier the subsequent steps.  Hence, the reason why our parents always encouraged us to chew slowly!

The food is swallowed and travels straight down into the stomach. By the time the food has left the stomach, it has been churned and ground into tiny particles to travel through to the small intestine, large intestine and whatever is left leaves the body as waste.

This digestion function of the gut is probably obvious, but did you know that most of the allergies and intolerances that people suffer originate in the gut too.  Anything from Coeliac and gluten sensitivity to lactose and fructose intolerances can be traced to reactions or deficiencies in the gut.

One of the newer areas of research with gut health is the exploration that your gut and your brain are intrinsically linked, in fact your gut is often referred to as your second brain…that’s pretty big! But what does this mean to our health?

In short, the function of your GUT (good or bad) can dramatically influence your mental health. For a long time, we have been saying things like “trust your gut” when suggesting someone rely on their intuition, when we are cranky or irritable – when we are frustrated or annoyed, we might refer to something giving us the s*%ts and when we get anxious or nervous, butterflies appear in our stomach.  However, it has only been in very recent years that scientists have realised the depth of this symbiosis between the gut and brain.

We all have millions of bacteria living in your gut and they play a role in everything from your immune system function to your mood, from obesity to Alzhemiers.  When the balance of bacteria in the gut is disturbed, the health suffers and can present in a myriad of symptoms that may or may not appear to be linked to gut bacteria.

When your gut is unhealthy, it can cause more than just stomach pain, gas, bloating, or diarrhea. Because 60-80% of our immune system is located in our gut, gut imbalances have been linked to hormonal imbalances, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, eczema, rosacea, and other chronic health problems.

All of the above complaints may point to non–optimal gut functioning, and because gut health really is the basis of all health it stands to reason that we must look to improve its function.

The very first and most effective thing that you can do to optimize gut health is adopting a consistently nutritious way of eating. By eating a diet rich in wholefoods (mainly plants) you can immediately start to change the gut’s microbiome.  Avoid the overuse of anti-biotics (which destroy the gut’s bacteria – good and bad) and only use when absolutely necessary; and limit, if not remove, what might be the worst dietary offenders – sugar, wheat, dairy and highly processed foods.

Everybody and every gut is different though and so what works for your girlfriend might not work for you – it’s called our bio-individuality. We all have different gut bacteria and biological makeup, and so, it is obvious that we each have different nutritional requirements for ensuring good gut health.  So while one of us might improve by removing wheat from our diet, it might be dairy for the next person.  It is important to find out what works for you!

For many people it won’t be necessary to pursue medical intervention and once you follow the right nutritional path, your symptoms might improve.  For those whose symptoms don’t abate with the simple dietary changes, we would always recommend seeing a specialist to determine the root cause of your gut issues.

“The key to living a happier, healthier life is inside us” (G. Enders) so it might be time for us to start to look inside.

Anna & Em xo

We are really fascinated by this topic of gut health and plan on continuing to find out much more that we can pass on to you. In the meantime, if you would like to do some further reading or find out a little bit more – we have a couple of great references below. 

Further information:

“GUT” by Giulia Enders. Scribe publications 2015.

Podcasts:

“The Powerful impact of of gut health on our body and brain.”: Giulia Enders.  Conversations with Richard Fidler

“Heal you gut, Heal your life” Melissa Ambrosini with Kirsty Wirth.