Happy Gut, Healthy You

Ever wonder where the food you eat goes after it passes the stomach? In this article, let us try to understand more about our gastrointestinal tract and the factors influencing gut health.

What is Gut?

The gut is a collection of organs that process what we eat and drink – not just the stomach. It runs all the way from the mouth to the anus and is made up of what are referred to as “hollow organs” and “solid organs”.

The hollow organs are the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and anus. The solid ones are the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. All these work together to digest what is put into your body called the gastrointestinal tract.

Humans Are Walking Bacterial Colonies

I’ll bet you never considered yourself “a walking bacterial colony.” However, your gut is home to trillions of bacterial cells. As unborn fetuses, the intestines are sterile and we’re protected by our mothers, however, once born, our intestines begin to collect and house trillions of microbiota to aid food digestion, and vitamin absorption, and power our immune systems. Each person has a unique microbiome that begins to form during birth.

What Can I Do to Help My Gut?

When we think about good gut health, most of us think about digestive health. But that’s only part of the story. The bacteria in your gut make up a very important ecosystem, a healthy microbiome is a balanced microbiome.

Gut health is one of the most important aspects of overall wellness. In fact, gut health is often referred to as the third pillar of health after diet and exercise.

Let us look into a few tips and tricks to help balance our gut microbiome and improve our overall health:

Avoid processed foods, sugar, and alcohol

The first step to better gut health is to avoid processed foods and sugar. You should also steer clear of alcohol, which can be hard on the liver. Artificial sweeteners are not good for your gut either.

Focus on foods that heal your gut

As we are already aware our gut is home to good bacteria, if you’re deficient in the good kind of bacteria, it can lead to a number of health problems like feeling tired and gut discomfort. In order to keep the gut healthy and prevent these symptoms you should focus on foods that are rich in fiber (bran cereal is a good example), prebiotics (legumes have lots), probiotics (yogurt), and antioxidants (berries).

Drink more water

Hydration is fundamental to gut health; our gut just doesn’t function properly when we are dehydrated. Water helps our guts to digest what we eat, and slow digestion can lead to constipation.

It’s important not to wait until you’re thirsty to start drinking water. Feeling thirsty is actually a sign of dehydration. Starting your day by drinking a pint of water before anything else can be a great way to boost your digestive system from the minute you wake up!

Not so fast!

The food we eat travels down the digestive tract into our stomachs, and when we are full, the stomach sends a signal to the brain to tell us we’re done. This doesn’t happen immediately, and our brains need time to process the feeling of fullness, approximately 20 minutes.

If we eat too fast, we may eat more food than we need and we may experience gut issues like indigestion, excessive gas, and bloating. The digestive system needs time to process the food, so focusing on slowing down the process and chewing your food can help eliminate this problem.

Probiotics are the key

Probiotics are live microorganisms that help to balance our gut microbiome. They feed the good bacteria, which ensures the gut is functioning well. A diverse range of good bacteria is fundamental to a healthy gut, and probiotics can help you achieve that.

You can gain probiotics through fermented food sources such as yogurt, sauerkraut, pickles, tempeh, and kimchi. Some cheeses such as cheddar and mozzarella also contain probiotics.

Get enough sleep

Getting enough sleep is just as important for your gut health as it is for your overall health. People who don’t get enough sleep may be more likely to suffer from gastrointestinal disorders. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night to help support a healthy gut microbiome.

Increase your exercise, but don’t overdo it

Exercise is one of the best ways to improve your gut health, but it’s important to not overdo it. Exercise helps us keep our weight in check and can help maintain a healthy body. However, if you start exercising too much, it can lead to other problems like dehydration and soreness, which in turn is not good for gut health.

Final Thoughts

Maintaining a healthy gut is proving fundamental to our overall health. It’s not always easy, but following simple steps and gradual changes can make a world of difference in our lives.

At Wizard Athleisure ^[4], we’re committed to elevating human potential, harnessing our internal strengths, challenging our limits, and becoming physically, mentally, and emotionally fit. So why not try implementing just a few of these ideas and seeing how you feel? Usually, once we start to feel healthier, it becomes easier to make better choices for ourselves.

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