Gut Health is Everything!
Gut health is a popular topic these days and for good reason: It is foundational for overall wellness. When our gut is healthy we are healthy. Your diet can be perfect, but if you can’t properly digest your food, your health will suffer. In this post, I will briefly discuss how gut health impacts overall health. I will then give some recommendations on how to promote a healthy gut.
Good digestion is the foundation of good health. Your diet can be “perfect”, but if you can’t properly digest your food, your health will suffer.
Digestion is Foundational for Optimal Health
You literally are what you eat, or rather you are what your body can properly digest and utilize. Our bodies use the foods we eat as building blocks to produce new cells and tissues. Besides providing energy, our food provides us with important enzymes and co-factors needed in key physiological processes. If we eat a low-quality diet our body will only have low-quality building blocks for cellular repair and renewal. Over time this can lead to cellular dysfunction, which can lead to organ dysfunction, and eventually full-blown disease. It makes sense that eating a nutrient-dense diet supports optimal health, but this is only the case if you can actually digest and absorb the nutrients you consume. If digestion is impaired malabsorption can ensue and you will not be able to access the full potential of the food you eat.
Digestive health is also key to eliminating toxins, unwanted metabolites, and byproducts from the body. If digestion is stagnant and elimination is impaired, as with constipation, individuals can suffer from an overburdened detox system. This can impair immune function and overall health.
Gut Microbes and Overall Health
One major element of a healthy gut is the make-up of the gut microbiota. In this case, “microbiota” refers to the microbes (bacteria and yeasts), that call your digestive system home. Gut microbes are critical for proper digestion and impact many elements of overall health including immune function, mood, and weight. They may even influence personality and cognition. Beneficial microbes promote health in a number of ways, but these “good bugs” can be disrupted by poor diet, stress, lifestyle, medications, and antibiotics. This can leave room for the “bad bugs” to take over. When you have too many of the wrong microbes living in your gut you can develop health issues.
Fermented foods are a dietary source of “good microbes” or probiotics. Eating fermented foods, like unsweetened coconut yogurt or sauerkraut, is one of the easiest ways to improve gut health.
Your Gut Microbiome Explained
Let’s talk about what it means to have a “healthy gut microbiome”. Your gut’s microbiome is made up of your gut’s microbiota (microbial community) and all of its genetic material. You can think of your digestive system as a coveted habitat for this microbial community. Your body provides limited resources, and microbes are in competition for these resources. In the habitat of your body, you want the “good microbes” to out-compete the “bad microbes”. Health issues arise when this microbial community is out of balance and the “bad bugs” take over. That’s why it’s critical to make sure you are colonized by the “good bugs”.
“An out-of-balance microbiome can present with anxiety, depression, brain fog, sleep issues, and even memory problems.”
Dr. Frank Lipman, M.D.
Gut Health and Mental Health
According to functional medical doctor Frank Lipman, M.D. “an out-of-balance microbiome can present with anxiety, depression, brain fog, sleep issues, and even memory problems”. Additionally, there is a strong link between mood symptoms, like depression and anxiety, and digestive disorders like IBS. This is partially due to the fact that many neurotransmitters that influence mood, like serotonin, are produced in the gut. To put it simply, the microbes in your gut interact with your nervous system.
Your Gut is Your “Second Brain”
Have you heard people talk about your “Second Brain”, or the “Gut-Brain Axis”? The connection between the brain in your head and the “brain” in your gut is real. Your digestive tract is home to the Enteric Nervous System, which contains approximately 500 million neurons! There is constant communication going on between your brain and gut via the Central Nervous System and the Enteric Nervous System. This is one reason why there is a strong link between mood, stress, trauma, and digestion. The concept of “gut feelings” is quite real, so don’t ignore them, they may actually be telling you something.
Your digestive tract is home to the Enteric Nervous System, which contains approximately 500 million neurons!
Compromised Gut Health
If gut health is seriously compromised, you can develop intestinal hyper-permeability. Also known as “leaky gut”, symptoms may impact multiple systems in the body, not just the digestive tract. “Leaky Gut” is the result of a number of genetic, dietary, and environmental factors. Here’s a short explanation of “leaky gut” and the problems that it can create:
“Leaky Gut” 101:
- The walls of your intestine are only one cell thick and can become compromised due to a number of factors (diet, lifestyle, genetics, & microbiome).
- When the intestines are compromised “gaps” that are hyper-permeable form in the intestinal walls and food particles that are “too big” can get through.
- Your body is designed to absorb small particles of food from the intestines into the bloodstream. When I say small, I mean things like amino acids, the building blocks of peptides, which are the building blocks of proteins.
- With “leaky gut”, proteins can get through these “gaps” and enter your bloodstream. This can cause an immune response to occur.
- “Leaky Gut” can present as multiple allergies and food sensitivities. It may also cause mood symptoms, brain fog, fatigue, hormone issues, GERD, rashes, acne, joint pain, irritable bowel disorders, and even autoimmune diseases.
Bring Gut Health Back into Balance
Healing leaky gut is a process that often takes time and patience. An elimination diet may be required temporarily to pinpoint trigger foods. It is important to pinpoint the sources of irritation since removing them is necessary for healing to occur. Foods like gluten, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, dairy, nightshades, and eggs may need to be avoided for a period of time. Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), Candida overgrowth, IBS/IBD, Celiac Disease, and other digestive health conditions may require additional specialized gut healing protocols. Most of these specialized healing protocols are meant to be temporary. Once healing has occurred many people are able to successfully reintroduce foods that were once a problem. Certain foods, such as gluten, may need to be avoided indefinitely, especially in the case of Celiac Disease and other autoimmune conditions.
The 5Rs Gut Healing Protocol:
You may need a gut healing protocol if your gut health is seriously compromised. One of the most common gut healing protocols is called the 5Rs. Dr. Frank Lipman outlines this protocol in his book “How to Be Well”. Here’s a little preview:
- Remove the sources of irritation.
- Replace what may be lacking.
- Reinoculate with beneficial bacteria.
- Repair the gut lining.
- Relax to reduce stress and improve sleep.
Eating a nutrient-dense, plant-centered diet that is focused on whole-foods is one of the best ways to support gut health.
Promote Gut Health with Diet
Now that we’ve talked a bit about the importance of gut health, let’s talk about what you can do to give your gut some love. One of the best ways to support gut health is by eating a nutrient-dense, plant-centered diet that is focused on whole-foods. Keep your sugar and starch intake on the low side since these foods feed the “bad microbes”. You may also benefit from taking probiotic supplements and eating fermented foods. Make sure you are getting plenty of fiber for prebiotics. Prebiotics are foods that feed the “good microbes”. Find a list of fermented foods along with my Easy Step-by-Step Formula for healthy eating here.
If you have more questions or need support starting a gut healing protocol, contact me for a Complimentary Consultation. I’m always happy to chat about all things wellness.
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