Mind and Body by Emi
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HEALTHY GUT - HEALTHY YOU
You may have heard that the gut is our “second brain”. This is because our intestinal health has a big impact on the health of our body as a whole. The malfunction of our intestinal flora is associated with a series of inflammation, autoimmune diseases and even mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.In other words, our bowel supports the functioning of our brain, our immune system and the production of some vital vitamins.
Unhealthy habits such as overeating and alcohol abuse can unbalance our gut microbiota, which is home to millions of microorganisms that ensure the proper functioning of our intestines and our immune system cells. The result of this imbalance disruption is the weakening of our body's defense responses.
So what does that mean?
It means that in the short term, one could face low immunity, greater chance of infections, recurrent colds, dysentery, burning in the stomach and tremendous discomfort. In the long term, it increases the chances of developing health problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome, and even more serious ones, such as brain diseases. All things that we certainly want to avoid!
Therefore, it is essential to learn to take care of our gut health and protect against excesses. This includes taking care of our diet, exercising regularly and choosing foods that favor the “good bacteria” (bacterias that help our bodies digest food, absorb nutrients, and produce several vitamins) activities in our gut. These foods are known as probiotics and prebiotics.
Foods rich in probiotics: yogurt, kefir, kimchi, miso, pickles, and so on.
Foods rich in prebiotics: apples, broccoli, bananas, oats, beans, and so on.
PS: Watch out for the kind of yogurt you choose to eat, flavored yogurts contain high levels of sugar. Therefore, the best yogurt to consume is plain, natural yogurt.
Worst foods for gut health : artificial sweeteners, red meat, processed and refined foods, alcohol, and so on.
While I wouldn't go as far as to say we need to cut certain foods out of your diet forever, after all, food is about enjoyment too, limiting highly processed foods loaded with additives and salt will do us and our gut microbes good!
Once we’ve got the good bacteria kinda in your gut (found in probiotics foods), we need to feed them with prebiotic foods that are rich in fibers and that will feed the beneficial probiotics in our gut allowing them to thrive in our microbiome (a community of microorganisms such as bacteria, inhabiting our gut).
Beyond choosing better ingredients and improving our overall diet, here are 5 simple habits that we all should follow regularly to maintain a healthy gut.
1- Reduce our daily stress levels
2- Sleep well
3- Eat slowly
4- Drink lots of water
5- Check for any food intolerance (if you have symptoms such as cramping, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and acid reflux, you may be suffering from food intolerance)
6- Stay physically active
Bottom line, it all goes back to eating lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains for prebiotics (food for the good bacteria - probiotics) and fermented foods like yogurt and kefir for probiotics (good bacteria). Eat processed foods in moderation and limit added sugars, salt, artificial sweeteners and alcohol to keep our critters happy and our risk of chronic diseases low.
Now that we’ve covered the importance of a healthy gut, and how that is completely associated with a healthy lifestyle, save your spot in my new online program- it’s time to blossom!
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