A very quick overview of why you should focus your overall health on your gut health!
Gut health is without doubt the new frontier of system wide optimal health!
Every known disease including cancer, heart disease, dementia, auto immune, diabetes, depression can in some way be associated back to poor gut health!
Though… the industry is only at its infancy for exactly how & how much gut health & microbiome affects our health & longevity
We have approximately 40 trillion human cells and 40 trillion bacteria cells
We have 22000 human genes but 3 to 10 million bacteria genes.
70-80% of our immune system is in the gut lining!
98% of microbiome health is determined by our environmental & lifestyle practices… ie our choices!
Our gut & brains have direct 2 way signalling with each other via enteric nervous system ie one affects the other & vice versa
Gut health is determined by 2 primary factors:
Intestinal permeability - prevention of ‘leaky gut’ which is holes in our gut lining which is only 1 cell thick! Root cause of systemic inflammation!
Richness & diversity of ‘good’ microbiome bacteria. A wide variety of good bacteria is more important than abundance… but obviously both is ideal!
Major contributors to poor gut health are:
Not having natural birth or not being breast fed
Antibiotics - one course can take 2 years to restore good bacteria
Gluten - huge promoter of leaky gut
Glyphosate & all chemicals - leaky gut
Sugar - allow ‘bad’ bacteria to thrive
Anti inflammatories like nurofen & ibuprofen - leaky gut
Alcohol
Poor sleep
Chronic Stress
The composition of our food is the single biggest determining factor of gut health!
Overall tip - eat 30 plants per week - lots of leafy greens, abundant fibre, colourful vegetables, low sugar fruits, herbs & spices!
Your goal - Every week eat 5 of some of the most science backed gut health foods at least 3 x each.
Pomegranate - protects gut lining - pure 100% juice is ok! Try 50ml with coconut water each day!
Green Tea - Matcha green tea daily - helps good bacteria flourish!
Jerusalem artichoke - best prebiotic to feed good bacteria!
Kimchi - cabbage, ginger, beetroot - best probiotic to populate good bacteria!
Mushrooms - all round super food for gut & immune system.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Polyphenols - natures super food for everything!
Special mention - 90% dark chocolate (cacao) also loved by gut!
I find the best way to get these gut superfoods in is to mix all of them into your daily salad! (Ok maybe not green tea)
If your gut does not feel light, hollow & clean, your digestion is not easy and your poops not a daily occurrence of nice brown smooth ‘snake like’ shapes then your gut is probably not optimal!
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