Understanding Gut Health: The Science Behind a Healthy Digestive System
Gut health in short gastrointestinal tract refers to the overall well-being of the entire digestive system. Gut health doesn’t just affect your digestive system. it also affects your physical health like your immune system and your mental health including your concentration, focus and productivity.
In the article i will summarize a lot of evidence into actionable recommendations and by applying this tips you will poo better, sleep better and focus better.
What is Gut Health And Why Does it Matter?
The primary function of the gut is to break down the food that we eat to get nutrients and get rid of the waste through the long tube that start from the mouth and ends at the anus where the poo comes out. The gut is also home to trillions of microorganisms collectively known as the gut microbiome and this includes all of the bacteria fungi and viruses that live in our digestive tracts and these traps help to break down the food that we eat turning it into the nutrients that our body needs.
Understanding the Gut Microbiome
when we eat various different foods so let’s take plant fiber as an example you eat some fruits and vegetables they travel the bits of it that you can’t digest the bits we can’t break down travel through to our colon where they’re fermented by different species of bacteria and yeasts and other types of microorganisms and in that fermentation process they produce some gas and they produce other things but they put really importantly produce some metabolites some things that interact with our bodies.
What Does a Healthy Gut Mean?
Health gut means having a well-balanced and diverse range of microorganisms bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes. When the gut microbiome is balanced, we tend to experience good digestive health but when gut health is imbalanced it affects digestive disorders like when you’ve got microbiome is imbalanced it can lead to digestive problems like bloating and constipation and diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome.
The Gut-Brain Connection: How Your Gut Talks to Your Mind
Scientists have been studying gut health, specifically the gut microbiome, for a very long time. While the terms “microbiota” and “microbiome” were formally introduced in the 20th century, the study of the gut’s microflora dates back to the 1840s. Even earlier, in the 17th century, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek observed bacteria in stool and saliva. in the last 30 years scientists have discovered that the effects of our gut health goes way beyond our digestive well-being because our gut has a massive impact on our mental health and on our physical health and our risk of loads of different diseases and disorders. The more we study gut health, the more we realize that it impacts every part of our body and every system in our body not just digestion. it turns out that there are 3 connections between the gut and the brain that create this strong link.
- chemical connection: the gut microbiome produces neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine which are chemicals in our brain that make us happy and help regulate basic physiological processes as well as mental process such as learning, memory and mood. For example, gut bacteria manufacture about 95% of the body’s serotonin, which is the happy hormone is produced in the gut.
- Hormonal connection: through a link in the brain called the HPA axis the HPA axis is the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis. it’s a complex set of interactions between the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland in your brain and the adrenal glands which are just above your kidneys the bacteria in our gut affect the stress response of our HPA axis.
- physical connection: The gut and the Brain through the vagus nerve the vagus nerve is the main nerve of a parasympathetic nervous system this system controls specific body functions like digestion and heart rate and the immune system generally things that are outside of our conscious control.
Physical Health
The connection between the gut and our physical health is through our immune system. The complex large network of organs cells, white blood cells and proteins. These parts all work together to defend the body against infection while protecting the body’s own cells. 70% of our immune cells live in our small in our bowel in our colon and your gut bacteria are constantly interacting with them.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the connection between gut health and immune health and generally researchers use germ-free animals like mice that are completely free of any bacteria or other microorganisms, including those normally found in the gut. scientists then change the composition of bacteria in these mice intestinal tracts to observe how their immune systems react. These experiments have provided clear evidence between the gut microbiome and our ability to produce and develop immune cells and antibodies.
How To Get a Health Gut
When it comes to gut health, knowing what to follow and what to avoid is key. we’ll walk through five things you should add to your diet and three things you should remove to help boost the balance and diversity of your gut bacteria.
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD ADD TO YOUR DIET
1. Aim For 30 Different Plants Per Week
The most important thing for your gut health is that you’re eating 30 different plants a week so trying to eat loads of variety of different types of plants. Eating many different types of plant food improves our gut health by encouraging the growth of different species of bacteria that live there especially the healthy good bacteria.
Plants includes:
- All fruits and vegetables
- Legumes like peas and lentils and tofu and candle dried beans
- Grains like rice and corn and barley and oats and wheat
- Milks made from nuts or grains like oat milk and almond milk
- Nuts and seeds like cashews and pumpkin seeds and pine nuts
Getting 30 different plants into your diet each week might sound a bit overwhelming at first, but the key is to break that into this number down into days so over seven days a week that’s about four or five different plants a day and then that actually makes it feel a lot more manageable. For example, you could start your day with a smoothie made from spinach, banana, berries, and a spoonful of flaxseeds. Then, for a mid-morning snack, grab a handful of mixed nuts or an apple. At lunch, include a side salad with a variety of veggies, and for dinner, add some lentils or beans to whatever you’re cooking and just make sure you have some amount of veg with your lunch or your dinner.
2.Aim For Variety Of Diet Rather Than Consistency
Diet advice aims for consistency especially if you’re trying to lose weight or build muscle. it’s a lot simpler to just eat the same things every day but if we want to optimize our gut health what we should do instead is to aim for variety rather than consistency and this is very much in line with the Whole 30 different plants per week in your diet and by adding a wide range of plant-based foods, you promote greater diversity in your gut microbiome, which, as we’ve discussed, is key to maintaining a healthy gut.
3.Aim For 30 Grams Of Fiber Every Day
Most people in general eat less than half of what they actually need in terms of fiber. fiber is a type of carbohydrate that we don’t break down and instead of being digested and absorbed it travels to the large intestine and when it’s in the large intestine it acts as a Prebiotic which means basically food for the good bacteria in our body. It can be pretty tough to know exactly how much fiber you’re getting in your diet So, here are some simple tips to make sure you’re getting enough.
- Aim for five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, include whole grains in two out of your three meals each day, and incorporate snacks like seeds, nuts, and dried fruits.
- find ways to swap out Foods in your diet for a high fiber for example swapping regular pasta for a whole wheat version can also increase your fiber intake.
- you can actually calculate the amount of fiber in your diet. Here are some examples of different foods that will help you to achieve 30 grams of fibre
EXAMPLE – 1
Breakfast:
- ½ cup of oatmeal (4g fiber)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds (5g fiber)
- ½ cup mixed berries (2g fiber)
Morning Snack:
- 1 medium apple with skin (4g fiber)
Lunch:
- Mixed green salad with 1 cup spinach, ½ cup chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, and a tablespoon of sunflower seeds (7g fiber total)
- 1 slice whole grain bread (3g fiber)
Afternoon Snack:
- A small handful (about 1 ounce) of almonds (3g fiber)
Dinner:
- ½ cup cooked quinoa (2.5g fiber)
- Steamed broccoli, 1 cup (5g fiber)
Total Fiber: Approximately 30.5 grams
EXAMPLE -2
Breakfast:
- 2 slices whole grain toast (6g fiber)
- Mashed avocado (½ medium) on top (5g fiber)
- 1 orange (3g fiber)
Morning Snack:
- 1 small pear (4g fiber)
Lunch:
- Whole grain wrap with hummus, shredded carrots, lettuce, and black beans (7g fiber)
Afternoon Snack:
- 3 cups air-popped popcorn (3.5g fiber)
Dinner:
- 1 cup cooked lentils (7g fiber)
- Roasted vegetables (like carrots, zucchini, and bell pepper) (2g fiber)
Total Fiber: Approximately 31.5 grams
4.Aim To Take a Probiotic
Probiotics are foods or supplements that contain live microorganisms that are intended to maintain or improve the good bacteria in the gut. Probiotics have been shown to help significant reduction of psychological stress and lower cortisol levels. which is one of the body’s primary stress hormones. This means probiotics don’t just help with how you feel emotionally, but also influence the chemical markers of stress and anxiety in your body. By supporting the gut-brain axis, probiotics can positively impact both your mental state and biological stress response.
5.Aim for Two Portions Of Oily Fish Per Week
oily fish contains long chain omega-3 fatty acids and our gut loves omega-3 it helps to promote the population of good bacteria that helps control inflammation in the body we need two portion of oily fish a week for our brain health it’s really important for controlling inflammation in the brain. salmon, mackerel and sardines count as oily fish but tuna and cod and sea bass do not count as oily fish and if you’re vegetarian then you can replace the fish with vegetarian sources of Omega-3. for example flaxseed or flaxseed oil or canola oil or soybean oil or you can just take a supplement for omega-3.
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD REMOVE FROM YOUR DIET
1. Cut Down On Red Meat
Scientific evidence supports the idea that consuming too much red meat can negatively impact gut health. The main reason for this is that the metabolites the breakdown products of generally red meats those metabolites are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. The world cancer research fund says we should only have three portions of red meat per week and that’s 500 grams 350 to 500 grams in total otherwise we’re putting ourselves at higher risk of bowel cancer.
2.Avoid Processed Food
This is basically anything that comes in a packet like sausages or bread or crisps. The reason why processed foods are generally bad is that they contain a lot of additives and preservatives and these things make the food last longer but they stop the natural bacteria present in food play a role in the spoilage process, causing the food to go off over time and so when we eat these preservatives we also stop the good bacteria from growing in our gut because the preservatives generally inhibit the bacteria one example is artificial sweeteners, which are found in many “sugar-free” or “diet” products like soft drinks, protein bars, and even some yogurts marketed as healthy options. While they may help reduce calorie intake, studies suggest that certain artificial sweeteners can negatively impact the gut microbiome by altering the balance of beneficial bacteria. This disruption may contribute to issues like glucose intolerance, increased cravings, and inflammation. Additionally, these sweeteners may interfere with the gut lining, potentially affecting digestion and overall gut health over time.
3. Avoid Artificial Sugars
Artificial sugars are not very good for our gut health but what we do know is that when we have artificial sweeteners our body is anticipating having real sugar and and starts preparing for it triggering certain hormonal and metabolic responses. But when that sugar doesn’t arrive, it can throw off our system and potentially disrupt gut function. Over time, this mismatch may impact blood sugar regulation, increase cravings, and negatively affect the balance of gut bacteria.