Is My Gut Healthy?

Our gut gives us the necessary energy to live, grow and repair. But how to improve and reset gut health?

If you’re looking to understand more about the mystical world of the gastrointestinal system, read on! 

What is Your Gut and What Does It Do for the Body?

Let’s start with the basics, shall we? We’ve been referring to “gut health” almost as a mantra, and surely, gut health business is booming - just say the magic words and voilà, people are interested. 

But what is the gut? To keep it simple, it’s the whole of your gastrointestinal system, including the stomach, intestines and colon. The gut breaks down the foods you ingest and absorbs nutrients that support your body's functions, then it excretes waste. 

Now for another term that is frequently thrown around with no explanation: gut flora. That’s nothing more, nothing less than your gut microbiome: a microscopic world within the world of your body containing trillions of bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses, with at least 150 times more genes than the human genome.

Here’s a crash course on the importance of gut health: it was once believed to be simply the place in the body where food gets digested. Now, a mountain of evidence has come out to sustain that your gut is responsible for much, much more. 

“For years we have compartmentalized the body and how we look at it, but there’s been a real shift, and the science now highlights how interconnected the body is, and how what we eat is another tool to improve mood and cognition,” Dr. Emily Leeming, author of “Genius Gut” has said in an interview to Vogue. “Instead of talking about health in terms of warding off diseases, it’s time we recognize that health is also about how we feel day to day. It’s our energy levels, focus, movement, and mood which are the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that make up our entire life.”

Signs of a Healthy Gut:

Trust me, your gut will tell you when it isn’t happy, and some of the warnings are loud and clear... A healthy gut, however, works like a well oiled machine: 

👉 No regular stomach pain. Remember folks, the normal amount of pain your body should be in after a meal is zero. 

👉 Bowel movements! Nobody wants to talk about poop, but that’s often where health starts. They should be regular and pain-free. 

👉 Good gut transit time. That’s how long it takes for the food you eat to be digested and travel through your gut. The ideal gut transit time is around 28 hours, if it varies too much from this, it could indicate a food intolerance, constipation, or other conditions. 

👉 No bloating. If you’re constantly gassy or bloated, speak to your doctor. 

👉 Mental clarity. If you can stay mentally alert and still manage to go through the day without needing a nap, first of all: congratulations. Also, that probably means you’re getting enough nutrients and absorbing them properly. Digesting food takes a lot of energy! So yes, chronic fatigue could also be related to a poorly functioning digestive system. 

How to Reset Your Gut Health:

✔️ Pay attention to your diet. This one’s sort of a given, but eating the right foods can go a long way in helping improve your gut health. Remember, the goal is to feed the good bacteria in the gut. Start by reducing anything too high in sugar and trans-fat, also cut back on processed foods as much as you can. Fiber and probiotics are your friends. 

✔️ Exercise regularly. If there’s one thing I learned during my many years of suffering with poor digestion is that physical activity is a non-negotiable. Staying active while letting gravity do its thing helps food to move through the gastrointestinal tract. Movement also strengthens the diaphragm and abdominal wall, which increases blood flow to muscles and can help ease constipation. 

✔️ Grains are some of the main sources of what’s my favorite f-word: fiber. While everyone is obsessed with getting enough protein in, I’ll tell you this: you’re probably not eating enough fiber.

And scientists tend to agree! Adequate fiber intake is linked with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cancers, heart disease, and obesity. It also feeds the good bacteria in our gut, helps fight inflammation, and (here we are on this subject again): it’s a crucial puzzle piece if you want healthy and regular bowel movements. 

✔️ Get enough sleep! It’s a circle we can’t escape. If you don’t get enough sleep, you end up stressed out, which - guess what - affects the gut. An upset gut leads to bloating, inflammation, stomach pain, food sensitivity… If you can, try to get a minimum of 6 hours of sleep every night (better yet, make it 7 or 8. You need your beauty sleep!). 

✔️ Testing for Food-Related Issues. Remember: medicine is your friend. If you’ve already read all the articles, tried every suggestion online and nothing has changed, stop trying to be a hero. Go to your doctor. You may need to get tested for food related issues like allergies or sensitivities. These can be difficult or almost impossible to identify on your own. 

10 Foods That Support a Healthy Gut:

• Yogurt 

• Whole grains 

• Leafy greens 

• Avocados 

• Probiotic rich foods like kefir, kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut…

• Bananas 

• Almonds 

• Olive oil 

• Ginger 

• Salmon

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