Gut health is essential to your overall health and wellbeing. Your gut interacts with almost every cell in the body, influencing everything such as digestion, your brain and nervous system, and your immune system. The lining of our GUT is home to an ecosystem of over 1000 thriving species of bacteria, fungi and viruses, known as our gut flora or microbiota. These colonies are crucial to our overall health.

A well-functioning, well-nourished microbiota will absorb nutrients from your food which will boost your immune system and regulate your digestion, as well as stabilising your mood and mental health. Basically, the healthier your microbiota is, the more energy you'll get from the foods you eat.

An unhealthy microbiota (dysbiosis) can lead to things such as inflammation in the gut lining which can contribute to health issues ranging from allergies to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. An unhealthy gut biome has been linked various mental health problems including depression and anxiety.

The key to a healthy gut, and therefore a healthy body and mind, consequently, lies in our lifestyle choices.

5 signs you may have an unhealthy gut

Gas and bloating

Though it's normal to experience occasional gas and bloating as a part of digestive function, frequent, prolonged or painful symptoms could be a sign of an unhealthy gut microbiome. If you have a compromised gut with unbalanced bacteria, your body can have trouble breaking down and processing foods effectively. This can lead to chronic gas and subsequently bloating - a possible sign that your food is fermenting in your stomach, due to insufficient stomach acid or the bacteria imbalance.

Mood swings

Chemical messengers such as Serotonin and Dopamine and fat soluble Vitamin D are all synthesised in our gut. These hormones are associated with healthy mood regulation and immune health. A compromised gut can result in hormonal imbalance and affect the body’s ability to use these hormones effectively. Sometimes symptoms such as moodiness, anxiety and depression are linked to a compromised gut balance and worth investigating with your health care provider.

Sugar Cravings

It's possible for microbes to manipulate our cravings towards certain foods that ensure their survival. Diets high in sugar and processed foods may influence the growth of harmful bacteria and increase your cravings for these foods and it can become a vicious cycle. It's worth considering what may be driving your cravings and address your gut bacteria balance if it's out of balance. Remember though, not all gut bacteria is BAD and sugar is not BAD either. Seek guidance from your health care professional for support.

Skin Troubles

Our gut communicates with our skin through what’s called the gut-skin axis, playing a role in skin homeostasis and inflammatory responses. Our skin also has a microbiome of its own, and the bacteria in your gut directly influence the balance of bacteria on your skin. An imbalance in your gut can cause an imbalance in your skin that may result in things like acne, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9311318/

 

Unintentional weight loss or weight gain

A compromised gut affects the body’s ability to regulate nutrient absorption, blood sugar levels and body fats, resulting in weight fluctuations regardless of diet or exercise regime. Malabsorption, or an inability to absorb vital nutrients through the small intestine, can lead to weight loss and nutrient deficiency, while decreased insulin resistance or compromised hunger-regulating hormones, like leptin and ghrelin, often results in weight gain.

5 Ways to heal your gut

Clean Up Your Diet

Cleaning up your diet is one of the best things you can do to improve gut health. The food you eat has a direct effect on the balance of bacteria in your gut. To keep your gut healthy, the general rule is to cut out processed foods and replace them with lean protein and plant-based foods rich in fibre, probiotics and prebiotics. We also recommend a diet rich in macro-nutirients and fermented foods if they are tolerable for you, 

Manage Stress Levels

Stress is a normal part of life and it's impossible to avoid it but we can make changes in our lifestyle to better manage our stress. Untreated stress can lead to chronic gut imbalance and dysfunction causing the intestinal membrane (lining of the small and large intestines) to become more permeable, we call that “leaky gut” syndrome. This affects our immune function and nutrient absorption. Simple and small changes can make a big difference and the best to start is to begin. 

Consider using Supplements

Sometimes adding a prebiotic or probiotic supplement can be a useful way to improve your gut health. Prebiotics are a source of food that stimulate the strength of beneficial bacteria that are already in the gut. In other words, prebiotics feed probiotics. Probiotics contain the strains of healthy bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacillus species. When used properly, these act to re-establish a balanced gut flora which has an overall 

Better Sleep Habits

Poor sleep quality can have a serious impact on your gut. Research has found that just two days of sub-optimal sleep in young, healthy adults led to a decrease in good bacteria, reduced insulin resistance and resulted in a gut microbiome similar to that of obese individuals. Addressing healthy sleep habits is essential to our overall health and wellbeing. 

Stay hydrated

Drinking clean (and filtered where possible) water is highly beneficial to the mucosal lining of the intestines, as well as maintaining gut balance in favour of the “good bacteria”. Our food requires water to be metabolised effectively and the bowel requires water to support motility and prevent constipation.