What if we told you that there’s an organ that is responsible for half of the functioning of your body?

An organ second to your brain, that affects everything you do, and is affected by everything you do?

An organ that helps you thrive, after your brain has helped you survive?

We are talking about your Gut. Your gastrointestinal tract. Your second brain.

Before we jump into why it’s ever crucial to take care of your gut, let’s first get you acquainted with what exactly it is.

What is Gut and Gut Health?

Gut or Gastrointestinal Tract (GI) is the passage-way of our digestive system starting from the mouth and ending at the anus. It consists of esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine.

It has its own nervous system called the Enteric Nervous System —- aka the "Second brain" —- which is a part of the Autonomous Nervous System of our body. The gut can function independently without receiving signals from the brain.

The entire digestive system is responsible for breaking down food into nutrients, and those nutrients into information for the brain. Our gut is lined with more than 500 million nerve cells that control many important reflexes and functions like the contraction of muscles for food to move within the GI tract, secretion of saliva to name a few. And it’s all automatic!

But more than that, it’s the separate colonies of microorganisms that live in your gut that make the whole process special. These microorganisms live in our bodies to serve different functions.

"Gut health" is the function and balance of everything that goes on the moment we ingest food, to the moment we excrete it.

So, why does Gut Health matter?

Having established the premise that the gut the is a whole system in itself, controls the way food (the basic need for survival) is digested and utilized, and has its own nervous system teaches us two things:

1. The gut is plays an important role in brain function
2. The health of the gut will affect the body on a cellular level

Suffice to say, having a healthy gut is the only way that the body can perform tasks —  outside or within — to not only help us thrive, but also keep us alive. Even the essential functions of the body such as brain function (thinking and understanding), breathing, and movement are affected by it.

Gut health matters not just to get the most out of the food we eat, but also to keep our immune and endocrine system functioning well and maintain good hormonal health.

Now that you understand the importance of the gut, you might be feeling motivated to make it healthier, right?

So first, let us define what a healthy gut looks like for you.

How to know that you have a healthy functioning gut?

The beauty and feeling of having a healthy gut goes beyond digesting food well, here are some signs that indicate that you have a healthy gut:

• Regular and pain-free bowel movements
• Healthy bowel transit time
• Normal amount of gas
• No bloating
• Consistent energy
• No mood swings
• Mental clarity
• Healthy reactions to food and stress
• Clear skin
• Painless periods for females

What happens if you don't have a healthy gut?

When you have an imbalance in your gut, you may experience:

• Upset stomach (bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, etc.)
• Food intolerances
• Problems such as IBS, acid refluxes, leaky gut, etc.
• Poor immune responses (getting sick often)
• Extreme weight gain or loss
• Autoimmune conditions
• Brain fog
• Frequent migraines
• Poor sleep
• Chronic fatigue
• Anxiety and depression
• Skin problems such as acne, irritation, eczema, etc.

An unhealthy gut is majorly caused by external trauma (such as diseases), antibiotics, and lifestyle stressors such stress, an unhealthy diet and bad habits, but there’s more.

What impacts Gut Health negatively?

• High stress levelsLack of sleep
• Poor diet with high sugary and processed food
• Lack of prebiotics and probiotics in your diet
• Eating foods that you are intolerant to
• Taking antibiotics
• Ageing
• Lack of exercise
• Alcohol, smoking and drug abuse

Your eating habits play a big role in your gut health too. Some habits that impact your gut health negatively are:

• Not eating at a fixed time
• Eating too quickly and not chewing food well
• Eating in a state of anxiety
• Eating bad quality, stale food
• Not eating mindfully (being distracted while eating)

But don't fret. While your gut health isn't the easiest to fix, it’s still manageable. Even the slightest of improvements in diet and lifestyle have big rewards for your overall health and well-being.

Read on to know what you can do for your gut health.

What can you do to keep a healthy gut?

 The best thing you can do for your gut health right now is to fix your posture and take a deep breath. Relax. 

Now, here are the four pillars of self-care to keep in mind for a healthy gut:

• Every single molecule of food that you consume affects your gut. The things that you eat become a part of your gut because of the microorganisms. Thus, they become you. So making smart choices with food is crucial.

• Chronic stress keeps your gut in a fight or flight mode, by activating stress hormones. These hormones have the power to alter gut bacteria, causing gut issues, inflammation and other health conditions.

• Plenty of rest is crucial to have a healthy gut because a lack of sleep can cause multiple upper and lower GI diseases, by affecting the overall health of the nervous system.

• Having good habits that serve you such as movement, good eating habits, grounding in nature, etc. and ditching the bad habits such as staying up too late, smoking, and junk food consumption are crucial to a healthy gut.

Now that you know the four pillars of taking care of your gut, design your life around them and watch your health transform.

Along with that wisdom, here are a few actionable tips on nutrition that will help you make better choices when cooking and eating:

1. Eat real, whole foods that come directly from mother nature, not a factory.
2. Learn about your bio-individuality, and alter your diet according to that. Not every food benefits every person.
3. Have a fixed meal routine and stick to it. Avoid eating at random times every day.
4. Eat a lot of fibre-rich foods such as fruits and veggies.
5. Consume an adequate amount of probiotic and prebiotic foods to grow gut bacteria in your gut. Food such as sauerkraut, yoghurt, pickles, fermented dough and vegetables, bananas, rice, etc. help.
6. Stay well hydrated. Drink plenty of water with electrolytes or just a pinch of sea salt throughout the day.

Follow these steps religiously and watch your digestive health, mental health, and skin health transform magically. Except, there’s no magic! Only efforts.

Hope you found this blog helpful, if you need more information on any specific topic or your personal issue, please write to us at anupam@anupamholistic.com.