Exploring the Link Between Gut Health and Overall Wellness

When you’re on a weight loss journey, you may think of your “gut” as that thing you’re trying to get rid of. Your gut, however, is an essential part of your overall health. Taking care of your gut can help you not only lose and regulate your weight but also live a healthier, happier life. Here’s how it works: 

The Gut Microbiome

Your gut health starts with your gut microbiome, an ecosystem inside your intestines including microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. You are born with one, and environmental and dietary factors change it throughout your life. While its primary task is digestion, it also impacts many of your body’s systems and functions. Discoveries are ongoing, but we currently know that your gut microbiome impacts your immune, nervous and endocrine (hormonal) systems. 

Gut Health and Immune Function

Up to 80% of your body’s immune cells can be found in the gut. Helpful gut microbes help train your immune system, clearing out pathogens that pass through your system. Their byproducts help maintain your gut’s barrier, keeping bacteria out of your bloodstream. Gut biomes also assist with inflammation, which is meant to help your immune system, but inflammation can malfunction, leading to autoimmune disease and other health conditions. 

Gut Health and Mental Health

Your gut and brain are connected through what’s called a gut-brain axis. Through this connection, your gut microbes can impact your mental health. One way is by stimulating the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin that send chemical signals to your brain. Some bacteria, like short-chain fatty acids, appear to have positive effects, while bacterial toxins can damage nerves, leading to neurological, behavioral and nerve disorders.  

How to Improve Gut Health

A healthy gut microbiome starts with what you put into your body. Here are a few tips for keeping yours healthy:

• Eat a balanced diet. Fad diets often go to extremes by eliminating food groups, but a healthy gut requires different types of bacteria to thrive. Healthy, unprocessed foods are essential to gut health.
• Skip food that upsets your stomach. Some people have stomach problems after eating certain foods, like gluten, dairy or even bananas. Your body is trying to tell you something: avoid those foods.
• Try probiotics and prebiotics. Both of these types of nutrients can aid digestion and help good bacteria grow in your gut. 
• Add more fiber, and drink more water. Both fiber and water help you digest your food, and you need plenty of both to keep your gut healthy. 

While eating a healthy diet, drinking enough water and exercising may not solve all of your problems, these habits can all contribute to your overall health. Focus on what you can do to make your gut healthy, and you may start feeling better in ways you didn’t expect!