We all know the importance of our gut in the human body. Our clever gastrointestinal tract acts by transporting our food from the mouth, digesting and absorbing its nutrients, transforming our food into energy and removing waste from our body.
However, current research is showing us that our gut is even more important than we originally thought.
Let’s start back at the beginning – here is your back-to-basics guide on the gut microbiome, it’s importance and how to optimise it!
So, what is Gut Health?
When we are talking about “gut health”, we are actually referring to the gut microbiome which constitutes of trillions of microorganisms and their genetic material that inhabit our gastrointestinal tract (1). These microorganisms comprise of predominantly bacteria, but also viruses, fungi and protozoa.
Microbial colonisation within our gut begins in our mother’s womb and continues to develop throughout our life (1). Our gut is affected by our genetics, stressful life events, illness or disease, which unfortunately are out of our conscious control (2). However, there are some lifestyle behaviours we can modify such as our environment, toxin exposure, our emotional responses to events and of course, our diet.
Why is our Gut Health important?
The microorganisms living in your gut are so integral to your health as a whole. They play a large role in digesting and absorbing the nutrients in your food (3). However, in recent years there has been research to show that our gut microbiome influence many other processes in our body such as metabolism, immune function and regulation, brain function, mood and body weight regulation (3). It’s important to note that although there is progress in gut health research (particularly in the analysis of microbiota composition, key metabolites produced and the discovery and isolation of novel bacteria), there is still so much to learn as this field is still in its infancy (4).
So, what are the signs of an imbalanced gut? Although a bit of gas and bloating can be completely normal, if it becomes painful and uncomfortable – it can be a sign that something is wrong. Other signs and symptoms include constant changing in bowel movements (constipation one moment, diarrhoea the next), painful or an uncomfortably bloated stomach, nausea, reflux, poor energy and fatigue, a reduction in appetite, brain fog/concentration and skin issues. An imbalanced gut or ‘dysbiosis gut’ can be caused by many influences such as illness, stress, poor diet or antibiotic use, however the situation to the individual is very specific (4).
6 Tips to improve gut health.
Now that we know how important our gut health is to our health and wellbeing, what are some easy ways we can optimise our microbiome in our daily life?
- Fuel with Fibre.
Fibre is the key fuel source for our gut microbiome and is found in an abundance of plant-based foods including fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and grains. It is the part of our food that is not digested in the small intestine that moves into the large intestine where it is fermented by the bacteria that live there. This produces special metabolites called short chain fatty-acids (SCFAs) which exert beneficial effects throughout the body and gut microbiome relating to reducing inflammation, improving immune responses and have importance in maintaining intestinal homeostasis (5).
There are 3 main sources of fibre which enhances of the production of SCFAs and hence increases the diversity, composition and richness of our gut microbiome: Soluble fibre, insoluble fibre and resistant starch.
- Soluble fibre: Soluble fibre slows carbohydrate breakdown, which consequently lowers the glycaemic index of our food (5). It also reduces cholesterol reabsorption and is a prebiotic for our colonic bacteria (5). Sources of soluble fibre include legumes, oats, barley and the flesh of fruits and vegetables.
- Insoluble fibre: Insoluble fibre acts as a bulking agent which aids in laxation (5). Sources of insoluble fibre include wheat bran, brown rice, wholegrains (including wholegrain breads and cereals) and the skin of fruit and vegetables.
- Resistant starch: Resistant starch is considered the “gold star fuel” for colonic bacteria and is also a prebiotic (5). Sources of resistant starch include legumes, raw oats, cashew nuts and unripe bananas.
TIP: Once you cool cooked pasta, rice, potatoes or wholegrains, it actually changes the composition to become resistant starch as well!
- Diversity is Key.
Think of it like this – the more diverse your diet, the more diverse your gut microbiome will be! Each variety of plant-based food will provide you will unique vitamins, minerals, fibre type and antioxidant properties.
If you find you are eating the same few fruits and vegetables on rotation, try these tips:
- Introduce one new plant-based food into your kitchen each week. This is a fun activity with kids as well – take them to the supermarket and let them choose something new!
- Swap out your ritual foods. Do you have apples for your snack every day? Try kiwi fruit! Or do you have broccoli with dinner each night? Why not try cauliflower! Try swap one of your ritual foods out each week to increase the diversity of your diet.
- Drink more water.
Ensuring that you have adequate hydration is a simple way of supporting your gut health. When your body is properly hydrated, your digestion is optimised as it has the ability to move nutrients throughout the body, ease waste and toxin removal and helps to promote healthy gut function.
- Prioritise good quality sleep.
I am sure you are aware of the importance of sleep for rest, recovery and to give your body time to initiate cell healing. Ensure you are getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
- Reduce your stress levels.
Psychological stress can affect your gut health in so many ways. In the short-term, stress can affect your appetite in two ways – it can cause you to lose your appetite as your digestions slows or it can increase the palatability of highly palatable foods. In the long-term, stress can trigger issues with your gut such as constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, an upset stomach or an implication to react to certain foods.
As stress is present in our daily lives with work, school, health, kids and more, it is more important than ever to ensure you are integrating some stress reducing techniques into your routine. Stay tuned for more information on stress and gut health in the coming weeks.
- Seek professional help.
If you are experiencing dysbiotic gut symptoms, it may be time to consider booking in with a qualified nutritionist to help identify the root cause of your gut symptoms and how to go about healing your gut. To book a consultation with myself, please click here.