In the world of health and wellbeing, the topic of gut health is a relatively new field of research, but one that has opened up many fascinating discoveries linking what happens in our gut with our physical and mental health.

The role of the gut was originally believed to just be about eliminating waste from the body, so originally there wasn’t much attention given to it. However, upon discovering the vast range of bacteria and organisms that live in our gut, scientists started to unlock a fascinating world within our body  linking the bacteria of the gut and our health and wellbeing. Think of it a bit like a two way deal. If we provide the right nutrients and environment for the bacteria in our gut, they will thrive and as a pay off they can create so many health benefits. The list of these benefits includes (but is not limited to):

Improved Digestion and Absorption: A healthy gut microbiome helps in the breakdown and absorption of nutrients, ensuring the body gets essential vitamins and minerals.

Boosted immunity: Did you know that when it comes to immunity, they estimate that we actually contain around 70% of our immunity in our gut. If we look after the bacteria of the gut, it will naturally boost our immune response to try and help to keep us as well as possible.

Emotional wellbeing: The bacteria in the gut produce chemicals called neurotransmitters which then travel up to the brain to influence our emotional wellbeing. This is an area of research called the brain-gut axis. If you want to improve emotional well-being a great place to start is in the gut.

Balanced inflammatory response: A balanced gut microbiome helps regulate the body’s inflammatory responses which can support a reduction in inflammation and potentially the pain associated with this.

Reduced sugar cravings: Many of the negative bacteria in the gut feed off sugar. This means when our gut health is out of balance, we are more likely to crave sugar.

Overall nourishment: Our gut is the site where we absorb a lot of energy but also nutrients from the food we eat. If you are getting really nourishing food but your gut health is out of balance, you simply won’t absorb the nutrients from the food. Eating well but also having optimal digestive health means greater nutrient absorption and overall nourishment. 

Better Skin Health: The gut-skin axis indicates that a healthy gut can lead to clearer, healthier skin, reducing issues like acne, eczema, and psoriasis.

Improved Sleep Quality: The gut microbiome influences the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, which plays a role in sleep regulation.

Remember, everyone’s gut is different and unique to us. A bit like our finger prints. If you want to start to improve the health of your gut, do things in a slow and steady way to manage the changes. If you do things too quickly you might notice that you get an upset digestive system as too much bacteria (good or not) can still overwhelm your gut.