If you are not feeling 100 percent and don’t know why, chances are your gut is to blame. A healthy gut is vital to your health but most times it is overlooked.
It is estimated that 80 percent of our immune cells are in our gut. Therefore this system plays a pivotal role in our overall health.
Our gut contains trillions of microorganisms, this group of bacteria function in digestion, bowel function and overall health. The food you eat and drink and the medicines you take affect the balance of these bacteria. The balance between the good bacteria and not so good bacteria is vital. Simply eating the wrong types of food and taking medication, may lead to an influx of bad bacteria and your digestive processes can be disrupted. In the short term, the body can normally heal relatively quickly, but long term effects of bad diet and medication can be disastrous to your health.
Digestion begins when you eat food to access nutrients so these nutrients can be used throughout your body for your vital bodily functions. The digestive system uses the good stuff and expels the food that is not necessary.
Your digestive system can be adversely affected by:
Unhealthy Diet
Taking Medications
Dehydration
Stress
Emotional Stress
Your emotional health plays a crucial part in gut function, as your gut and brain work in unison. Serotonin the happiness hormone helps control intestinal movement, as much as 90 percent of the body’s serotonin is in the gastrointestinal tract. Serotonin affects mood, sleep, muscle contraction and regulates pain.
Stress can also affect the secretion of enzymes. Enzymes are essential for digestion to occur. We have a variety of different enzymes to break down various foods, proteins, carbohydrates, starches, sugar and fibre. Without enzymes your body could not extract the nutrients it needs to survive. Enzymes can be destroyed by heat, therefore processed food and cooking can eliminate all enzymes. Eating raw food with each meal will aid in digestion, simply because enzymes are present to allow digestion to occur.
How to have a happy gut:
Eat raw food at each meal
Eat preboitic foods such as raw oats, garlic, slippery elm.
Consume probiotics foods or take a probiotics supplement daily
Drink plenty of water
Eat a varied diet rich in fruit and vegetable
Eat slowly and chew properly
Exercise frequently
Avoid processed food and alcohol
Eat manuka honey
Drink peppermint tea
Being happy definitely helps!!!!!!
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