Why it's good to Nourish your gut.
When people say ‘gut instinct’ or they could ‘feel it in their gut’ it is not far from the truth. The connection between the gut and brain is so powerful, as is its connection with the overall health and wellness of each of us. Did you know your gut is involved in the production of serotonin, which can directly impact your brain through the gut brain axis?
Gut health is where, as a functional health practitioner, I always start. Unfortunately, the combination of our processed diet as well as our high stress and poor sleep patterns often creates an imbalance in the gut. And can lead to bloating, food sensitivities, irritable bowel and many more inflammatory processes in the body.
In previous blogs which you can find HERE we have mentioned a few ways to Nourish your gut through food. This is so important, as no amount of supplements can substitute a poor diet. What we eat is first and foremost so important. However, there are other factors that can help support good gut health, including the following.
Reduce Stress
Constantly being in a fight and flight mode increases the blood flow to your peripheries, and takes it away from your digestive system. So when we eat, try and do it mindfully, and take time to chew! This can be so hard to remember to do, but your gut will love you for it.
Breathe
Take time to deep breathe a few times a day, book a couple of reminders into your calendar or do it before you eat. If you struggle to make yourself slow down, or need a little guidance in what slow, deep breathing looks like try this Deep Breathe App.
Movement
This doesn’t mean pounding the pavement or doing long gym sessions, but moving every day by getting steps in, doing a short 5-10 minute strength training exercise, a short yoga or Pilates session. It is really important in supporting gut motility and microbiome health, especially at this busy time of year.
Sleep
Get enough of this! So often understated, sleep is sooo important for gut health and overall health and wellbeing. Tied in with this, is having a gap of 12 hours between your last meal and first meal of the day, to allow your digestive system to also rest! Sip on herbal teas and water in the late evening, rather than grabbing that bag of crisps. The better quality of sleep we get, the more diverse our microbiome diversity is!
Don’t overdo hand sanitiser!
This kills the bag and the good bacteria in your microbiome and can cause imbalances.
In summary the gut microbiome effects every organ in your body, so Nourishing this system in your body is one of the best areas to start in improving and optimising your overall health. Next week we'll be focusing on why Fermented, Organic foods, like those from our friends at Loving Foods, are sooooo great for your gut too.