Everyone knows the sayings “healthy outside starts from the inside” or “you are what you eat”, right? But do you know what this actually means?
Leave it up to us! Our guts are complex, and our gut health is important, so our expert team of nutritionists and dietitians will be giving you the inside scoop (ha!) into all things gut relate in the upcoming Gut Heroes series. Starting with a 101 introduction on what you need to know.
The Basic Guide to Gut Health:
Why?
The gut (AKA; gastrointestinal tract’) plays a crucial role in achieving optimal health. Think of the relationship between our gut and our health the same way you would think about the relationship between a motor and a car. If the motor in the car is broken, the car won’t perform to the best of its ability. Much like us; if our gut isn’t ‘happy’ neither is our health.
Cutting to the chase; the gut is essentially the body’s second brain and is responsible for containing most of our immune system. Which explains the critical role gut health has on our overall health. It goes without saying that the gut is also responsible for digesting and absorbing the foods and liquids we consume.
Where?
The gut is part of the digestive tract and is located just after the stomach, taking up a large portion of our abdomen.
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract consists of the mouth, pharynx (throat), oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus. In other words, the GI tract begins where food enters our body, and ends where food exits our body. That involves a significant amount of our body when you think about it!
How?
Digestion is the guts primary process, involving breaking food down into its simplest form, to allow for absorption of nutrients through the gut wall. Nutrients are then absorbed into the blood stream and transported around the entire body.
If for whatever reason, our gastrointestinal tract and/or gut health is compromised, the following symptoms may be experienced and indicative of poor gut health:
- Poor Digestion
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Gas and Bloating
- Fatigue and Insomnia
- Sluggish Metabolism
- Mental Fogginess
- Hormonal Imbalances
- Skin Reactions and Irritations
& believe it or not, the list goes on!
Why?
In summary, the gut is the foundation of a lot of crucial processes and functions within the body. It heavily assists in the digestion of foods, absorption, or nutrients, used to fuel and support the body to reach optimal health! So when you think about it, the sayings ‘you are what you eat’ and ‘healthy starts from the inside out’ begin to make sense, right?
I know all this information is a lot to digest (ha!), and you may be thinking “so now what, how do I improve my gut health”?
Throughout the duration of the upcoming “Gut Heroes” series, we will be sharing the latest tips and tricks, recipes and evidenced based content with you to ensure your gut is good to go!
Check out our Gut Heroes recipe series in our Fresh Start range, for meals that contain at least 8 servings of ‘plant foods’ per plate! Enjoy.
References Used: Definition of gastrointestinal system – NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms – NCI
