When we talk about the ‘gut’ – we‘re generally talking about a section of the digestive system, namely the small and large intestines. Research is showing that the health of our gut influences how we feel both physically and mentally. Keep reading for all you need to know about achieving and maintaining a healthy gut.
How do I know if there's a problem with my gut?
Here are eight signs your gut needs some love…
- Chronic diarrhea and constipation
- Abdominal pain and cramping
- Constant bloating
- Irregular bowel movements
- Brain fog and mood changes
- Abnormal food cravings i.e sugar
- Skin conditions including eczema and psoriasis
- Fatigue / low energy
Now let’s talk about pre and probiotics
Prebiotics are the main energy source of our gut bacteria. It is recommended that we have 5 - 20 g / day of prebiotic fibers. Prebiotics are non-digestible nutrients that selectively stimulate the growth of good bacteria (lactobacilli and bifidobacteria) in the gut promoting positive health effects.
All prebiotics are fiber, although not all dietary fibers are Prebiotics. . The main sources of prebiotics and the most researched to date are, oligosaccharides and disaccharides, which vary in structure, and resistant starches. After ingestion, pre-biotic fibers and resistant starches are fermented by gut bacteria and produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) as waste products including butyrate, acetate, and propionate, which have both direct and indirect health effects.
Probiotics like our Probiotic 32 billion, work synergistically with prebiotics to support gut health. There are billions of different bacteria in our gut and maintaining a delicate balance of the types of bacteria is important to prevent problems such as constipation, diarrhea, digestive discomfort, and poor mood.
Pro-biotics are live bacteria that promote health and are commonly termed ‘good’ bacteria. Each bacterial strain or type of bacteria influences the body differently and evidence is showing that the exact ratio of specific bacterial species amounts for optimum health in the gut is unknown.
What foods to avoid
- Highly processed / packaged foods with lots of additives including emulsifiers and preservatives
- Highly refined sugar foods, such as candy, milk and chocolate
- High saturated trans fat foods such as butter fried products, fatty meats, pastries and pies
- Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose and saccharin
- Alcohol
Tips for overall wellbeing and gut health
- Maintain a balanced diet with foods from the five food groups
- Try to eat slower and sit down to eat, to aid digestion and help you identify when you’re full
- Limit intake of highly processed and refined foods, including foods mentioned in the avoid list above
- Drink plenty of fluids/water approximately 1.5-2L/day L
- Limit caffeine and alcohol consumption
References
Cryan, JF and O’Mahony, SM. (2011). The Microbiome-gut-brain axis: from bowel to behavior. Neurogastroenterol Motil, 23, pp.187-192.
Landau, K. (2018). Uplift Food – Good Mood Food Guide (Practitioner), Uplift Food, Australia, 2018, Available from: www.upliftfood.com
McMillan, Dr. J. 8 Steps to Better Gut Health, Australia, Available from: www.drjoanna.com.au
Taylor, A. and Holscher, H. (2018). A review of dietary and microbial connections to depression, anxiety, and stress. Nutritional Neuroscience, pp.1-14.
Grant, M. and Baker, J. (2016). An overview of the effect of probiotics and exercise on mood and associated health conditions. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 57(18), pp.3887-3893.
