Our Fitness Instructor Sammy has written out an article on how you should consider helping out your gut health, as well as some tips to keep your gut happy!
Gut health has become a well talked about subject over recent years and for good reason. Something we should perhaps consider is how we can better look after our gut health to stay happy and healthy, especially with the flu season fast approaching.
On top of maintaining a healthy digestive system, the impact of strong gut health is immense on our whole well-being, hence the term “You are what you eat”. It can influence everything from mood, heart health and sleep patterns. The autonomic nerves control our involuntary motions such as breathing, heart, digestion, blood composition and excretion. The things our wonderful bodies just do for us without thinking (aren’t we clever)!
You may or not know that my own weight loss path after having three children left me rather large, yes I used to be the size of England and Ireland put together so I am not genetically slim. It took exercise and a close look at what I was eating to ensure all my bodily functions and hormones were working with me, not against me. At the time I was studying anatomy, physiology and nutrition which helped me achieve my weight loss goal. So I think I’ve been there and can wear the T-shirt!
I have compiled a gut happy list for you as I won’t blind you with boring science stuff. This will definitely help your microbiota which contains tens of trillions of microorganisms that have a 1000 different species of bacteria with more than 3 million genes of their own, that’s 150 times more than human genes. So we have to look after all these gut microbiota and then they will return the favor.
Eight Ways To Be Gut Happy
- Eat a wide range of foods, especially vegetables, fruits, seeds, legumes and fiber rich carbohydrates to stimulate different strains of good bacteria.
- Get into fermented foods such as yogurts, sauerkraut (raw cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria), kefir or kephir (a fermented milk drink like thin yogurt made from kefir grains). Kefir is a great source of lactobacilli which helps in the risk of disease.
- Limit sweeteners. Research shows that artificial sweeteners increase blood sugar by stimulating the growth of unhealthy bacteria in the gut! Yikes not what we want to do, try natural sweeteners like honey, vanilla or test your taste buds and go without?
- Take a supplement, particularly when your skin is looking, well blah. A probiotic supplement ensures you’re giving your gut a healthy dose of live bacteria. It is also important not to overdo probiotic supplements like everything in life there has to be an equilibrium.
- Stock your plate with probiotics, think artichokes, bananas (yum), asparagus oats and apples.
- Embrace wholegrains, with loads of fiber rich foods and beta-glucan (glucose polysaccharides) these lower cholesterol, improve blood sugar management and boost the immune system. Pretty important I would say.
- Drink aloe, it has many benefits for IBS, Celiac disease and Crohn’s management. It not only cleanses the gut ridding the bad things we eat the rich source of antioxidants and vitamins reduces psoriasis, dermatitis and the appearance and frequency of acne. Also known to reduce inflammations of the gut and joints, imperative for those who suffer from arthritis.
- Green tea, dark chocolate, red wine (I heard the cheers!) and olive oil polyphenols all help with boosting healthy bacterial growth.
So there you have it, remember “You are what you eat” and white bread is the enemy! Hope you have enjoyed reading my first blog? I am more than happy to help you answer any questions regarding your nutritional health and hope we all get to have a good chat face to face soon. Stay safe, keep doing what we are all doing, it’s really working.
Best wishes and regards,
Sammy Miles
