Your gut is a finely balanced ecosystem harbouring Billions of bacteria that when functioning correctly can help maintain a healthy immune system, the “good” bacteria in our intestines have a symbiotic relationship with our bodies.
They survive on food that passes through our gut, gleaning energy from the parts that we cannot digest ourselves, they also inhabit space that may otherwise be taken up by harmful pathogens, good bacteria also produce a substance that deter or kill invading bad bacteria.
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Good Bacteria assist the breakdown of food in to usable vitamins and help with absorption of vitamins such as vitamin D which is absorbed in the jejunum and ileum of the small intestine, evidence has proved that they may even have influence on total body metabolism. This is why gut microbiota plays an important role in the harvest, storage, and expenditure of energy obtained from the diet.
Beneficial gut bacteria also help to produce and manufacture vitamins (B12, K, B6, B5, B3, folate and biotin), enhance absorption of minerals, fight off bad pathogens, digest food, and metabolize drugs. They even influence total body metabolism.
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You can help maintain a healthy gut with simple adjustments to your eating habits.
Chew your food properly, eat slowly and take time to chew your food properly eating too quickly can cause you to over eat.
Did you know it can takes around 20 minutes for your brain to realize you are full, slower eating also aids digestion and can help with weight management.
Eat whole foods and whenever possible avoid processed and refined food, include healthy fats which contain (Omega 3,6,9), such as oily fish, healthy fats are usually liquid at room temperature however nuts seeds and avocados also fall into this healthy group.
If you are not a fan of fish then you may chose to take a supplement such as fish oil or hemp seed oil.
Reducing your sugar content will do wonders for your waist as well as keep the dentist happy, try to replace sugars with natural alternatives such as fruit Minimize refined sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and cooked starches.
Maintaining = a healthy digestive system is essential for absorbing nutrients, excreting waste, keeping unwanted substances/pathogens out of the body, and maintaining a healthy immune system and nervous system.
Elimination is the process of removing digested food waste from the body via excretion, depending on your age, diet and your habits a healthy adult should empty his or her bowls about once a day.
Regular Visits to the toilet will help to maintain a healthy colon as this encourages the strong wave like action of muscles involved in digestion know as peristalsis.
This regular emptying of toxins helps reduce the risk of some diseases such as colon cancer.
Fibre is key for producing good roughage “poo” food that contain fibrous material such as ground flax seeds, fruit and vegetables fibre and of course regular exercise support healthy elimination.
Exercise is important for many reasons, stress reduction, circulation /cardiovascular health, weight management, mood, sleep, blood sugar, bowel function, and respiratory health are all affected.
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Why is fibre important?
Fibre the substance that gives foods it structure found mainly in vegetable tissue and plants. When we eat fibrous foods they are broken down into a substance referred to as roughage, it includes compounds like cellulose and pectin and lignin which is often found on the cell walls of plants.
Fibre can be divided into two types
Soluble
Insoluble
Both fibres are important for our health, fibres that are digested and absorbed along with nutrients in the small intestine are know as soluble fibre, while other fibre moves right through to the Colon absorbed by the intestines, this is know as Insoluble fibre.
Types Of Fibre
Functions of Soluble and Insoluble Fibre
Soluble Fibre
digested in the small intestine is found in food such as oatmeal, oat bran, beans and a range of fruits and vegetables. This soluble fibre may help to lower the bad cholesterol.
Insoluble Fibre
Fibre that reaches the colon is found in wheat bran and whole grains and cereals.
It holds water in the gut so increases bulk.
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This gives the muscles of the gut something to work on which results in keeping the gut healthy.
This can prevent illnesses such as constipation, haemorrhoids (piles). As insoluble fibre provides bulk in our diet it may play a role in weight management, helping us to feel full for longer.
Fibre may also ensure that food moves through the gut at the right speed.
It is recommended that the daily intake of fibre should be around 20 grams per day, consuming this from complex carbohydrates including foods such as plants and grains.