Today I want to talk with you about a hot health topic: The importance of a healthy gut and balanced microbiome for your overall health. I also want to offer you quick and easy steps for getting there.
Once in awhile we all experience digestive troubles, which can look like a lot of things: bloating, gas, a feeling of fullness, constipation, cramping and diarrhea, to name a few. Sometimes though, the trouble isn’t just occasional but instead is chronic and we accept it as our “normal.” Oftentimes these issues get labeled as IBS. Regardless, it’s possible and necessary to get your gut health back on track.
A lot of factors play a role in how well your digestive system is running. Things like chronic stress, poor sleep, imbalanced hormones and even exercise intensity are key players in your digestive wellness. But the most important piece of the puzzle is what you put in your mouth.
Your GI tract is the cornerstone of your well-being – physically, and believe it or not, mentally and emotionally. Your gut is often referred to as your second brain. It is estimated that more than 90% of your serotonin is made in your small intestine, not your brain. I’ll say that again: SEROTONIN – the happy neurotransmitter that contributes to our feeling of well-being and happiness – it’s estimated that more than 90% of it is made IN OUR GUT. As you can see, our mental and emotional well-being is directly related to the health of our digestive systems.
To run smoothly, your gut needs to have key things in place, and we’re going to talk about three of the major players today – probiotics, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes. The three of these can be easy to mix up but we’ll go through them step-by-step making them easy to remember.
We hear a lot about our gut microbiome these days. Microbiome refers to all the bacteria )good, bad and neutral) living in your gut. When you think of your microbiome, picture two armies living in your gut: the good guys and the bad guys. The key to having a healthy, balanced gut is to make sure the good guys have the upper hand.
Biotic means bacteria, so PRObiotic means GOOD bacteria. These are the good guys in your gut.
Prebiotics (often confused with probiotics) are the FOOD for the probiotics. Remember that whatever you choose to feed will grow.
Kind of like a garden you plant, if you don’t feed and water the gorgeous flowers you planted, then they will die off. And then what takes over? That’s right! Weeds. Same with your gut. If you plant these great probiotics (the good army) but you don’t feed them, what will happen? Yep – they’ll die off and the weeds (bad army) will grow and get the upper hand. Then they’ll wreak havoc on you and your health.
Ok, so now we’ve got it down – probiotics are the good bacteria in our gut and prebiotics feed the probiotics to keep them healthy and strong. Let’s move on. Digestive enzymes break down our food into the perfect compounds to be used by our body as fuel.
The bottom line about these three players is that your overall health will improve dramatically when your digestive system is running smoothly with the proper balance of all three. What types of improvements, you ask?
- Your bloating, gas and discomfort will disappear
- Your immunity will improve
- You will break down and absorb more nutrition from your food
- Your energy will get a boost
So, let’s dig deeper into these gut helpers to find out how they’ll help you. After that, we’ll talk about simple food and supplement options for the making of a happy gut. Happy gut = happy life. Remember though, before starting any new supplements, always check with your doctor first.
Your body produces the digestive enzymes which break down the food you eat into smaller compounds. These compounds are then used as fuel. As we get older, we start making fewer and fewer digestive enzymes. Additional issues, like gallbladder and pancreatic problems as well as other factors also reduce the amount of enzymes we are able to make or secrete. Without the right amount of enzymes to break down our foods, we end up with, you guessed it, all kids of problems like bloating, feelings of fullness, discomfort and more.
Once you add digestive enzymes to your diet, you’ll very likely see your bloating and discomfort clear up as a result of improved digestion and absorption of nutrients. When this happens, you’ll know that they’re working.
When starting out, people often take 1-2 digestive enzymes with every meal. Over time, they may be able to reduce the number of enzymes needed for proper digestion. One of the great things about digestive enzymes is that you can work them into and out of diet as needed.
Now on to probiotics. Remember these? The good guys in your gut! Not only do they keep the bad bacteria in check and help with digestion, but they also help to keep your immune system strong, your emotions balanced, prevent yeast infections and UTIs and many more benefits.
Being a dietitian, I like to get nutrition from food first. Great food sources of probiotics come from cultured foods, like sauerkraut (in the refrigerated section of the grocery store not canned), kimchi, kombucha, yogurt and kefir (just be sure to get unsweetened), and organic soy products like miso and tempeh. If you’re still looking to increase probiotics through supplements, I’ll recommend some good options at the end the article.
Now let’s get on to feeding the good guys. When it comes to prebiotics, you can buy them in supplemental form, called Inulin, but there are so many great foods to get your prebiotics from that I recommend going that route first. The beauty to prebiotics is that in addition to fueling your probiotics, they support your immune system and help with gut healing. Some great prebiotic foods to choose from include:
- Chicory
- Dandelion greens
- Raw garlic
- Raw leeks
- Raw onion
- Raw asparagus
- Banana
- Apple
- Jerusalem artichoke
- Jicama
- Flax seeds
- Oats
- Barley
- Wheat bran
The guideline for daily amounts of prebiotic fiber is 5 grams per day. About one cup of dandelion greens and one banana will exceed the recommendation.
As promised, here are a few brands I suggest for digestive enzymes and probiotics.
Digestive Enzymes
- Pure Encapsulations Digestive Enzymes Ultra
- Nature’s Sunshine Proactazyme
- A chewable from Garden of Life called Organic Digestion Plus
Probiotics (NOTE: Look for brands with a special coating that allows the supplement to survive your stomach acid and reach the goal of your small intestine where it can do its magic. This coating is called “enteric” coating.) A few brands and/or formulas I like are:
- Jarrow -Dophilus EPS
- Garden of Life’s Primal Defense Probiotics
- Nature’s Sunshine Probiotic Eleven
- Nature’s Sunshine Bacillus Coagulans
Remember that your gut is the cornerstone of your well-being. I hope you have found this information to be helpful and motivating to get your digestive health back on track. When you show your gut some love, it will you back so much more than you know!
Thanks for doing a gut-check with me today!
Stay well, friends and talk soon,
Lisa
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