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Gut Health: The Key to Physical and Mental Well-being
What you eat and the health of your gut impacts how you feel - physically and mentally. The gut microbiome has been trending in health news for the last several years. We've heard about everything from the value of fermented foods to probiotics and prebiotics, to plant-based, gluten-free, and sugar-free.
The challenge is filtering through the plethora of information out there, especially when it seems dry or sources present conflicting information.
Here are the basics.
Micro-what?
The human microbiome is made up of trillions of cells, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Some of these are useful, and some are harmful. Known as your gut microbiome, this symbiotic colony is responsible for numerous health processes in the body, including making certain nutrients and neurotransmitters, boosting immunity and even helping to balance blood sugar and modulate weight.
The gut microbiota of each individual is unique. It can heavily contribute to how a person fights disease, digests food, and even their mood and psychological processes. The gut microbiota has been called the "second brain" as it can affect the brain.
Show your gut some love
The organisms (microbiota, hence microbiome) in your gut matter. You need the more of the good kind, less of the not so good kind. The health of your gut microbiota is influenced by what you eat, impacts your mood, and has been linked to depression, anxiety and stress.
We can improve our mood by improving the quality of what we consume. Most of us have not been kind to our guts. We've filled it with highly processed, hard to digest, inflammatory stuff. This is one of the reasons a good quality probiotic is so helpful - it helps restore the gut microbiota back to helpful ratios. Probiotics have also been shown to improve depression, anxiety and stress.[1]
Fibre and omega-3s have also been found to be helpful for mood and the effects of stress. Get some fibre from fresh fruits and vegetables (hello legumes). Omega-3s are best sourced from fish oil (like salmon, mackerel and sardines) or if you're not into fish, then from things like flax (linseed), seaweed, chia seeds and hemp seeds.
What is Fibre anyway?
Fibre is a complex carb found in vegetables, fruit, and legumes. Simply put, fibre is an indigestible carbohydrate that makes up the structure of plant foods. It provides the framework that allows plants to stand up straight. Where people and animals have skeletons, plants have fibre. There are two types of fibre: soluble and insoluble.
Think of soluble fibre like a sponge: it soaks up water and leaves you with a feeling of fullness. It also absorbs excess cholesterol, hormones and toxins and helps move them out of the body. Soluble fibre is primarily found in foods like oats, apples, beans, lentils, and carrots.
Insoluble fibre, on the other hand, acts a bit like a broom, sweeping out waste as it passes through our digestive system. It’s a hard-to-digest compound that humans technically aren’t able to break down and absorb, so it passes through our digestive system relatively unchanged. Think of insoluble fibre as the roughage from plants, like celery and broccoli stems, the skin of many fruits and vegetables, and the outer shell or kernel of whole grains and corn.
You definitely need both types in your diet and will get enough of each if you're eating enough plant-based food on a regular basis. We're talking about whole food - like fruits and vegetables, lentils and legumes - not processed grain foods like bread and pasta.
Are probiotics necessary?
Probiotics — which are usually beneficial bacteria — provide all sorts of powerful benefits for your body and brain. They may improve digestive health, reduce depression and anxiety, and promote heart health. They may even give you better-looking skin.
Here are some things that can damage your microbiome and leave you in need of probiotics:
- Antibiotics have a negative impact on your gut health. There is also evidence that early childhood exposure to antibiotics can lead to several gastrointestinal, immunologic, and neurocognitive conditions.[2]
- Not eating a diverse range of foods. If you tend to eat the same or similar things over and over you're probably not getting enough different kinds of healthy bacteria and nutrients.
- Not enough fibre - it contains important prebiotics (see list of suggestions above).
- Too much alcohol.
- Not enough exercise.
- Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for inflammatory bowel diseases like Chron's (inflammation of the digestive tract).
Getting probiotics from supplements is popular, but you can also get them from fermented foods. Some good sources include yoghurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh, miso (like the soup), and kombucha.
Key Message
Our gut health is directly linked to our overall physical and mental health. It's worth showing yourself some love by taking care of your gut. Heal your gut by increasing your fibre intake, getting some probiotic foods in, and minimising the things that hurt it.
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