A Cheap Way to Stay Healthy – Take Care of Your Gut

Photo by Daniela Validimira via Flickr

A happy gut is key to a healthy body. A wealth of research in the past few years has shown how our gut bacteria affect the rest of our bodies.

Your gut bacteria do a lot more than help you digest food and move it through the gastrointestinal system. Your gut bacteria may influence obesity, depression, and diabetes.

 

Function of Gut Microbiota

Your gut is pretty cool and extremely powerful. It even has its own independent nervous system. The gut microbiota is found in the intestine, where there are tens of trillions of microorganisms.

The microbiota start forming as soon as you’re born and evolves throughout your life based on your diet and environment. We each have our own unique composition of around 1,000 species of bacteria.

Here are a few things your gut bacteria do for you:

•  Aids in the production of some vitamins, such as B and K
• Works as an important part of your immune system to fight off illness
• Creates 95% of the body’s serotonin, which helps regulate mood
• Helps you digest food and move it through the GI tract

What the Research Shows

A lot of current research into the gut microbiome has shown its powerful effects and ways in which our diet can alter it — for better or worse.

Here are some highlights:

• A positive balance of good bacteria in the gut could treat depression. This is leading doctors to look more closely at treating mood disorders with probiotics.  
• Gut bacteria may influence anxiety, depression and autism. It could even have an effect on the development of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
•  A high-fat diet may change the gut microbiome, leading to mood disorders and depression. 
• The gut plays a role in the development of diabetes and obesity. Artificial sweeteners may play a role in altering the gut microbiota and inducing glucose intolerance — the first step toward diabetes.

Build Up Good Bacteria

Pre and probiotics are the most common ways to promote good gut health.

Photo by Mike Ortega via Flickr

Probiotics are live microorganisms often in foods like yogurt or offered as supplements. These may have a health benefit in some cases, but the research isn’t definite. There are many strains of probiotics and different strains have different effects.

Prebiotics are nondigestible food components used by gut bacteria for fermentation.

You can get prebiotics and probiotics through diet, and the more diversity you have, the better.

Fermented foods and drinks are usually good sources of probiotics:

• Kefir (yogurt or water)
• Tempeh
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Yogurt
• Kombucha

Garlic and Jersusalem artichoke

You can get prebiotics from:

• Jerusalem artichoke
• Bananas
• Oatmeal
• Asparagus
• Legumes
• Garlic

Taking care of your gut may be one of the best – and easiest – ways to keep yourself healthy and happy.

Do you try to get prebiotics and probiotics daily? How?