Everything you need to know about perfecting your poo
Trillions of micro-organisms live in the gastrointestinal tract, also known as the gut. No, not all of them are out to harm you. In fact, you need these bad boys to stay alive. Now that gut health and poo makes for a socially acceptable topic of conversation let’s get into the poo chat.
So, how do you even know you have a healthy Gut?
Your gut will effectively digest your food, and feeds nutrients to the rest of your body. A healthy gut will also dispose the food waste properly, passing it out as stool through the large intestine. A lot of Bacteria in the gut help with this food digestion process. They’re referred to as ‘gut flora’. Some problems can occur in the gut for various reasons including stress, lack of sleep (HELLO ALL OF US!) medications and more. Que…loose bowels, gas, bloating, constipation and abdominal pain.
Poor Gut, Worse health.
With more bacteria than actual human cells, the gut really is a cornerstone for human health and immunity. Without the right diet and balance in the gut, the entire system suffers. Food digestion, nutrient absorption, immune defences, cognitive functioning, metabolic processes and waste removal are all affected.
How to build a Healthy Gut.
Now to the good stuff. When it comes to health, it’s really all about what you eat, drink and do to your body. To improve your gut health…
Eat gut-friendly foods
Number one tip for maintaining good gut health. The food we eat plays an essential role in maintaining the diversity and proper functioning of our microbiota. What we feed ourselves, in turn feeds our gut. Vegetables and fresh fruits as well as wholegrain breads and cereals, legumes and nuts, provide our bodies with fibre, a key component to a healthy gut. If you’re regularly including plenty of vegetables at your main meals, snacking on wholegrain crackers, nuts and fruit, the additional fibre can help improve your digestion, and keep you going to the bathroom regularly.
Keeping hydrated
Fibre is essential for gut health, but you also need adequate water to ensure that the fibre does its job. During digestion, up to 10 litres of fluid enters the system from the water we drink, stomach juices and additional bodily liquids and secretions from accessory organs. Aiming for around 1.5-2 litres of water each day should provide enough fluid to keep you well hydrated and your gut functioning as it should.
Exercise regularly
Exercise is great for keeping your digestive system happy, by increasing blood flow to your organs and your digestive tract. As well as being an essential component for a healthy lifestyle, exercise will improve the efficiency of your body.
Eat slowly and chew properly
Chewing breaks down your food into smaller particles and mixes it with saliva. Large bits of food can cause some common digestive symptoms to occur, like bloating and gas. Eating slowly allows your brain more time to signal to the stomach that it has had enough food. It takes approximately 20 minutes to register satiety and you are at much more risk of overeating if you power through your meals in a few minutes. Our bodies prepare as necessary when we’re about to sit down and tuck into a plate of food and rushing this process means your gastrointestinal system has much less time to work efficiently. It is very easy to want to eat at your desk, eat while driving however I like to recommend everyone to enjoy their meal with no distractions, this will in turn help with digestion as well.
Extra points!
Managing Stress Levels
In this day and age, it is hard to avoid stress, and a little stress is good for us. However, with the never-ending work day, always connected to our phones it’s important to put boundaries in place. However, you manage your stress levels I recommend some phone- free time every evening before bed and don’t scroll as soon as you wake up. Some other ideas are hikes, nature is always great for managing stress levels, meditation, exercise and listening to your favourite podcast.
Prioritise your sleep
Prioritising your sleep is imperative for good gut health and overall health. We CANNOT function optimally when we are not prioritising your sleep. Making sure you have good sleep hygiene practices, this will be when our body rests and recuperates as well.
Words – Jess Blair Naturopath & Nutritionist
Image — via Pinterest
