Why Is Gut Health So Important?
Having a Healthy Gut Determines Your Well-Being
There is so much talk about gut health lately, but why is it really so important? Is this just a new health trend or something much deeper? There are many epidemics surrounding our health world wide. Technology combined with the level of mass communication accessible in our societies has taken us to a new era in information history. This info is readily available on the go much of the world. Due to this we are also more aware of health conditions than we ever have been in the past and have a greater ability to treat common illnesses, a lot of which start in our gut.
We are more aware of what #guthealth means to our lives than any other time in history. Why is it so important? The primary reason is that many of the symptoms that plague us daily are a result of our gut aka 'digestive' health and most of us are doing little to nothing about it.
Why is Gut Health So Important?
It all begins in our minds. We well know that the brain is what controls our entire body. It is our computer that tells the rest of us how to operate. It's our control center, but did you know it actually has an affect on your gut health too?
"The very thought of eating can release the stomach's juices before the food gets there." - Harvard Health
Emotions play a huge part in how our gut reacts. According to Harvard Health attaining gut health is very difficult without also taking a look out our #stress and #emotionalhealth. We often overlook how much of an impact these things have on our overall health.
At one of the most successful times of my business, when everything seemed to be going right, I fell ill. Not just a little ill, incredibly sick. Every part of my being from my thoughts to my #digestion was under attack. Turns out the high stress levels that I was living in and the pressure to continue to achieve more lead to unhealthy habits and a wrecked gut. The good news : it's never too late to make changes!
“Your gut is linked to nearly every facet of your health, from your immune system to your mood.” - Dr Amy Carmichael
Are you paying attention to what it’s telling you?! If you aren't now, you will be once it starts fighting against you. The signs of an unhealthy gut start small but if left unattended will affect your overall #wellbeing. It's so important to take your gut health seriously! Your gut is your second "brain" it controls your #digestion, #nutrientabsorption and #wasteelimination and is vital to your health.
How Gut Health Affects Your Overall Wellbeing
A healthy PH will also have a positive affect on your gut. If the PH of your swimming pool was too acidic you wouldn't swim in it, you would make adjustments to alkalize it.
Sometimes it seems like we are all trying to achieve balance in our lives. Refraining from too much of this or too little of that can be daunting. Did you know that your body actually needs balance? It’s not just a goal we are trying to meet. It’s essential. #PHbalance is something we need to be healthy. This is how we measure the acidity and alkalinity of our insides. YES that’s a thing!
Your PH affects everything from blood pressure, insulin, cholesterol, body weight and immunity to energy and fatigue. An acidic body is vulnerable to disease. Did you know that diseases cannot survive in an alkaline environment? Discover how to become #healthyfromtheinsideout .
Diseases increase rapidly in an #acidic environment. If you are having issues with infection, blood pressure, blood sugar, fatigue or body temperature or you are experiencing #IBS , #constipation , #diarrhea , abdominal #inflammation , #bloating , #pain, and #upsetstomach these are all signs that your gut needs help. Your gut health actually affects all of these things and more. There is much research to support that our gut actually affects our brains through our moods and our mental state as well as our physical levels of pain. Poor gut health leads to chronic illness. How have you been feeling lately?
Important Ways to Improve and Maintain Gut Health
Habits have a major impact on gut health. What you eat and drink, how you exercise and sleep play key roles in the health of your gut. Things like eating a balanced diet with low processed foods, getting a good night sleep, drinking plenty of water and exercising regularly will have a positive impact on your overall health, as well as your gut health.
How to Use Food to Maintain Gut Health
It's so easy to lose track of what you eat, so if this is you... try using a food log. for accountability and reflection. There are so many different options out there, even digitally out there for you to easily track how healthy you are eating.
If you are anything like me, food logs are downright unmanageable in my daily routine. I personally rely more on #intuitiveeating with #holistic approach. I TRY to eat foods that are as close to the source as possible or as some like to call "clean". This is not always possible and frankly there are some awesome #supplements out there that rival that amount of things that I can possibly consume by concentrating them for more of a health impact.
I personally like Arbonne's products because they are free of GMO's, gluten, phthalates, common allergens, parabens, as a bonus, they are cruelty-free and vegan. For the last 40 years Arbonne has been helping people flourish with their health and community with plant based ingredients, high clean standards (banning over 2000 harmful ingredients in their products). They are third party certified and developed by health and scientific experts. I find their products super easy and quick to add extra nutrients to my body quickly and easily. If you would like to learn more, click here and be sure to fill out our Healthy Living Checklist.
#Probiotics are also very helpful in maintaining gut health. #Prebiotics feed the probiotics. So what does all of that mean, you ask? Probiotics (mostly found in fermented foods like miso, kefir, yogurt and pickles) are live microorganisms (like bacteria and yeast) that provide digestive and immunity support. Prebiotics are essential for the probiotics to be fully beneficial as they feed off of them to stay "alive" and make an impact where you need it the most, in your gut. Prebiotics are found in fruits, veggies and whole grains.
The use of prebiotics and probiotics can help you maintain a healthy gut with their "good" bacteria. They are used to treat things like #irritablebowlsyndrome, #inflammatoryboweldisease, #allergies, #eczema as well as prevent #infections and ward off #chronicdiseases like #type2diabetes. These are all found naturally in foods, but if you are not eating enough of them, it may be time to up your consumption with a supplement. A healthy gut also allows your body to absorb nutrients properly for optimal health.
Consumption Affects Your Gut Health
This sounds like a no brainer right? It's actually one of the things most of us struggle with the most. I'm not referring only to what you consume through your mouth. Everyday we consume an alarming amount of things. Do you remember the old saying, "you are what you eat". This is completely true, but they left out the part that you also consume through all of your senses, not just taste.
It's extremely important to limit your consumption of things that will negatively impact your overall well-being. For example, binge watching horror movies, might be your thing, but constantly intaking (consuming) evil ideas and visually allowing it into your thoughts can have a major impact on your outlook on life and how you interact with others.
Another example of this in my own personal life is smoking. Yes I was once addicted to cigarettes. Not my shining moment, for sure, but if I was around smoking, even on television, it made me crave a cigarette. Even the smell of another person smoking (thank God I find it repulsive now) might entice me to light up as well. For others the smell of fried foods might entice them to consume unhealthy foods.
Our thoughts make a huge impact on our overall health. Our well-being is actually affected by our brains, even if you are unaware of its impact. Consuming negative things, lead to negative thoughts and actions and impact us in negative ways. On the other hand, consuming positive things impact us positively and overflow onto other parts of our lives. Make no mistake, if also makes an impact on others.
Having a Healthy Gut Determines Your Well-Being
At some point a lot of us have to take a moment or two to evaluate our health. Around 40% of the US population has some sort of gut health issue. Ignoring issues will not make them go away, but it will lead to chronic conditions that can often be prevented with effort to make a change.
Your gut is your second "brain". It controls your digestion and your immune system. If your gut is unhealthy, or you are having digestion or immunity issues, then more than likely taking a closer look at your gut will lead to some surprising discoveries which can be entirely treatable, once you are aware of the root causes of the symptoms.
Gut health is important because it affects the rest of your health. It's an excellent idea to work on having a healthier gut by improving your rest, consumption and activity level. It's highly likely that at some point if you do not work on this, you will end up having to in the long run anyway. Preventative maintenance is always going to be better than the breakdown that occurs when maintenance is ignored.
If you are looking for more inspiration, check out our Health + Wellness page for more inspiration and tips on how to live a healthy life and what wellness looks like, physically and, emotionally and mentally.
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