I want you to imagine something for a moment.
Imagine that you’re about to give a TED talk. You’ve perfected your speech. You know your material but it’s just a few minutes before you go and deliver the talk that will be seen by everyone for the rest of your life!
You’re backstage, the last presenter is wrapping up and you’re next in line.
What are you feeling right now?
Nervous? Anxious? Maybe excitement? Butterflies?
Okay, now come back to where you are.
If you had “butterflies” in your stomach that’s totally normal.
But what are those butterflies? What’s happening that we feel weird in our stomach when we’re nervous? What’s with having a gut feeling?
That must mean that our gut and our brain are connected somehow because you got nervous and your stomach reacted. Well the opposite can happen too.
Not only is your stomach and gut connected to your brain but your gut is at the epicenter of everything in your body.
Your gut is the first place food goes and is ground zero for controlling everything from your mood to mental clarity to energy level and even to controlling diseases.
That’s what we’ll discuss in this article. The gut and 4 things you can do about it in order to best control these aspects of our health.
For 5 years I’ve had horrible gut issues and it seemed any food I ate just made it worse. But I’ve managed to move past that and have my gut issues 95% in control now because I took myself through the 4 ways.
First we’ll look at why gut health matters and then explain 4 ways to get control of it.
Why Gut Health Matters
Gut Health Controls Multiple Functions of Our Bodies
Our guts are loaded with trillions of gut bacteria that help us digest and break down the food we eat so we can get the nourishment our bodies require.
The gut is the first place food goes and is the first shield of protecting us from the outside world. And if you look at how the digestive system works food never really goes in your body. Your digestive system starts at your mouth and ends at your bum. It’s kind of like a long tube.
As the food goes through our digestive system it gets processed by our gut flora. The gut microbiome affects dozens of functions about how our bodies work.
Affects Mood, Anxiety and Depression
Our guts have the ability to control our mood and whether or not we feel anxious, depressed or other negative emotional states.
This actually wasn’t that shocking to me when I first heard this because I always had a hunch that was the case. You can also think about how you feel after a big meal. You just want to lay around right? Lethargic? Tired? So that shows that it is connected but looking at the research it blew my mind how much.
- This study finds that connection between the gut and the brain to be evident. It explains that even treating the gut to treat disorders such as anxiety and depression may be validated.
- “…gut–brain axis and suggest that certain organisms may prove to be useful therapeutic adjuncts in stress-related disorders such as anxiety and depression.”
- For you visual people check out this diagram of a review done of gut dysbiosis to altered brain function
Metabolism and Weight Control
You want to lose weight? Look better? Gain more muscle? Have a six pack? Who doesn’t!
Well you just have to get better gut health and reduce any gut inflammation! It’s the key to it all.
When I first got my digestion in order and started eating the right foods for me I dropped several pounds easy in just a few weeks.
- There was a study done where they took twin pairs of mice and genetically engineered them to be without their own gut bacteria. They split the mice in two groups and gave one half gut bacteria from lean humans and the other group gut bacteria from obese humans. The mice that got the bacteria from obese humans gained more weight than the other group. Suggesting the role that gut bacteria has on our metabolic health.
- Here’s another review that examines the effect of gut health with obesity.
Regulating Appetite and Fullness
The better your gut functions the more full and satiated you’ll feel. That way you don’t overeat because you’ll be getting the correct signals from your brain.
I noticed that I felt more satiated, didn’t have crazy sugar cravings and could then normalize what I was eating. Maintaining my fitness and weight is a million times easier now that I’ve gotten my gut inflammation reduced and my microbiome in check.
- This review explains that Glucagon-like peptide (GLP) and peptide YY (PYY) help regulate how full you feel through digestive enzymes they release. They are released by intestinal L-cells which are induced by the gut microbiota after each meal you eat. This has been demonstrated to have effects on us to not eat as much after that point.
- In this review it shows that mice lacking that peptide YY (PYY) had a tendency to overeat and become obese.
Controls Immune System
The gut regulates the immune system and may cause some autoimmune issues if things aren’t working properly.
For example, celiac disease. Celiac disease is the extreme of this case where if someone with celiac has gluten their body rapidly attacks itself. It’s a horrible disease and everything people with this disease eats has to be without gluten. Even a minuscule amount of gluten contamination can effect someone with this.
- This review explains the link between gut health and the immune system. It even explains that a poor immune system can be restored with gut bacteria by an example of gut bacteria that was initially removed in mammals but then added back in show improvement in their immune system functions.
As reviewed above, our gut health is incredibly important to maintaining essential functions of our body.
So, how do you best optimize your gut health so you can feel and be your best?
4 Ways Of How To Improve Gut Health
1. Get Committed
If you’re experiencing stomach problems or gut issues then it’s imperative you take action and heal it.
It’s not fun to have these issues thrown upon us but it is our mission to handle them and get ourselves healthy.
I remember when I first started to experience horrible gut problems I didn’t change anything about my lifestyle for years. I had been able to eat bread and treat my body however so I just thought the gut inflammation, bloating and gas just would normalize. I was living in denial and it cost me a lot.
2. Find A Diet That Works For You
After you’ve decided that you’re going to get yourself healthy the next step is going to be changing what you’re eating and finding a gut health diet to follow that’s right for you.
Which may mean giving up wheat / gluten.
Yes yes I know – “but I just can’t live without my toast.” Or, “there’s no way I’ll ever give up pizza.” Or, “I just love donuts too much.”
I’ve heard it all before but you’re in luck because there are some fantastic gluten free options for pancakes, cookie mixes and even beer. Just be sure most of the diet is with real food that’s not processed.
There are multiple gut health diets out there to help, such as GAPS, Paleo, Low FODMAP and more to get you started on your way to discovering good gut health foods!
3. Eliminate Any Harmful Pathogens
After finding a diet that works the next step is going to be getting rid of any harmful pathogens that may be inhabiting the gut or intestines.
There’s a multitude of possible harmful pathogens that may be occupying the gut but finding out what’s specifically living in there is going to be the first step.
For example, there could be a candida overgrowth which is a type of yeast that can be harmful to the body.
There are tests that can help identify what may be in the gut to then be able to get rid of it. It’s not always perfect though and there’s not necessarily a test for every harmful pathogen.
That’s why it’s important to work with a health specialist at this stage because there are numerous protocols for different pathogens. A health specialist will help identify what the cause may be and begin to eliminate it.
4. Heal The Gut
Once the harmful bacteria and other pathogens have been eliminated, the next step is to start healing the gut to repair any damage that may have been done, such as leaky gut syndrome.
This is going to be vital because if the damage to the gut isn’t healed then the problems may keep coming up time and time again.
You can think about it like a boat. If the boat has holes in the bottom and is just barely staying afloat then the first thing to do is to plug up those holes (change the diet). After the holes are plugged, then empty any existing water (eliminating harmful pathogens) that may be in the boat and then, after getting safely to shore, begin repairing those holes in the boat (leaky gut syndrome or other damage) so it can run well in the future without any problems.
Conclusion
Gut health matters because it can control multiple functions of our body including:
- Mood, Anxiety and Depression
- Metabolism and Weight Control
- Regulating Appetite and Fullness
- Controlling Immune System
- Much more
4 ways to get control of gut health are:
- Get committed
- Find a diet that works
- Eliminate harmful pathogens
- Heal the gut
If we can get our gut healthy then we can slowly start taking control of our entire health and therefore live fully!
The information in this article is for educational and entertainment reasons, it should not be interpreted as medical advice or as a recommendation for a specific treatment. Always talk to your doctor and in the event of a medical emergency one should seek the help of a qualified and licensed health care provider.
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