Gut health is an essential part of your overall wellbeing. An unhealthy gut can lead to mental and physical health difficulties, such as inflammation and brain fog.
Read on to find out the signs of an unhealthy gut, and the best foods to get it running smoothly again.
- Why is gut health important?
- How does good gut health improve your wellness?
- Signs of a healthy and unhealthy gut
- Best and worst foods for gut health
- How to improve gut health naturally
- FAQs
Why Is Gut Health Important?
Your gut is host to over 100 trillion bacteria – these contain more genetic code than human DNA! Collectively these gut bacteria are known as the gut microbiome.
The microbiome can impact metabolism, immune function, nutrition absorption and various other cellular reactions within the body. Therefore, a healthy microbiome has a wide range of beneficial effects on health and wellness, not only gut functioning!
Studies suggest that gut health is linked to levels of inflammation in the body. Imbalance of the gut microbiome – called ‘dysbiosis’ – has been linked to various inflammatory conditions like IBS, and high blood sugar.
An unhealthy gut is likely to produce gastrointestinal symptoms including bloating, discomfort, or changes in bowel habits; however, due to wide-ranging effects of the gut microbiome, an unhealthy gut may also lead to systemic symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog and acne.
How Does Good Gut Health Improve Your Wellness?
Gut health doesn’t just mean a regular bathroom schedule! A healthy gut has an impact on many different aspects of health and wellness.
Inflammation
Diets low in fibre and high in both protein and fat have been linked to poorer gut health and overall wellness: diets that follow this pattern are typically linked to higher levels of inflammation within the gut. This not only leads to an unhappy gut, but can also increase the risk of developing inflammatory conditions.
A healthy gut consists of a functional barrier that allows transport of nutrients out of the gut. In an unhealthy gut, this barrier lets too many nutrients out – this leads to inflammation both inside and outside the gut.
Mental focus
A healthy gut microbiome is associated with reduced symptoms of common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. An unhealthy gut may lead to poorer levels of concentration and higher levels of distractibility.
Immune system
A gut that contains enough ‘good’ bacteria will help to support the immune system to fight off invading ‘bad’ bacteria and pathogens that may cause illness.
Clearer skin
Acne is one of the most common skin conditions which if severe, can lead to scarring and low self-esteem . Evidence suggests that people with acne, especially the inflammatory kind, are less likely to have a diverse and healthy gut microbiome. The gut microbiome likely plays a role in modulating the oil glands that become inflamed during acne.
Signs Of A Healthy Gut
If you wake up every day feeling 10/10, then you might already have good gut health! 5 signs of a healthy gut include:
- Regular bowel movements
- High energy levels
- Reduced symptoms of low mood and anxiety
- Absence or reduction of bloating, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhoea
- Ability to maintain a healthy weight range
Signs Of An Unhealthy Gut
Poor gut health will not only produce gastrointestinal symptoms, but also general signs of inflammation within the body.
5 signs of an unhealthy gut include:
- Bloating and discomfort
- Changes in bowel habit, from constipation to diarrhoea
- Low energy levels
- Brain fog and low mood
- Poor skin health
Best Foods For Gut Health
The most important thing for gut health is diversity – eating a range of foods will help to keep gut bacteria happy and thriving.
There are certain types of food that are better than others when it comes to gut health – high fibre foods and foods with additional benefits (functional foods) are brilliant for feeding the gut microbiome. Foods that are great for gut health include:
- Fruits & vegetables
- Prebiotic foods (high-fibre foods like oats and seeds)
- Whole grains
- Fermented foods (eg. saurkraut, kimchi)
- Beans & legumes
- Seeds