Take care of it. Today. Now!!
Every single problem in your body is related to poor gut health. Yes…you heard it right. It is scientifically proven that right from constipation, heart diseases, diabetes, and mental health (anxiety, depression, brain fog) to physical health (joint pains, arthritis, sciatica), hair fall, and skin problems, etc., it’s all about (almost) your gut – being healthy or not.
We have always heard that the human brain controls the body – that’s indeed true. But it is time we understood and acknowledged the fact that our second brain (i.e., the gut) contributes greatly to how well the brain does its work. Our gut has trillions of good bacteria, fungi, and algae, etc., without which human bodies cannot survive.
The earth is round; so is everything. Everything is interconnected. We learned in our childhood about the carbon cycle: the same is the case with the functioning of the human body.
Poor gut health leads to issues like bloating and acidity. Are you wondering as to since when exactly did this issue (of the gut) come into the picture?
Let me tell you: When you adopted the modern lifestyle i.e., consumption of refined sugar and carbohydrates, and processed foods – all of which are all low in dietary fiber, besides us all ridden by a lack of physical activity and compounding it all by following late sleep and wake up times, and increased electronic screen time.
The human body has regenerative capacity. It will not show alarming signs initially when you eat a poor diet. Instead, it tries to heal itself for quite some time. But when this pattern continues for long, it becomes degenerative as we aren’t fueling it with the right food. Our gut health takes a beating owing to a regular intake of refined sugars and foods, and the sedentary modern lifestyle.
The thing is our body keeps telling us that there’s something not well with it via signals such as when you have a bloaty feeling, acidity, flatulence, constipation, or IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), etc. But what we do is just pop-in pills such as antacids that only suppress the symptoms.
The symptoms surface when our gut bacteria (the trillions of microbiomes) start reducing. Can you now imagine as to for how long we have been abusing our bodies?
The fact of the matter is we actually have at least a 50% chance of healing the gut’s poor health if we take notice of the symptoms like acidity and bloating in time, and take the required action rather than suppressing the symptoms. Obviously, that is not what our body is asking for via the symptoms. Rather, it needs us to heal or treat the root cause of the problem!
So, what happens when we address just the symptoms and not the cause? It may lead to more complicated conditions such as piles, hemorrhoids, eczema, thyroid, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a leaky gut, psoriasis, heart disease, diabetes, inflammation, and asthma, etc.
Your gut without fiber and probiotics is like having a vehicle without fuel. As simple as that.
Fiber is an undigested form of carbohydrate. There are three types of fiber, each playing an important role in maintaining our health: namely soluble fibers, insoluble fiber, and resistant starch.
- Soluble Fiber:
Soluble fiber is a fiber that is present in your stomach which mixes with water to form a gel-like substance to be able to delay the emptying of the stomach into the intestine. This delay is required so that there’s enough time for the release of the digestive enzymes (that help break down the food as well as in its digestion and absorption). It also feeds the good bacteria in the gut and forms the short-chain fatty acids which help in shedding weight and belly fat.
Foods rich in soluble fiber: Sweet potato, carrot, orange, apple (1/day), sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds (1tsp/day), legumes (kidney beans, chickpea, black gram, cowpea, etc.) about 1-1 ½ cup a day, and figs and apricot about 3 – 4 a day.
- Insoluble fiber:
This is a form of undigested fiber that reaches our large intestine and adds up to the roughage, thus softening the stools for easy excretion. It also gives a feeling of fullness for a long time. In diabetics, these fibers delay the absorption of glucose in the blood resulting in reduced blood glucose levels. It further helps us by reducing the blood cholesterol levels by binding the bile acids and reducing fat deposition on the walls of the arteries.
Foods rich in Insoluble fiber: All the plant-based foods are rich in insoluble fiber. Vegetables, fruits, and whole-grains. One should eat 4-5 servings of vegetables and 3-4 servings of fruits every day (one serving = 1 cup). You get more amount of the fiber when you eat vegetables in raw form, and whole-fruits (not as juices).
- Resistant starch:
This is a starchy form of fiber that moves to the large intestine because it was not digested in the small intestine. Once in the large intestine, it helps feed the gut bacteria which are important for bowel health.
Foods rich in resistant starch: All cereals and grains, cooked and cooled potatoes and rice, unripe banana, and lentils.
You may be wondering about the interconnection part, right?
When you have a diet that’s poor in fiber and food feeding good bacteria such as when there is a lack of soluble fiber and your food does not get digested properly, or a lack of insoluble fiber leading to little or no bulk for the roughage, or a shortage of fuel to the bacteria leading to increased bad bacteria.
When food is not digested and absorbed properly, it stays back in the intestine. Meaning, there is not enough amount of bulk to help in excretion: which leads to promoting the growth of bad bacteria in the gut. When this happens, you start feeling bloated, acidic, or constipated. The more the waste material in the body, the more is the growth of bad bacteria that can become toxic and lead to increased intestinal permeability (foods and toxins which should not enter the bloodstream, start entering the blood). The toxins even reach our organs causing ill-health — right from the brain to the toe.
So, how to ensure the good health of our gut?
Follow the 3R approach: Replace, Repair, Re-bounce.
- Replace an unhealthy diet with a healthy diet to promote good bacteria, and flush out the waste.
- Repair the endothelium lining of the gut by eating a protein-rich diet, thus helping in the regeneration of tissues.
- Re-bounce: Always practice the rule “More of physical activity and less of mental stress”.
Thank you,
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Author
Dt. Anjali Khandale (M.Sc., Nutrition & Dietetics)
*Disclaimer: The diet plans, remedies, and other health-related suggestions published on this website are a collation of information on directions and advice from experts (dietitians and others) provided by the respective expert mentioned as the author of an article and, as such, are sourced from reliable and competent sources. However, both the experts themselves as well as the site owners/promoters request readers to consult their family doctor/physician before using the information on this site and also to exercise caution as necessary. By visiting this site and, by virtue of accessing any information from the site, site users indemnify, by default, the site owners/promoters, dietitians, experts, and affiliates, of any potential damage caused (in any form whatsoever).
I am Joseph, a techie from Bangalore who had always struggled to sustain “eating healthy new year resolutions”. So, I kind of looking for some way out from this and consulted dietitian Anjali at “Mydietguru.in”.She understood my requirements clearly and came up with a simple and traditional plan of keeping yourself healthy and explained me the reason why our elder generations were fit despite they never followed a specific exercise routine. She suggested that knowing what to eat and basic physical activity is what i needed and came up with a very simple diet plan which i can follow easily as it doesn’t feel like I have cut down a lot and hence it has become sustainable and i lost around 2 kg in 3 weeks. Kudos to Dietician Anjali for providing me a greater insight into my wellbeing.