What has 100 trillion microorganisms and two brains? You do.
If you thought, “Uhm, no.” Keep reading.
We are more bacteria and fungi than we are human. Literally, we are a host for other organisms. We eat food so we can get bacteria into our gut (traveling on the food itself and on our hands), but then we eat food so we can *feed* the bacteria in our gut.
Why? It’s a symbiotic relationship — and one we need to cultivate for our best health.
The bacteria eat fibrous foods we can’t break down in our bellies. Then, well, they essentially fart and poop the enzymes we need to survive. This is how the happiness hormone serotonin is made. Gut bacteria manufacture about 95 percent of the body’s supply of serotonin, which influences both our mood, but also how well we digest and poop ourselves.
If you’re a little blue lately and having some troubles in the toilet, you want to start looking at your diet.
Our gut microbiota help us digest food, produce chemicals that improve the health of the cells that form the gut barrier, and directly regulate the immune system, and they can even influence brain health by producing neuroactive chemicals that are absorbed into the bloodstream and travel to the brain. A healthy diversity of the right kinds of microorganisms in the gut is one of the most fundamental aspects of good health.
Our gut microbiota have enzymes that break down certain types of sugars, starches, and fiber from foods so that we can digest them and absorb their nutrients. Bacteria also ferment fiber in our digestive tracts, producing short-chain fatty acids—such as acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid—which are extremely beneficial energy sources for the body and are essential for regulating metabolism.
Gut bacteria can also ferment proteins, producing branched-chain amino acids, well known to be important for muscle recovery and athletic performance.
Most of our immune system is in the gut. In fact, it’s one cell layer away. And this is by design. If we eat something that doesn’t belong there, the immune system goes into attack mode. More than 40 diseases have been linked back to bacterial imbalances, including depression, arthritis, IBS, cancer,
Good gut health does more than fuel us for the day – our gut and our brain are linked together by the vagal nerve.
Beat overwhelm in the aisles with this list of gut-healthy foods, herbs, and supplements.
Eat the right foods.
High-fiber foods
Fermented foods
Collagen-boosting foods
Check for food intolerances
Eat slowly — and without liquid.
Move more.
Get more sleep.
Manage stress.
