Your gut or the belly is just as important as the brain or heart is to your health. And you need to take care of it! The organs mainly referred to when mentioning the gut are the long tubes namely your intestines, where most of the digestion occurs.
Gut health broadly refers to the effective digestion and absorption of food, the absence of any Gastrointestinal illness, normal and stable intestinal microbiota, effective immune status, and a general state of well-being.
Gut health is mainly determined by the condition of the gut microbiome. Yes, your gut has many microbes, but there is no need to be scared, there are both good and bad bacteria. The good bacteria help fight off bad bacteria along with digestion. The healthy bacteria grow so often that the unhealthy ones don’t get the chance to take over.
There are over 100 trillion bacterial cells in your gut microbiota alone, 10 times more than the number of cells in your entire body!
Let’s take a deep look at what kinds of bacteria are there:
Most of the bacteria present in the gut belong to the genera Bacteroides, Clostridium, Fusobacterium, Eubacterium, Bifidobacterium, etc. Bacteria belonging to Escherichia and Lactobacillus are also present but in fewer amounts. 30 per cent of all bacteria in the human gut are constituted by only 23 species belonging to the genus Bacteroides alone, thus making this genus an important factor in the functioning of the host. Lactobacillus is also found in yoghourt.
These bacteria live in a form of symbiosis with your body. The body provides the microbiota with an environment favourable for development, having optimal moisture, temperature, pH, as well as nutrients essential to its survival). In exchange, the microbiota, through various bacterial agents like metabolic proteins of bacterial origin and short-chain fatty acids, etc., fulfils a certain number of functions that are crucial to your body, such as strengthening your immune system and protecting you against certain pathogenic bacteria and toxins. In addition, your eating habits and brain are also influenced by the microbiota of your gut.
How can you keep your gut microbiome in check?
You can very much control the equilibrium of your gut microbiota by the diet you take. If you eat healthy food you can pretty much also have a healthy gut microbiome. Here are some points you can keep in mind to ensure your gut is in good condition:
- Eating a diverse range of fruits and vegetables, rather than just gulping down fats and sugars.
- Eating foods rich in fibre helps in stimulating bacterial growth. The body cannot digest fibres but bacteria can do it easily. Foods like raspberry, green peas, broccoli, lentils, okra, beans, whole grains, apples, and even bananas are high in fibre.
- According to studies, eating a diet rich in fruits and veggies prevents the growth of some disease-causing bacteria. Apples, blueberries, almonds, etc. are shown to increase the amount of bifidobacteria which helps in constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), etc.
- Eating fermented foods like yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, and kimchi also increases the number of lactobacilli. Yoghurt consumption can also help decrease symptoms of lactose intolerance. Fermented foods are probiotics, meaning they help in introducing live microorganisms i.e. bacteria into your gut.
- Apart from these, you can also take Yakult, which is a sweet fermented drink containing lactobacillus, and it helps a lot in improving bowel movement, and digestion.
- Avoid taking too many antibiotics, as they can lead to antibiotic resistance, damaging the gut microbiota and your immunity.
- Take prebiotics, as mentioned above the gut bacteria feed on indigestible fibre, and they multiply efficiently when fed prebiotic fibre. Prebiotic-rich foods like asparagus, bananas, chicory, whole grains, etc. are good sources.
- Eat chocolate! Yes, you heard us right. Cocoa or dark chocolate is rich in polyphenols, which are very beneficial plant compounds. They not only help in brain health but digestion as well. Polyphenols can also be found in red wine, green tea, blueberries, etc.
- If you are a mother, breastfeeding your infant for at least 6 months is extremely beneficial for its gut microbiome which develops continuously for the first two years. The gut of an infant is rich in Bifidobacteria, which helps digest the sugars in breast milk.
- Exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and avoiding stress are also important factors if you want to care for your gut health.
It is a very important part of your overall health, the gut microbiome keeps you healthy, whether it be helping you with digestion or strengthening your immunity. If it is not cared for, with a poor diet, you may suffer from various problems with digestion including inflammation, weight gain, high blood sugar levels, and bad cholesterol as well.
Read More: Your Gut Bacteria aka the “microbiome”
