Gut health is my passion.
Have you ever listened to your “gut feeling” when it comes to making decisions. This saying is now being backed up with studies that have discovered a “second brain” in your stomach. Receptors similar to those in your brain have been found in the lining of you digestive system, opening up a whole new avenue for causes of certain digestive tract illnesses and even mental illness. It comes down to the gut bacteria, we have trillions of bacteria living and breathing in our bodies, doing their job whether it be fighting off disease and infection or helping your food digest. The population of bacteria that live in your gut are a combination of good and bad bacteria. Having a balance between the badies and goodies will keep a healthy environment or ecosystem in your gut. It is very easy to upset this optimum balance which can lead to all sorts of health problems. Once the badies take over it causes an over production of yeast which disturbs the friendly ecosystem and can cause a range of conditions from bloating, depression to chronic fatigue.
The most common way to cause this negative change in the ecosystem is by taking antibiotics which destroy everything including the good gut bacteria. Sometimes you just need to be patient and let the virus or infection serve it’s time. It may take up to 6 weeks for some viruses to leave your body, however antibiotics are not always the best option. Making sure you are eating super clean and drinking lots of fluids will help eliminate the virus.
Other things we can control, that is we put physically in our mouth, that disrupt our healthy balance are sugar, processed foods, preservatives, additives, colourings, drugs and alcohol. It’s your choice what you put in your mouth, or what you feed your children so make sure every time you are thinking what is good for my bacteria, will this help improve my ecosystem or destroy my good bacteria.
Environmental stress and toxins also attack our good bacteria. Our fast pace lives do cause us to be under constant stress. Make sure you take time to do some deep breathing exercises or meditation to help you zone out and release any tension in your body. Toxins from the environment we cannot avoid however at home make sure you are totally chemical free, that is your cleaning products and body care products like shampoos, conditioner, hand wash and moisturizers. There are so many organic options or simple do it your self natural products that you can whip up in no time.
The best way to try and improve your strains of good bacteria is to start adding healthy foods into your every day diet. Lots of raw fruit and vegetables will help you build up the goodies. Adding fermented foods which are basically loaded with probiotics, the good bacteria, will most certainly help build up your ecosystem ultimately strengthening your immune system and helping you stay healthy.
Find out how I can help you improve your gut health and start feeling good about yourself.
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