nutrition
The Role of Gut Health in Overall Wellbeing: Understanding the Gut-Brain Connection
the gut may be the area of your health that’s the most overlooked and underrated. Find out just how important gut health is, particularly to your overall wellbeing.
A healthy life starts with a healthy gut. In fact, your brain and gut are often considered two sides of the same coin, with some experts theorising that the gut has a sort of brain of its own.
The notion of gut health being a secret pillar of health is gaining traction in the scientific community.
Research has revealed that your gut microbiome has the potential to impact every organ in your body. Your gut microbiome simply refers to the bacteria and other micro-organisms that break down the food you eat and turn it into nutrients your body can use.
Despite its well-researched importance, the gut may be the area of your health that’s the most overlooked and underrated.
Let’s unpack the truth about just how important gut health is, particularly to your overall wellbeing.
The Gut-Brain Connection Explained
The gut-brain connection has fascinating health impacts. The gut-brain connection refers to the signals that are constantly being passed between your digestive system and the central nervous system.
But what does this actually mean? After all, messages are constantly being relayed from your central nervous system all around the body.
The gut-brain connection is particularly potent as it can impact your mental and physical health. When the bacteria in your gut is out of whack, it can lead to disease and other disorders.
Generally speaking, this gut-brain axis is a good thing, as long as you understand the messages being received and work to improve gut health accordingly.
Gut Health and Mental Wellbeing
Your mental well-being and gut health are unavoidably linked.
When everything’s all good in your digestive system, your gut will send the happy news up to your brain and keep everything on track. And vice versa, when your mental health is suffering, it can negatively affect your gut.
- Unfortunately, our diets are filled with worryingly processed foods, which can mess with all that healthy gut bacteria and can have a disastrous impact on gut health.
While these symptoms are obviously unwanted and distressing, they’re also simply unnecessary.
Don’t let poor gut health hold you back. After all, there are plenty of practical everyday steps to boost your digestive system.
Improving Gut Health for Overall Wellbeing
Gut health is a complex and constantly evolving field of study. Fortunately, the complicated global research can be broken down into seven simple suggestions for improving gut health and, therefore, overall wellbeing.
The most important habits include:
- Avoiding ultra-processed food
- Maintaining a high-fibre diet
- Getting quality sleep
- Eating a diverse range of food
- Drinking plenty of water
- Eating slowly
- Prioritizing probiotics
Now, this list seems overwhelming but you likely understand or already follow most of these steps instinctively.
Simply avoid foods you already know to be unhealthy, try out some different foods with probiotics and fibre.
Key Takeaways
Your body relies on the constant breakdown and energy transfer throughout all different systems. The gut breaks down the foods you eat and absorbs the necessary nutrients to support bodily function.
Put simply, without your gut, nothing gets done. That’s why looking after it and maintaining healthy habits is so important.
Luckily, there are plenty of easy things you can start doing today.
Simply drinking a little more water, eating a diverse range of food and getting quality sleep will support your digestive system. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your mental, physical and overall wellbeing improves.
Truly, the road to health is paved with good intestines!