Love your guts really is a literal expression! A happy gut requires the right balance of food, love and rest.  Read on for our top 5 tips on some of the best ways to “love your gut”.

This article has been written by Herbs of Gold

Eating a wide variety of plant-based foods helps to feed the diverse community of microbes in the gut. This includes eating more fibre as well as fruits, vegetables, pulses, nuts and wholegrains, all of which help to feed healthy gut bacteria.

Food sensitivities or food intolerances can be culprits for contributing to a whole range of digestive complaints such as gas and bloating, through to non-digestive symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, headaches, or skin issues just to name a few.

Where a food allergy is often obvious, a food intolerance can be difficult to pinpoint.

Food allergies trigger an IgE mediated immune response and are almost instant[1], whereas food intolerances trigger an IgG mediated immune response and can take as long as 3 days to appear[2].

This delayed response is often why identifying food intolerances can be so difficult.

Both food allergies and food intolerances can have a significant impact on the overall health of the gut so it’s good to get to the bottom of them.

Food intolerance testing or elimination diets can be helpful in identifying food sensitivities.  

Tip 2: Stress less

When the body is under stress, whether that be short-term or ongoing stress, the body tries to support that by releasing stress hormones. These hormones tell the body the most important thing it needs to deal with in that moment is the stress.

Consequently, the brain sends a message to slow digestion, causing a range of issues with gut health that can include things like reflux and constipation[3]. The gut microbiome is inhabited by millions of bacteria that can be adversely affected by stress. The microbiome plays an important role in healthy digestion and immune health, another important consideration as more than 70-80% of our immune system resides in our gut [4].

Tip 3: Sleep your way to a healthy gut

Believe it or not, good sleep and good gut health are closely intertwined.

Scientists have discovered the human microbiome is closely related to the sleep-wake cycle in the body, also referred to as the circadian rhythm.

The circadian rhythm is a 24-hour cycle of thousands of signals sent throughout the day, telling your body what to do and when to do it. It tells the body when it’s time to wake up, as well as when to relax and get ready to go to sleep.

Low quality sleep has been shown to adversely affect the gut microbiome due to its ability to alter the normal function of the sleep-wake cycle. As such, a healthy gut microbiome goes a long way to supporting good sleep. One study concluded good gut health equated to increased sleep efficiency and total sleep time, while poor gut health was associated with waking after sleep onset[5].

Tip 4: Get moving!

You might not believe there’s a correlation between gut health and exercise – but guess what – it’s pretty interesting!

One study conducted in 2019 sought to determine whether a short-term exercise regime, with or without whey protein supplementation, could alter gut microbial composition and function in both male and female adults.

Individuals were randomised to one of the three groups and asked to perform moderate-intensity aerobic training (18- to 32-min duration) and a progressive resistance training program three times a week for 8 weeks. A trend was seen for an increase in bacterial diversity in the exercise and exercise + whey protein groups, compared with the group that received whey protein alone[6].

The study concluded exercise was responsible for altering the gut microbiome through its influence on the body’s immune cells. As immune cells reside near microbial communities and produce antimicrobial factors, it is believed they have a direct influence on microbial homeostasis.

Tip 5: Take a proactive approach to managing gut health

Our gut microbiome balances both the good and bad bacteria that reside in our gut.

There are several ways to actively support healthy gut flora including making sure your diet features a good amount of both prebiotic and probiotic foods like yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh and miso as well as by considering using a probiotic supplement.

You could also consider adding in a probiotic supplement, like Herbs of Gold Probiotic 55 Billion. This high-strength, broad spectrum probiotic contains a combination of 11 different probiotic strains to help restore beneficial intestinal flora while also supporting digestive system health and healthy digestive system function in the body.

There are also a range of helpful ingredients that can be used to support overall gastrointestinal and digestive system health, some of which include Slippery elm, glutamine, Aloe vera, Licorice, Calendula and zinc.

Herbs of Gold Gut Care is a comprehensive herbal and nutritional formula containing each of these ingredients. Aloe vera and Licorice support the healthy mucous linings of the digestive system while also soothing irritated tissues if needed.  Calendula and L-Glutamine support gastrointestinal system health and function, where zinc is helpful is supporting healthy digestion.

Click Here to view the full range of Herbs of Gold vitamins

References

[1] Yu, W., Freeland, D. M. H., & Nadeau, K. C. (2016). Food allergy: immune mechanisms, diagnosis and immunotherapy. Nature Reviews Immunology, 16(12), 751-765.

[2] Gocki, J., & Bartuzi, Z. (2016). Role of immunoglobulin G antibodies in diagnosis of food allergy. Postepy Dermatologii i Alergologii, 33(4), 253–256.

[3] Konturek, P. C., Brzozowski, T., & Konturek, S. J. (2011). Stress and the gut: pathophysiology, clinical consequences, diagnostic approach and treatment options. Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology : An Official Journal of the Polish Physiological Society, 62(6), 591–599.

[4] Wiertsema, S. P., van Bergenhenegouwen, J., Garssen, J., & Knippels, L. (2021). The interplay between the gut microbiome and the immune system in the context of [….] throughout life and the role of nutrition in optimising treatment strategies. Nutrients, 13(3), 886.

[5] Smith, R. P., Easson, C., Lyle, S. M., Kapoor, R., Donnelly, C. P., Davidson, E. J., ... & Tartar, J. L. (2019). Gut microbiome diversity is associated with sleep physiology in humans. PLoS One, 14(10), e0222394.

[6] Mailing, L. J., Allen, J. M., Buford, T. W., Fields, C. J., & Woods, J. A. (2019). Exercise and the gut microbiome: a review of the evidence, potential mechanisms, and implications for human health. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 47(2), 75-85.

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