Gut Health Series Part 3: Gut health and diet
Gut health and diet
For this 3-part blog series of the week, this last article will focus on gut health and diet. By now, you would have known that gut health refers to the overall health and well-being of your digestive system to put it in simple terms. This includes the stomach, intestines, and other organs involved in the digestion and absorption of food nutrients in a human body.
Good gut health means that your digestive system is functioning properly and efficiently, and that you have a proper bacterial balance. To maintain this, it’s important to follow a diet that is higher in fat content and much lower in simple and complex carbohydrates. When adopting this type of diet, it allows you to utilize healthy fat as fuel, and helps to your digestive system to process the most unhealthy properties first, thus utilizing fat as fuel. When you utilize fat as fuel, you don’t store fat, thus leading to a healthier you. This transformation does not take long to achieve.
In addition to a good diet, a lifestyle including regular exercise and enough hours of sleep can help train your body to avoid unnecessary stress and unhealthy habits such as habitual smoking and drinking alcohol. Although this may be commonly known, there is a more thorough explanation.
When your liver if functioning at a high level, it is not being overworked. When it is functioning at suboptimal level, it is being worked too hard. Your digestive process triggers your liver to help process the most toxic things in your diet first. If it spends all of its time and energy processing the most toxic properties of your diet first, it has no choice but to store the more healthy properties. So if it is spending time processing simple sugars, processed foods, and excess alcohol, it will store fat, thus increasing fat, thus increasing your bodies inflammation. If you limit this unhealthy dietary habits, your body will utilize fat as fuel and the result will be healthier feeling you.
The foods you consume can have a significant impact on gut health and function of bodily systems linked to it. In the previous blogs, you’ve also learned about the use of probiotics and prebiotics that can aid in improving gut health and promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in your digestive system.
Your diet can directly impact a healthy gut microbiome which should have a diverse, balanced, and wide range of beneficial bacteria. This complex community of microorganisms that live in your digestive tract play an important role in nutrient absorption, digestion, immune system regulation, and brain function.
Doctors recommend a balanced diet, especially to promote gut health, in order to enjoy these benefits:
- Improved mental health and cognitive function
- Reduced inflammation throughout the body
- Improved digestion and nutrient absorption
- Boosted immune system function
- Reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers
- Improved weight management and metabolic health
In conclusion, taking care of your gut health will have a positive impact on your overall health and well-being. It’s crucial that you pay attention to your body before it gets worse so that you can make good choices that support good gut health.
To read further about our philosophy on diet, click below to learn more!
References:
- World Health Organization (2015). Healthy diet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
- Harvard Health Publishing (2018). The gut-brain connection. https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/the-gut-brain-connection
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (2017). Your Digestive System and How It Works. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/digestive-system-how-it-works
Alchohol’s effect on the brain – Andrew Huberman
In a podcast episode on “The Huberman Lab“, Andrew Huberman explores the effects of alcohol on the brain. He begins by discussing the ways in which alcohol consumption can impair brain function, including reduced cognitive abilities and impaired decision-making.
Huberman goes on to explain that alcohol affects various parts of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for executive functions such as decision-making, and the hippocampus, which is involved in memory and learning. He notes that alcohol can interfere with the communication between neurons in these regions, leading to a range of cognitive and behavioral effects.
Moreover, Huberman points out that alcohol consumption can also have long-term effects on the brain, including an increased risk of developing neurological disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. He explains that chronic alcohol use can damage neurons and disrupt brain function over time, leading to cognitive decline and other neurological problems.
However, Huberman notes that moderate alcohol consumption may not have the same negative effects on the brain as heavy or chronic use. He explains that moderate drinking may have some health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke. Nevertheless, he emphasizes the importance of moderation and responsible drinking, as excessive alcohol consumption can have serious negative effects on both short-term and long-term brain function.
Overall, Huberman’s podcast provides a comprehensive overview of the effects of alcohol on the brain. It serves as a reminder of the importance of responsible drinking and the potential risks associated with excessive or chronic alcohol use.