I’m sure you guys have been hearing the term ‘gut health’ thrown around a lot lately, as gut health is starting to gain some pretty big buzz in the health world.
But, as a scientist, I can firmly say that all of the pro-press surrounding gut health is definitely well deserved.
Today, I’m going to explain to you exactly why that is.
What is Gut Health?
Gut health is a trending term that basically describes the whole health of your ‘gut’ or digestive system.
You may not think much about it, but your digestive system is actually the most important system within your body. This importance is due to the fact that your gut acts as the soil for your body to grow on. It is responsible for absorbing all of the nutrients that every single organ and system in your body needs to function. Not to mention, keeping all of the nasty stuff you don’t want, out!
In other words, if you have poor gut health, then the health of every single organ and body system can become in jeopardy, because the gut is the root of where these organs and systems are getting their fuel, while simultaneously protecting your body from foreign invaders.
Think about it like this: if you didn’t eat, you would die – correct?
Well, if you did eat, but the system to transform food into fuel is broken or malfunctioning, then of course your body is going to suffer consequences.
Why is Gut Health Important for You?
By understanding the importance of gut health in the way I discussed above, it becomes easy to understand that, although the gut can be a root for causing disorders, it can also be a root for fixing disorders.
In other words, science is discovering the majority of symptoms and diseases to have a gut-related component, and by improving gut health, you can actually improve the overall health of your body to both reduce and prevent various symptoms and disorders.
Wow – what magic can come from our glorious intestinal tract!
How Do You Know if Your Gut Health is Compromised?
If you’re experiencing any gut-health-related symptoms such as digestive issues, bloating, skin issues or pretty much anything else along the spectrum of what can go wrong with any organs or systems relying on nutrients from food – then it’s a probable bet that you have some level of issues with your gut health.
To give you a better idea of how broad the impact of compromised gut health can be, I’ve listed a few symptoms that can be impacted by poor gut health:
The tricky part about knowing the health status of your gut is that, often, you won’t know your gut health is compromised until you’re experiencing unwanted symptoms. In reality, however, your gut health will typically be compromised long before symptoms appear. Meaning, the best approach is a preventative one.
This preventative approach means maintaining the integrity of your intestinal barrier in order to both correct current symptoms and prevent future symptoms that may arise.
You may be surprised that by focusing on gut health, people experience a range of benefits including increased energy, improved mood, better digestion, clearer skin, weight regulation, and even the disappearance of various life-long disorders and diseases.
Improving Gut Health
The most important takeaway from this article is, there is no downside to improving the health of your gut.
If you’re having symptoms and have no idea where to begin to focus your efforts on improving them – the gut is a safe bet. If you’re wanting to act preventatively against disease and disorder but want the most bang for your buck – taking care of your gut health is going to be the best place to put your energy.
In fact, what typically occurs with my clients, is that we focus on gut health to improve their most pressing problem and, without even thinking about it, so many of their other issues that they didn’t even realize were gut-health-related begin to improve!
To learn more about gut health and how to improve it, check out my Leaky Gut Syndrome Crash Course!
Health begins in the gut.
Your friendly neighbourhood scientist,
Anita Tee, MSc, BSc
Anita Tee
My name is Anita Tee. I'm a nutritional scientist who specializes in histamine intolerance. I hold a Master of Science in Personalized Nutrition and a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and Psychology.For the past ten years, I have used my experience in nutritional and medical health sciences to create a scientifically backed, natural approach to healthcare that relies 100% on evidence-based research.As I previously suffered from - and overcame - histamine intolerance, my focus is to increase recognition and expand the available resources and protocols available for resolving this particular disorder. To date, I have helped over 4,000 individuals fully resolve or better manage their histamine intolerance symptoms.
