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WHAT IS YOUR GUT YOU ARE ENOUGH. SAYING? BY NICOLE HEROUX WILLIAMS I PHOTOS BY NSP STUDIO BY DENISE LONGTIN
Have you ever heard “follow your gut”, “listen to your gut” or one I have heard so many times - “trust your gut.” While I have been known to repeat these phrases to others, I started to think about what they actually mean. Generally, these sayings are referring to your intuition - when the neurons in your gut chat with the ones in your brain. Yes, I said neurons. According to the the American Psychological Association, the gut is home to a network of 100 million neurons which communicate with the brain. Researchers have identified this gut-brain connection and it’s no joke. The connection functions both ways - a problem in your gut can send signals to the brain just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut. It may surprise you to know that the gut actually manufactures about 95% of our body’s serotonin having direct impact on your mood. That, however, is just one of the many important functions. Our gut is a pretty valuable piece of real estate in our body. Not only does the quality of its health directly impact the regulation of mental processes, it also plays an essential role in your immune system with 70% of our immune cells being concentrated in the gut. Also impacted, is the health of your skin (the largest organ in your body) along with how well your nutrients are absorbed. With trillions of bacteria, or microbiome, the gut regulates your metabolism and digestion as well as regulating estrogen levels. The gut is a 140
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vital part of a healthy body and mind so keeping it balanced and in tip-top shape is paramount to the quality of our overall health. Phew - that’s a lot of info! It’s not surprising that gut health is such a hot topic right now as the National Institute of Health estimates that 70 million Americans suffer with some sort of digestive disorder. Some of the top offenders include; indigestion,
with it menopause and all its baggage. Being that our gut regulates estrogen levels, the gut microbiome is impacted by drops in those estrogen levels. Let’s not leave out our sidekick stress which wants in on the game as well. When we are stressed, our body is in fight or flight mode and then diverts blood flow from the gut making digestion more difficult and causing, you guessed it… gut issues. If this seems overwhelming, take a deep breath - you have more control than you think! Improving gut microbiome is not only key for good overall health, but it can also have a positive impact on menopause symptoms. Here are a some ideas of things you can do to make a difference… 1) Avoid processed food … ultra-processed food can change the gut microbiota and lead to inflammation.
constipation, GERD, IBS, or leaky gut. These can cause significant discomfort as well as lead to more serious health issues. As we age, there is often a decrease in digestion quality which may be due to lower production of stomach acid. Muscle mass can also decrease as we get older and since muscle contractions move food through the digestive system this can cause a slow down in the process. Meanwhile, for us women, midlife brings
2) Add fermented foods to your diet… It can increase the diversity of gut microbes - try sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, kefir, or miso to name a few. 3) Nourish your gut with probiotics… Choose high quality probiotic supplements that have several strains of beneficial bacteria. Make sure to include spore-forming strains. 4) Limit sugar intake … Sugar can reduce beneficial bacteria, keeping in mind that many
