This article will provide valuable insights into why your gut health matters and why you should pay attention to it. While the topic can be a bit complex, feel free to take breaks and return when you're ready. And remember… you can always ask questions if anything is unclear.

It's 3 PM, and you are taking a test for class. The room is silent, and all you can hear is the sound of pens scribbling on paper and maybe one or two heavy stress sighs. Then IT HAPPENS. A loud, deep whale call erupts in the room. Your stomach has betrayed you again. This isn't the only time your tummy has been unhappy, and you wish you could understand why it seems to hate you so much! Don't worry; you are not alone in this. All of us are trying to understand our guts a little more. Luckily, the topic of gut health has taken over the health, fitness, and nutrition world. The gut microbiome has actually been researched for quite some time, and we're really just beginning to understand the connection the gut has with the entire body.

Did you know that almost all health issues in the body begin in the gut? In fact, 80% of the immune system lives in the cells of the gut, as well as 90% of the body's serotonin and 50% of its dopamine. What does this mean for us? Well, if you suffer from a disease process (think autoimmune), depression, obesity, fatigue, inflammation, or brain fog - it could be connected to the health of your gut! We've all heard that "food is medicine," but that food can't do much for us if we're unable to break it down and absorb the nutrients. A healthy, functioning gut influences fat loss, general well-being, our mental health, immunity, and detoxification pathways. Turns out the whale calls coming from our intestines are its way of getting us to pay attention to it! Okay, gut. We hear you LOUD and CLEAR. So what can we do about it? How can we bring inner peace to our digestive system?

Let's take a deep dive and explore the world of gut health. 

Exploring The Gut Microbiome

Just like the ocean, there is a whole world happening in our gut. The gut microbiome includes all the microorganisms and bacteria that live in our digestive tracts. These microorganisms are unique to each individual, and there is now more and more research being done on how our own gut microbiome can even affect our genetic predisposition to obesity and metabolic diseases. Kind of cool right? We each have our own unique, custom-designed microorganisms. So fetch.

Although there is more and more supporting evidence that genetics do play a role, our environment and the foods we eat can play a major role in changing the outcomes.

For example, inflammation can start in the gut with a diet high in processed grains and sugars. The gut becomes inflamed by these triggers, which sends off a cascade of events starting with the immune system that lives as a majority in the gut. This inflammation leads to a weakened immune system, and you may experience symptoms like mood swings, skin irritations, hormone imbalances, fatigue, and chronic inflammation.

Prolonged or chronic stress activates the fight or flight response, releasing cortisol. Digestion basically shuts down because the central nervous system is diverting blood flow to the gut in order to fuel other areas. This slows down motility muscles and the release of secretions needed for digestion.

The big takeaway should be: gut dysbiosis can lead to high amounts of inflammation, and chronically high inflammation leads to a disease process(es).

The Second Brain: Think with Your Gut

Ever heard the saying, "trust your gut?" There's a good reason for that. The gut has its own nervous system called the Enteric Nervous System. The vagus nerve directly interacts with all other systems of the body, communicating with the Central Nervous System. The neurons in the gut are responsible for defense reactions such as removing toxins or pathogens, which then direct how gastric contents (the stuff in your gut) move through the intestinal tract.

You know what else? The gut and brain communicate even before food enters our mouth. The simple smell of food sends signals from the brain to the stomach, where the cells in the walls of the stomach lining begin to prepare for the incoming bolus (aka chewed up food). The Enteric Nervous System uses multiple neurotransmitters, including dopamine and serotonin, which is why gut health is being connected with our mental health. These two neurotransmitters are responsible for feeling 'good,' and when gut health is poor, we may be more inclined to have depression, mood swings, and a poor sense of well-being. According to the American Psychological Association, 95% of the body's serotonin supply is produced in the cells of the gut. Maybe that's what leads to feeling 'hangry'!

Identifying if a Problem Exists

When assessing gut health, it's important to take a look at the entire system as a whole. A healthy gut can be viewed as having regular, daily bowel movements, healthy skin, the energy to perform your daily activities, and the ability to absorb the nutrients from the food we eat.

Some questions to ask yourself when assessing if you are having gut health issues are:

• Do you have irregular bowel movements? I.e. diarrhea, constipation
• Abdominal pain after eating? Bloating? Gas - odor?
• Experiencing burping or acid reflux?
• Do you eat a high amount of processed foods and/or sugars?
• Were you born by c-section or vaginal birth? Were you breastfed?
• Are you sensitive to dairy or gluten?
• Do you experience skin irritations or issues?
• Have you taken frequent doses of antibiotics within the last year?
• Have you been on hormonal birth control for >1 year?
• Have you ever been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto's or rheumatoid arthritis?
• Have you ever experienced depression or anxiety?

While these are some starting points, if you said yes to any of the above, you should take a deeper look and get to the root cause.

Common Digestive Issues

Okay, brace yourselves. This is going to be technical, but it is important information to learn when assessing our gut health. Some of the common digestive issues seen are leaky gut, dysbiosis or bacterial overgrowth, inefficient digestion, and candida infections.

Leaky Gut: Also referred to as increased intestinal permeability, is when bacteria and toxins are allowed to leak from the gut into the bloodstream through the intestinal walls. In an otherwise normally healthy gut lining, only small particles and water are able to permeate the lining. However, when stress, inflammation, or infections cause a break in the wall, 'leaky gut' occurs.

You may experience:

• Gas, bloating, diarrhea
• Numerous food sensitivities or intolerances
• Increased seasonal allergies
• Inability to lose or gain weight
• Anxiety, depression
• Skin irritations such as eczema or psoriasis, acne
• Autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's
• Brain fog, increased fatigue

Leaky gut is not recognized as a medical diagnosis, and treatment revolves around finding the root cause of the permeability in the gut lining. Possible causes could be infections, parasites, medications, or food intolerances. Identifying the trigger(s) causing inflammation and removing them, such as certain foods or medications, is one of the first steps in treating this. Then, adding digestive enzymes and healing foods, along with making lifestyle changes to decrease systemic stress.

Dysbiosis: The gut is composed of bacteria that make up our microbiome. These bacteria can be beneficial, harmful, or commensal (neutral). Dysbiosis occurs when one or more of these harmful bacterial colonies become unbalanced, commonly caused by our Standard American Diet, which includes many highly processed foods and sugars, pesticide or chemical consumption, antibiotic use, or high levels of stress.

An example of dysbiosis is Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). The test for this is a breath test performed by your doctor.

You may experience:

• Bad breath
• Irregularity of bowel movements, diarrhea or constipation
• Stomach pain or bloating
• Extreme fatigue
• Trouble thinking or concentrating
• Anxiety, depression
• Rash or redness

Treatment includes taking a high-quality daily probiotic, eliminating medications or foods that cause inflammation, and adding fermented foods to your daily meals.

Inefficient Digestion: A healthy digestive system releases HCL (hydrochloric acid) and digestive enzymes to break down foods properly. The cells of the stomach lining produce HCL, but when it is not produced or it's too low, it can lead to nausea after eating (especially meat), constipation, or heartburn.

Treatment includes finding the root cause for the low HCL and digestive enzymes. Taking HCL and digestive enzymes with meals for at least 90 days is a good starting point to help improve digestion.

Candida Overgrowth: Candida is very resilient, and although it's normal to have a small amount, when it becomes overgrown, it becomes invasive and can pull apart the stomach lining, releasing toxins into the bloodstream.

You may experience:

• Strong sugar and refined carb cravings
• Yeast infections
• Skin issues: eczema, psoriasis, hives, rashes
• Diarrhea, bloating
• Autoimmune disease
• Brain fog
• Chronic fatigue
• Anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia

Treatment begins with an elimination diet, essentially 'starving' the candida: removing sugars, fruits, alcohol, legumes, etc. Focus is also on repairing the gut lining and repopulating with good bacteria using a probiotic blend.

Areas of Focus To Improve Your Gut

If you got through all of that, hang tight because we are coming at you with some helpful tips and tricks to improve your gut health.

1. Chronic stress is probably one of the biggest offenders on the list, so if you can mitigate stress, that's a big step. Going for walks, taking time for yourself, getting a minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night, and meditation are all useful strategies.
   
   
2. Consider your mealtime habits. Do you sit and enjoy your meal, or are you in the car or at your desk scarfing something down every day? Next time you eat, remind yourself to chew your food thoroughly.
   
   
3. Do you take NSAIDs (Aleve, Motrin) or PPIs (Prilosec, Prevacid, Protonix) on a regular basis? These can break down the gut lining, so it's advised to use them only when truly needed. Heartburn and acid reflux can be caused by inadequate amounts of stomach acid, so food might sit and ferment longer. PPIs actually further perpetuate this because they reduce stomach acid even more. So while you may feel acute relief from symptoms, this isn't helping the root cause. You may, in fact, need to add Betaine HCL (hydrochloric acid) and pancreatic enzymes.
   
   
4. Consume more whole food products that don't come in a box or bag and are not overly processed with added sugars. Consume enough fiber and fluids to promote motility and bowel regularity.
   
   
5. Implement fasting, such as a minimum of 12 hours overnight from the last meal to the first meal the next day. Walk after each meal to promote moving gastric contents downward.
   
   
6. Decrease the amount of GMOs and pesticides - these have been shown to contain toxins that cause leaky gut by breaking down the intestinal walls. Check out the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen to see which might be better choices.
   
   
7. You can start performing your own test at home by first finding your triggers and removing them. Many of the common triggers are dairy, gluten, sugar, alcohol, GMOs, nightshades, eggs, corn, NSAIDs, hormonal birth control, and soy. You can remove one at a time or all at once.
   
   
8. You may be asking, "but what CAN I eat?!" Well, it does take out many of today's convenience and packaged foods. You will find yourself having more single-ingredient foods and less take-out food. This trial doesn't have to include taking out everything forever, just a period of time until you can determine what the triggers are and what the root cause of your gut issues might be.

Elimination Diet

One of the first questions that typically get asked is "how long do I have to do the elimination diet for" in order to "see results." Well, it depends. You're probably going to need a minimum of 4-6 weeks moving through the phases below.

1. Preparation Phase: Remember, this all starts with a healthy diet first and foremost. Audit your refrigerator, cupboard, and pantries, removing highly processed foods, and be ready to prepare large quantities of the foods that you will be eating during this timeframe.
   
   
2. Elimination Phase: Remove the common inflammatory foods discussed earlier. This includes eggs, alcohol, gluten, conventional dairy, corn, legumes (including peanuts), sugar, nightshades, inflammatory oils (palm, sunflower, grape-seed, canola), and fermented foods (for those with a histamine intolerance). You'll need to stay in this phase for 4-6 weeks.
   
   
3. Reintroduction Phase: You can begin to add in one food from the list of those eliminated over three days. After two days, if you have no negative response, you can add in another one of the foods, and continue to repeat. You're looking for the triggers that cause any of the previous symptoms you had.
   
   
4. Post-Elimination Phase: If you were able to find the trigger food(s), then you'll want to keep those foods out of your diet. The next step is healing the gut lining and promoting a healthy gut flora. Be sure to give your body plenty of micronutrient-rich foods.

If you've found that you have continued symptoms and may need more guidance, it's important to bring up your concerns with your physician or a qualified practitioner in the functional medicine or holistic realm. You can maintain gut health by focusing on eating more micronutrient-rich foods, getting enough sleep and managing stress, chewing your food thoroughly, and allowing your gut to rest and digest. We know this seems like a lot, but there is much good information out there on gut health now! So many of us experience less-than-great gut health, and as you just read, it is so important for your overall health, wellness, and happiness.