There has been a lot of talk about gut health in the past few years, and how your gut health impacts your whole body – your immune function, mood, focus, energy, skin, weight, recovery from illness and of course digestive symptoms.
What is gut health?
Gut health refers the physical and physiological state of the digestive system, starting from the mouth to the rectal region, and everything in between. Some of the most common symptoms people associate gut health with are IBS, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, heart burn, nausea and vomiting and these are also the most common reason why people seek medical help.
Gut health is affected by various factors, including an unhealthy gut microbiome, quality and quantity of nutrition, the physical health of your gut, poor sleep hygiene, and of course stress.
How can I improve my gut health naturally?
1. Address your gut bacteria / gut microbiome. A lot of resources mention taking different types of prebiotics and probiotics, eating fermented foods, digestive enzymes, high fiber foods, trying various supplements etc. The problem that I have found with this generalized approach for a lot of patients is that it does not address the actual problem at all and can quite often affect the gut in a negative way.
To address your gut microbiome, it is important to first identify what your gut microbiome consists of and what is going on with your digestive system in terms of digestion, absorption, elimination, quality and quantity of good and bad bacteria, if there are any parasites or an overgrowth of yeast or bacterial overgrowth in the small intestines ( SIBO), dysbiosis and if there is any inflammation. A comprehensive digestive stool test will help identify all of the above, and allows for a solution focused naturopathic treatment plan.
2. Quality nutrition – we are what we eat and what we absorb from it and what we are exposed to. Basically, a diet high in processed foods, refined sugars, additives, and carbohydrates is no go. Additionally drinking too much alcohol and antibiotic use in some cases can also have a negative impact on your gut. Dehydration also impacts the quality of your stool. Addressing these will help address some gut health issues. It would be a good idea to rule out food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances and get proper nutrition and diet counselling based on the results.
What is the difference between a food allergy, food intolerance and food sensitivity?
A food allergy is a classic food allergy and mediated by IgE antibodies and may also be severe or life threatening.
A food intolerance refers to an inability to tolerate (digest, absorb or metabolize a food component such as lactose or gluten intolerance which can cause symptoms of gas, bloating and abdominal distension) and does not involve the immune system.
A food sensitivity refers to an adverse reaction to a food and appears to involve an inflammatory immune response that may be local or systemic. These are the hidden food allergies or delayed food hypersensitivities and involve the innate or non- specific immune system and cause inflammation. A non- celiac gluten sensitivity is believed to be such an innate immune response.
Testing for food sensitivities/ allergies/ intolerances has been become very popular for assisting individuals in identifying and eliminating food triggers, however, getting the right test is equally important. Talk to your naturopathic doctor first to get the proper guidance as to what kind of food allergy or sensitivity testing you need based on your symptoms and comprehensive assessment.
3. Lifestyle modifications for improving gut health.
Exercise – Movement is life! Did you know that exercise can impact and change the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome within just six weeks in leaner individuals, independent of diet and other factors, based on a study from the University of Illinois.
Based on the study, subjects that performed cardiovascular exercise for 30 – 60 minutes three times a week for 6 weeks had a higher proportion of butyrate producing microbiota – a short chain fatty acid the helps in reducing inflammation and promotes healthy intestinal cells in conditions such as IBD for a faster recovery.
Stress management – Sleep loss, mental and physiological stress can impact the composition of the gut microbiome and inflammation. Based on this review article in Frontiers in psychiatry, gut microbiome not only affects the digestive, metabolic, and immune functions but also regulates sleep and mental states through the microbiome – gut-brain axis. Emotional and physiological stress can affect the gut microbiome and may affect sleep, the body’s circadian rhythms, metabolic state, and affective disorders! Hence managing stress and anxiety through various stress management techniques will also help your digestion and keep your gut health in balance.
If you are having digestive issues, such as IBS, IBD, SIBO, Crohn’s, Colitis or Heartburn or Acid Reflux issues, and would like to better understand what is affecting your gut health and what you can do to optimize it naturally with naturopathic treatments, please call us at 416 913 4325 to schedule an initial naturopathic consultation with Dr. Sushma Shah, ND.