Highlights
- Unfortunately, most of us tend to ignore our gut health
- What we ingest in our body is of great importance
- Gut health, if gone awry, may have severe health repercussions
Unfortunately, most of us tend to ignore our gut health without realizing that what we ingest in our body is of great importance and may also affect our overall health and well-being. A recently conducted study has linked gut bacteria with weight loss; experts at the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen have found that the proportion of gut bacteria present in a person's system may influence how much weight he/she is able to lose. The study was published in the International Journal of Obesity and noted that those participating individuals who had more populations of gut bacterium like Prevotella to Bacteroides were able to lose weight faster as compared to other participants.
Gut health, if gone awry, may have severe health repercussions. What starts as minor bloating, cramping, ache or discomfort soon turns into customary ailments triggering a host of other health issues. The New York Times' bestselling author, Alejandro Junger notes in his book Clean Gut the undeniable significance of gut bacteria in maintaining gut health. While maintain it is no rocket science and can be done easily just by tweaking the lifestyle and dietary habits, disrupting it is easier done. Repeated and excessive consumption of alcohol and junk food, even lack of proper sleep can harm the flora and fauna of your gut mechanism and meddle with its smooth functioning. And how exactly does it affect weight loss? A leaky gut is unable to digest what you eat and may not able to supply all essential nutrients that your body needs, it may also not be able to perform, aid or facilitate various metabolic functions which may hamper a smooth weight loss process.
Therefore, Junger in his book, talks about the significance of cleansing your gut every once in a while to ensure a healthy gut. Sharing below five dietary essentials for you to cleanse you gut and make it rock-solid, thriving with the good gut bacteria.
1. Monitor your intake of caffeine, alcohol and sugar. Add plenty of natural fluids to your diet like coconut water or green tea.
2. How you pair your food may wreak havoc on your health; Never pair iron-rich foods with calcium enriched items. Greens and veggies must always be paired with other vegetarian sources (never animal sources) of protein. NEVER pair animal sources of protein with plant-based sources.
3. Have smaller, frequent meals over bigger, fewer meals.
4. Fermented foods are excellent for gut health.
5. Load up on items rich in pre/probiotics.