TUMMYTOX blogs.

4 ways your digestion is preventing you from living your best life

The latest trend on social media revolves around a healthy gut. Thousands of videos (getting millions of views and likes) are flooding TikTok and promising the magical improvement of gut health. Some are promoting healthy digestion by drinking aloe vera, cucumber-ginger juices, or even sludgy potato soups and bone broth (... yuck). Others ‘guarantee’ clear skin and less painful periods without bloating by simply eating one spoon of extra virgin olive oil per day.

But does any of that really help?

Let’s hop on this trend together and find out what’s actually best for your gut health and your digestive enzymes.

The impact of digestion on your overall health

The impact of digestion on your overall health

Did you know that your body is full of bacteria, viruses, and fungi? Yeah, sounds weird, but this inner situation is called the gut microbiome, where all those microorganisms (or microbes) find home. 

And we have a fun fact for you – you are more bacteria than human! That’s because there’s more bacterial cells than human cells in your body. Some of the bacterial cells are of life-importance for you, but others may be the reason you’re getting sick.

The gut has an overall impact on your health. Gut bacteria help digest fibre with the aid of these little proteins called digestive enzymes, which are essential for breaking down food and helping digestion!

Fibre may save you from gaining extra weight, blood sugar drama, heartache (but not heartbreak), and other illnesses. The gut also takes care of your immune system by making regular check-ups with immunity cells.

And we’re here to reveal even more – gut health influences brain health and likewise, brain health influences the gut! How is this possible? Because of the gut-brain axis.

What is the gut-brain axis?

Have you ever felt the sensation of butterflies in your stomach? Or do you remember when your mum used to say, “always listen to your gut ”? This is the simplest explanation of the love story between the gut and the brain. But in all seriousness, the communication network that keeps your gut and brain in touch is called the gut-brain axis. That’s the actual physical and chemical link between your gut and brain.

Neurons are cells found in both your brain and digestive tract that keep your gut-brain connection flowing. In the gut we can find a surprising 500 million neurons that are connected to the brain by your nervous system. This connection can be disturbed by stress (what else, right?) and that can lead to various gut issues, such as diarrhoea, constipation, and similar. With that you also get a bloated belly and lots of gas – not something you look forward to, we imagine.

But we have happy news! You can support your gut and your brain by providing a little extra help to your digestive enzymes and adding some life to your gut bacteria. We did our research and we’re here to tell you what we found out.

4 ways your digestion is making your life miserable

Have you ever wondered why you’re constantly sick and/or feeling down-in-the-dumps, why you can’t lose weight, or can’t focus?  The answer may be hiding in your gut.

1. Feeling sick

More than 70% of your immunity is in your gut – that means your gut flora is like a gatekeeper with knights (and swords) defending your immunity from harmful bacteria and viruses. Go guts!

If your immune system is constantly fighting bad bacteria, it can lead to inflammation – and that brings all sorts of health issues.

2. Unwanted weight gain

And if you’re looking for a weight-loss solution, you can definitely find it in your digestion – digestive enzymes are responsible for breaking down the food you eat. If that doesn’t go smoothly – if you’re not regular or you're too regular, feeling bloated or even vomiting, rest assured you can take care of it! If your body has too many bad microbes (instead of good ones) it can cause unwanted weight gain. To successfully turn the situation around, you should flood your body with good bacteria.

3. Mood swings

Since your gut and brain are deeply connected, an imbalance of bacteria down there could leave you feeling anxious, sad, shedding a tear or two (or a hundred), and could even lead to more dire consequences, that would involve some serious help. Solemnly swear to yourself, that you’ll keep your gut microbiota happy, so you can be jolly too!

4. Mental performance

Have you ever had trouble solving a simple word puzzle? Or a work task you usually perform effortlessly, suddenly becomes hard? Don't panic, your IQ didn’t just suddenly drop, but it may be the gut flora acting up and it’s having an effect on your mental performance.

All these situations may sound absurd, but they’re a sign that your digestion isn’t working smoothly. When your gut is full of unhealthy bacteria, it causes imbalance and inflammation and that can cause a whole circus (without the funny tricks).

How to support your digestion naturally

As you probably know by now, everything is connected. That also applies to your gut and overall health.

You need to water your gut flora just as you do the earth flora imagine your digestion as the blossoming rose bush you need to take care ofNature can also provide you with its own gifts, such as fermented foods, which are full of beneficial bacteria. 

We prepared a few tips to improve your gut microbiome:

  • Let your plate be colourful – a balanced and diverse range of food makes your gut balanced & happy, so don’t be afraid to eat a rainbow today.
  • Dig into fermented foods, obviously – as you've probably already heard, fermented foods such as yoghurt, kefir, cottage cheese, and sauerkraut all contain healthy bacteria and can be your go-to for probiotics.
  • An apple and banana a day, help keep bad gut away – also applicable to artichokes, oats, and asparagus – these foods are full of prebiotics, which are a type of fibre that boost the growth of healthy bacteria.
  • Drink a glass of red wine – The secret is in the polyphenols that also boost good bacteria growth. You can also find them in green tea, dark chocolate, olive oil, and whole grains.
  • Whole grains are your bestie – they contain a lot of fibre and super carbs (like beta-glucan) and are the perfect food for your gut bacteria.

But in the end, if you really hate those sour foods like sauerkraut (we do), you can always turn to quality probiotics supplements for help.

Make your digestive enzymes & gut microbiota happy with whatever you’re comfortable with!

My Gut Feeling

As your gut microbiota supports you during difficult times, it's only right to return the favour. That’s why we designed our most comprehensive probiotic supplement for gut health in women – with 10 types of digestive enzymes, fibre, 2 types of prebiotics, 9 probiotic strains, guarana, and vitamin C, to always be there by your side.

If you’re looking for probiotics for weight loss or a probiotic supplement to support your overall gut health, you’re on the right page.

You don’t have to completely change your daily routine to make your gut happy. Simply add a scoop of My Gut Feeling to your favourite yoghurt, smoothie, juice or a glass of water! Increase your daily fibre intake, reduce bloated belly discomfort, relieve constipation, add natural digestive enzymes, suppress appetite and support your weight management, all while feeling energetic

Happiness starts with you. And feeling good starts in the gut.

Sources

https://shinehealthwellness.com/5-ways-your-digestive-tract-affects-your-overall-health/

Gut Healing Is TikTok’s Latest Trend. Does It Work? - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Two-Thirds of Americans Are Living With Gut Issues, Unaware of the Health Consequences (prnewswire.com)

The Gut-Brain Connection: How it Works and The Role of Nutrition (healthline.com)

How Does Your Gut Microbiome Impact Your Overall Health? (healthline.com)

Signs of an Unhealthy Gut and What You Can Do About It (everydayhealth.com)