CosBeauty Magazine #77

Feature
“60-80% of
your immune
system is
located in
your gut”
What’s really
going on inside
your stomach?
Increasing research has revealed
the previously mysterious
world of the gut and the 1-2
kilograms of microbes that live in
there, which form each person’s
unique microbiome.
A microbiome is the genetic
ecosystem of bacteria, viruses,
fungi and other organisms
that lives inside and on our bodies
from birth. Our gut (and
microbiome) is connected to the
brain, via over 100 million neurons
spread all the way from our throat
to our rectum.
Interestingly, our brain isn’t the
only organ in control of emotions –
95 percent of serotonin, the body’s
happy hormone – is created in
the gut. This has led researchers
to increasingly find links between
our gut microbiome and things
like our mood and food cravings,
potentially revealing massive
changes to how we approach
treatment for depression
and anxiety.
Australian population will have
complained about some kind of
digestive problem.
Simply changing the way you
eat and fixing the underlying
imbalances in your gut can sometimes
treat these conditions faster and
more effectively than medications,
which are often used as a first resort
rather than a last one. So, how do you
keep your gut happy?
Gut healing
Anyone can benefit from improving
their gut health, because a wellbalanced
gut makes it easier to lose
and manage your weight. So, before
you sit down for your next meal, you
may want to put your tastebuds on
the backburner and focus on feeding
your gut bacteria!
A good rule of thumb to keep your
gut healthy is to eat a wide variety
of nutritious wholefoods from all
food groups, which would naturally
contain a lot of plant foods that are
beneficial for your gut bacteria.
One of the best kinds of food
for good gut health is fermented
foods (kimchi, red beets, apple
cider vinegar, yoghurt), which are
overflowing with good bacteria
(probiotics) that support our immune
defences. They also help to break
down foods we might otherwise find
difficult to digest.
The second way you can improve
your microbiome is through
prebiotics: non-living organisms
found in food that reach the large
intestine unaffected by digestion.
Prebiotics are types of dietary fibres
and found in foods like legumes,
onions, cabbage, garlic, asparagus,
oats, barley and beans.
However, be warned: upping
your probiotic intake by taking
supplements without fuelling your
body with nutritious food (full of
prebiotics) is essentially useless. You
can nab as many live bacteria as
The signs of
poor gut health
• Food allergies
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Mood swings, irritability
• Low energy
• Dark circles under the eyes
• Interrupted or restless sleep
• Skin problems such as
eczema and rosacea
• Diabetes
• Autoimmune diseases
• Frequent infections
• Poor memory and
concentration, ADD or ADHD
you want, but if you’re eating bad
things that are going to damage the
environment that those probiotics
live in, they’re not going to survive.
So, with a high-fibre diet and
fermented foods in, what’s out? For
starters, you need to put a stop to
junk food. Too much fat and sugar
is a big no-no. This is because high
fat changes the balance of the
carbohydrate-digesting bacteria, so
you become less good at digesting
carbohydrates and breaking down
energy with your bacteria. Put simply,
eat bad foods and you will support bad
communities of bacteria.
Diets containing too much meat
are also a potential issue because
they’re likely to be high in fat and
can often mean the displacement of
fruit and vegetables.
While small amounts of alcohol can
have its benefits (depending which
study you read), overconsumption
is definitely bad for your gut and too
much of it can induce dysbiosis (a
microbial imbalance).
The key to preventing and even
reversing these problems is to change
our views on healthy eating and
lifestyle. This does not mean crash
diets, but rather just eating healthy
food and watching your intake of
sugars and fats. The reward is good
health and energy, and you do feel
better! What’s there to lose? CBM
40 www.cosbeauty.com.au