Skip to content

Wellthoughts

  • Home
  • Food As Medicine
  • Gut Health
  • Hormones
  • Mindfulness
  • Jac’s Favorites
  • Lifestyle
    • Exposed
    • Quizzes
    • Guides
    • News
  • About Us
    • Contributors
    • Contact

The One Thing That Affects Your Whole Body

  • March 26, 2020
  • Jacqueline Genova

Your gastrointestinal tract plays a critical and quite obvious role in your health – transporting food from the mouth to the stomach, converting it into nutrients and energy, and eliminating waste from the body. However, did you know that your gut has been linked to several other essential functions in your body like immunity, managing chronic inflammation, suppressing cancer formation, and even helping to manage emotional stress? Studies have even linked poor gut health to a multitude of health conditions, including:

  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • Asthma
  • Autism
  • Arthritis
  • Weight loss resistance 
  • Thyroid disorders 
  • Acne
  • Brain disorders including depression & anxiety
gut health

How do I know I have poor gut health and how did I get this way?

If you experience symptoms such as bloating, constipation, fatigue, brain fog, skin problems, and joint pain, you might have a leaky gut. A leaky gut, also known as increased intestinal permeability, is a digestive condition in which bacteria and toxins are able to leak through the body’s intestinal wall and get into the bloodstream. These toxins cause widespread inflammation and oftentimes trigger a reaction from the immune system. Here are a few ways that your gut can become “leaky“. . .

plant-based diet

1. Diet

Your diet is perhaps one of the greatest contributing factors to a leaky gut. Food can either fuel health or fuel disease. For example, consuming foods that are refined and high in sugar can increase inflammation in your body that will further damage your gut health. Instead, try eating foods that promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria like fruits, cultured dairy products, healthy fats, and fermented veggies that help combat a leaky gut. Research has also shown that a plant-based diet (that eliminates alcohol and caffeine) might be the best option for those suffering from leaky gut because it promotes the development of more diverse and stable microbial systems.

medications

2. Medications

Did you know that most medications have side effects that compromise gut health? You might not even realize it, but that prilosec you just took to calm your acid reflux or that antibiotic you’re taking for your acne might be directly causing your leaky gut. Even certain over-the-counter drugs like ibuprofen affects gut health by blocking an enzyme called cyclo-oxygenase, which prevents it from fulfilling its job of protecting your stomach from the corrosive effects of its acid. In fact, about 65% of people who consistently use NSAIDs have intestinal inflammation while 30% have ulcers.

stress

3. Stress

It’s no surprise that stress wreaks havoc on our bodies, but especially our gut. Prolonged stress leads to hyper physiological levels of cortisol as well as the production of pro-inflammatory signaling molecules. These elevated levels of cortisol trigger inflammation not only in the gut but the throughout the body. Stress can also lead to changes in the microbiota in the gut, and affect your mood through the HPA axis (learn more about the gut-brain connection here).

reverse leaky gut

So, how do I reverse a leaky gut?

Reversing a leaky gut can seem daunting, especially for people who have suffered with symptoms for years. However, if you change your diet and start incorporating some gut-healing supplements, the reversal is not as arduous as it may seem. Research has shown that by simply eliminating gluten and dairy from your diet, you can significantly decrease inflammation in the body and begin to heal the lining of the gut. Furthermore, you can hasten healing through introducing some gut-healing supplements like a probiotic, slippery elm, L-glutamine, collagen powder, and licorice root, in addition to consuming bone broth, apple cider vinegar, and fermented foods. Herbs too such as chamomile, ginger, peppermint, and turmeric have been shown to promote gut health.

One of our favorite gut-boosting beverages are the plant-based tonics from Drink Waku. Their unique blend of herbs helps to promote digestion and repair your gut. They’re giving our readers a 20% off discount too if you use the code WELLTHOUGHTS at checkout, so try them out!

Your gut is in one way or another connected to every aspect of your body’s health. Start taking care of it now.

Share:

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Jacqueline Genova

Jacqueline Genova

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Social Media

Instagram Pinterest Facebook-f

Most Recent

10 Ways to Calm Your Nervous System

September 29, 2020

Manage Your Mood by Empowering You

September 29, 2020

Exercise Considerations for Individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis

September 7, 2020

7 Pillars to Optimal Health To Support The Immune System

August 27, 2020
Get The Latest Updates

Subscribe To Our Monthly Newsletter

Discover What It Means To Live Well. 

Categories

  • Home
  • Food As Medicine
  • Gut Health
  • Hormones
  • Mindfulness
  • Jac’s Favorites
  • Lifestyle
    • Exposed
    • Quizzes
    • Guides
    • News
  • About Us
    • Contributors
    • Contact
Menu
  • Home
  • Food As Medicine
  • Gut Health
  • Hormones
  • Mindfulness
  • Jac’s Favorites
  • Lifestyle
    • Exposed
    • Quizzes
    • Guides
    • News
  • About Us
    • Contributors
    • Contact
PrevPreviousThe Surprising Problem You Might Have If You’re A Runner
NextHealing Your Gut After ChemotherapyNext
On Key

You Might Be Interested In . . .

Why Boosting Your Brain Health Matters

Did you know that keeping your brain healthy is as crucial as the health of the rest of your body? Many of us don’t think

What are you letting control you?

It’s no secret that we’ve found ourselves in some pretty unprecedented times. Feelings of fear and doubt, the concept of control, health and wellness, among

cold-showers-wim-hof-method-vagus-nerve

Train Your Body To Fight Disease

With the fear of Coronavirus permeating the world, everyone is questioning how to keep their immune systems strong. While there is no proven cure to

There’s More To Intermittent Fasting Than Weight Loss

As we slowly emerge from social distancing, some of us are looking to shed the extra pounds we have accrued during this period of isolation. 

Wellthoughts-02

Home
Exposed
Food As Medicine
Gut Health
Hormones
Mindfulness
About Us
Contact

 

Privacy Policy   Disclaimer  Terms & Conditions

© 2021 Wellthoughts | WordPress Theme by Superb Themes
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.