GUT HEALTH & FIBRE — Julie piper roche

MISSION: The why behind why YOU should eat your fruit and veggies.
Think of the human digestive system like a ring donut - there is a hole running through the middle of both of them. Essentially, from the mouth to the anus is an opening to the outside world, it is exposed to the outside world. Most of the body’s immune system is found in the gut for this reason, to protect you from the outside world.
How does your body protect itself from the outside world? With your:
STOMACH ACID - This is designed to kill off harmful bacteria that you may have ingested. Problems can occur if your stomach acid levels are compromised. (this will be another email in itself). Your GUT LINING produces a mucous called MUCIN. Mucin is like a snotty slime that adheres to the gut lining preventing microbes and your immune cells from coming in contact with eachother and becoming enemies which would create inflammation and a string of symptoms in your gut (bloating, cramping, gas, constipation, diarrhoea etc.). To produce this mucin your gut bacteria if fed the right food will produce SCFA - Short Chain Fatty Acids e.g. lactate, butyrate, acetate and propionate, these “ates” are the energy currency of the gut lining? allowing the gut lining to produce its snot-like slime mucin to protect your gut lining.
To ensure your gut bacteria can produce mucin you need to be consuming FERMENTABLE FIBRES.
Fermentable fibres include:
MushroomsGarlicOnionLettuces OatsFruitsVegetables
If your diet is high in refined sugars and alcohol and low in fermentable fibres your gut lining will struggle to produce mucin, leaving your gut lining exposed to invading pathogens. The more refined sugars you consume the more you feed the dis-ease-promoting bacteria in your gut which can crowd out your healthful bacteria. By limiting your refined sugar intake you will starve these dis-ease-promoting bacteria, reducing their number and improving your gut health.
Use food as a medicine, to help heal your body. To do so you need to be eating that food at least 5/7 days a week.
SUMMARY:
Eat foods that contain fibreEat these fibre rich foods at least 5/7 days a weekI will be following up with emails on stomach acid and the links between your gut health and cardiovascular disease. If you are looking for more help with your digestive system or to improve your overall health let me know I will send you on my Food, Movement and Lifestyle questionnaire and we can see what steps you need to make to improve your health and welling.