Top tips for maintaining Gut Health

Promoting good gut health optimises digestive functions. Therefore promoting availability of nutrients from the food eaten, improving immunity, avoiding. many of the gut diseases and preventing weight gain.

Digestive function is dependant on a healthy gut flora, which are bacteria, viruses, fungi that normally reside in the human gut.

Many understand that  Gut health is the foundation of wellbeing, but HOW will you maintain or promote gut health? Lets hear from the Gut Health specialist Sydney Dr Jaimini Raniga

Importance of gut flora in optimising gut health

How to improve  Gut Health:

Restrict refined sugar

Refined sugar is  detrimental for your Gut wellbeing because it alters the gut flora.  Remember, over consumption of refined sugar can cause  a fatty liver which in turn can progress to cirrhosis of the liver. Therefore, replace refined sugar with minimal amounts of raw sugar such as  jaggery, monk fruit sugar or palm sugar.

Stress reduction

Enduring stressful conditions for a prolonged period of time can disturb gut function through the autonomic nervous system. Because stress alters the gut flora, reduces the digestive secretions, affects immunity and creates a hormonal imbalance.

It is always advised to minimise stress.

You can practice the following to maintain gut health and manage stress

• yoga
• breath work
• meditation or
• listening to music,
• painting
• reading motivational and inspirational books.

Take probiotics

Probiotics are a form of healthy bacteria that enhance good gut function, because they assist in  restoring the normal gut flora.

Large amounts of probiotics can be derived from  home made yogurt.  Therefore, make it a habit to include  organic probiotic rich yogurt in your meals. Fermented foods provide natural probiotics to the gut.

Additionally, you can talk to your Functional Doctor / Gut Health Specialist for an individualised prescription of  an appropriate probiotic.

Avoid antibiotics

Another menace for your gut health is overdosing on antibiotics., because. they alter the balance of the gut flora. Not every infection is bacterial in origin It could be viral . In which case there is no need to prescribe antibiotics. There are natural alternatives  to antibiotics.  Appropriate nutritional supplements and herbs to restore the gut lining.   This is vital to wellbeing.

Gut restorative diet

This can be done by observing proper meal times  and eating a healthy diet comprising of fresh fruits, gluten free cereals, leafy greens,  limited dairy products,   legumes and lentils washed and soaked adequately before cooking.

Plenty of fibre and adequate water intake is vital to maintain good. gut function because it feeds the  gut flora, and restores their balance.