The gut microbiome is everything from your mouth to your colon and everything in between so your small and large intestine, and all the little things living inside – the world of gut bacteria. If you have a healthy gut, you will be more energetic, you will get sick less often, have better mental clarity and ultimately have better emotional wellbeing. An unhealthy gut is linked to autoimmune diseases, diabetes, neurogenic diseases like Alzheimer’s, and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
When your parents said “you are what you eat” they were on to something.
Eating poorly can do two bad things
It can prevent you from getting the nutrients you need to stay healthy.
Can damage and change the composition of your gut which renders it unable to digest things properly and create the nutrients you need to function.
Let’s look at some of the compounds we find it food that allow our gut to create the hormones we need to function properly:
Tryptophan
We find this compound in Turkey, you may have heard people talking about the Tryptophan induced coma on Thanksgiving, but it is also found in many other foods such as eggs, salmon and chia seeds.
Your body takes Tryptophan and converts it into many very important molecules, two being Serotonin and Melatonin. Therefore the result of low tryptophan in your diet means that regardless of the wonderful joyous activity you do one day, a lack of tryptophan will prevent your body from creating the Serotonin needed to actually feel that state of happiness. Also you won’t be able to sleep from a lack of Melatonin.
Tyrosine
Tyrosine is a compound that we find in almonds, lentils, seeds and edamame. One molecule it converts into is Dopamine. Dopamine is what motivates you to do stuff, it propels you towards initiative-oriented behaviour. Another molecule that Tyrosine is responsible for producing is Adrenaline, the fight or flight molecule. Imagine if you don’t have these things, what would happen?
Indole-3-Lactic Acid
This is found in fermented foods, like kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha and pickles. This molecule is very important because when it enters your stomach it is turned into one of the strongest antioxidants in the body. The reason foods high in antioxidants are good is because antioxidants can break down free radicals. Free radicals damage your cells and can lead to things like cancer.
A healthy gut is required so that our bodies can execute these conversion processes which are really important for our health
If your diet consists only of foods high in saturated fats, like hot dogs, pizza and fast food, your gut will become over populated by the one type of compounds found in these foods. This created an unhealthy imbalance of bacteria in your gut.
What can you do
Consumer the right foods, exercise can decrease stress and promote the growth of good bacteria.
Targeted supplementation – if there are certain things you body needs then take a pill. For certain pills you would need to eat a lot of fish to get the same result from a single pill. But make sure the probiotic is right for you! So the next time you are feeling lethargic, or sick for the fifth time that year, listen to your gut!
Our Night-time Probiotic is a perfect starting point for people wanting to improve their gut health: