GUT HEALTH

Dr. Neha bajaj II

A healthy mind resides in a healthy body. And health is directly related to our gut. 

What is GUT?? Gut means intestines. Big intestines and small intestines lie coiled and folded In our body. Food enters from our mouth to the food pipe and then to the gut through the stomach. The digestion process occurs in our gut. The internal environment of the intestines is called MICROBIOME. Every organ has its microbiome and the microbiome of the gut includes the microorganisms that reside inside it. Eg bacteria, viruses., fungi etc. that stay on the finger-like structures called villi in the intestines. These microbes are in a symbiotic relationship with our bodies. They help digest our food and in turn get their food from us to survive.

While we eat food. .. the type of food we eat decides the increase in the type of the good or the bad microbes. Junk increases the number of bad bacteria and the number of healthy bacteria increases with the intake of healthy food. When the good bacteria are on the higher side the digestion process goes smoothly but when it’s not the same.. the bad bacteria increases which passes through the one cell thin gut lining leading to the UNHEALTHY GUT. 

Here comes into play the immune cells which are 75% in the gut. The immune system is the one that protects our body from outer infections and the latest example is COVID-19. The infection overcame because our immune system had no knowledge of this infecting agent so could not protect the body against it. 

BECAUSE We are talking about gut here so the SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF AN UNHEALTHY GUT are as follows: 

1. Indigestion 
2. bloating 
3. diarrhoea 
4. Fatigue
5. sleep disturbance 
6. skin irritations 
7. food intolerances 
8. irregular food metabolism leads to much more obesity-related problems like breathlessness., fatty livers, fat depositions in the body damaging the various other organs like the brain, heart, etc. 

MEASURES TO BE TAKEN WHILE AT HOME TO MAINTAIN UR GUT HEALTH

1. Eat clean and be healthy
2. Indulge in Fibrous foods like fruits and nuts rather than going to biscuits and more junk foods.
3. Move your body for at least 1-1.5 km a day or 10-15 mins in a day to keep a healthy lifestyle. 
4. Breathing exercises should be done on the daily basis. These exercises will help in increasing the movement and flexibility of the muscles around the lungs thus increasing the breathing capabilities and hence overcoming the oxygen requirements of the body. 
5. Inculcate the habit of drinking homemade ‘kadha’ including clove, cinnamon, cardamom and raw turmeric in our life because our body needs immunity and health not just against COVID but to many more diseases.
6. End up your day with turmeric cardamom milk. 

These are some lifestyle changes that I always suggest to be inculcated in our daily lives. 

The need of the hour is to keep a healthy lifestyle to have a healthy gut and stay healthy.