When it comes to gut health, there is a list of common terms you may see and hear and think “what does that mean?” This article is a crash course in what you need to know about your gut and what can make (or not make) it healthy. Here are 5 important facts you need to know about your gut:
- We are basically walking bacteria
Our “gut” is another name for our digestive tract. The inside of our gut has over 100 trillion bacteria. We have more bacteria inside our gut than we have cells in our entire body! We call our gut a microbiome because it’s where all that amazing bacteria call home. These bacteria are vital to our good health and keeping them balanced and happy is key.
While our gut bacteria are busy feeding on dietary fiber, they also are hard at work helping our bodies by making vitamins, suppressing the growth of unhealthy microorganisms, and breaking down and fermenting our dietary fiber. Breaking down the fiber we consume releases beneficial, anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acids that become a critical source of energy for our bodies.
- Variety is vital
What does a healthy microbiome look like? Your microbiome is unique to you. The standard definition of a healthy microbiome is one that has a high level of diversity, or a multitude of different types of bacteria.
An unhealthy microbiome, or dysbiosis, is a change in the balance of bacteria that can result in fewer healthy microbes and an overgrowth of bad bacteria, creating a loss of diversity.
Microbial diversity is key and restoring this balance of bacteria cannot be achieved by any one single strain. To reset the delicate balance within our gut, we need to have a myriad of assorted bacterial strains to replenish and repair our gut.
- A balancing act
Making sure we have a high level of diversity within our gut is essential. When we have an imbalance, it can cause inflammation and a host of other GI issues. If there are more bad bacteria than good in our microbiome, the bad bacteria will consume all the vital nutrients that good bacteria need to survive. This dysbiosis can cause bowel issues, constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, bloating, and more!
Restoring harmony to our gut is critical- to do that we must eliminate some of the bad bacteria and increase the growth of good bacteria within our gut. Taking probiotic formulas with multiple strains are key. To jumpstart your digestive tract, adding our specific immunized egg powder IgY Max®, along with probiotics can help good bacteria flourish and create a healthy balance again. IgY Max provides passive immunity to the human microbiome.
- Guardians at the gate
Did you know that almost 80% of our immune system is in our gut? Our gut flora, or bacteria, acts as a gatekeeper working to keep the bad bacteria from getting into our system. When harmful bacteria do cross that line, our good bacteria send out an SOS for our immune system to take immediate action.
While our immune system is busy fighting off bad bacteria, it lowers our immune system’s ability to guard our bodies against invading viruses and other illnesses. We can support our weakened immune system by addressing the imbalance within our gut. IgY Max, specifically immunized egg powder helps support immunity, providing a needed addition to gut balance.
- Our gut instinct
We have a gut-brain connection made by an intricate network of neurons, chemicals, and hormones that consistently send feedback to our brain about what our body is experiencing. This feedback tells our brain if we are stressed, hungry, or have ingested harmful microbes. This connection between the gut and the brain is called the gut-brain axis and it enables the brain to know what’s going on in every part of our body.
The connection between the gut and brain is so important, that an imbalance in the gut can lead to conditions like mood and neurological disorders. Recent studies have shown that an imbalance in gut bacteria can even influence our behavior. One example is our gut microbes influencing our body’s level of the neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) serotonin, which controls our feelings of happiness.
Research is currently underway on how our gut flora affects our mood and may be linked with triggering depression. The key to truly helping our bodies feel their best is restoring balance within our gut. Taking multi-strain probiotics and IgY Max® is a healthy step in the right direction.
*Learn more about IgY Max® at https://igynutrition.com/
References:
https://chriskresser.com/9-steps-to-perfect-health-5-heal-your-gut/
http://drpassov.com/grow-thin-gut-bacteria-by-eating-more-veggies/
https://blumhealthmd.com/2017/06/17/what-is-dysbiosis/
http://breakingmuscle.com/health-medicine/5-quick-tips-for-healthy-gts-and-a-healthier-immune-system
http://www.foodrenegade.com/your-gut-understanding-the-keys-to-health/
