Happy Gut Healthy Body

Promoting and conserving good gut health is an important aspect of overall health, with the increased prevalence of disorders such as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), Lactose Intolerance, and Atopic allergies such as asthma and eczema we have come to realise the importance of creating a symbiotic environment within our guts. The gut which is also referred to as the digestive system or gastro intestinal tract, includes not only the large and small intestine, but also the mouth, stomach, rectum, and anus. So to put it politely our guts run from mouth to anus, which means that digestion begins in the mouth and continues all the way through the complete length of the gut.

The length of the entire digestive tract is roughly 9 meters (30 feet) harbouring an ecosystem of bacteria referred to as microflora, which all play a vital role in upholding not only the health but the functioning of the gut. It has a large blood supply allocated to it, ensuring that it receives the right nutrients to function as an organ that extracts nutrients from food for the enrichment and feeding of the rest of the body. This is why it is always important to pay close attention to ones bodily excretions as it can give clues as to the functioning capacity of the gut, even though many of us find this task some what repulsive.

The use of probiotic and prebiotic products as a commercial way for dairy companies to diversify their product lines into this niche market, has brought the importance of maintaining good gut health to the forefront of the public domain. Yet for many of us who do not suffer from gut irritations, these types of products have become part of our shopping list, as we are led to believe that topping up on good bacteria is beneficial to our health. However if diagnosed with or suffering from one of the many common gut disorders, then making this product part of your healthy eating plan is a requirement,  but if not then there is no real reason to be spending your hard earned cash on them.

Many are unaware of the differences between pro and prebiotics. Probiotics are defined as live microbial supplements that have beneficial effects improving gut microflora balance. They include bacteria such as Lactobacillus Plantarum, Acidophilis, and Casei, Bifidobacterium Bifidum and Longum as well as and E Coli. These bacteria already live happily within our gut and play a major role in  either inhibiting bad bacteria from binding to the wall of the large intestine (which is also known as the colon) by binding to the wall themselves, or they may bind directly to bad bacteria stopping them from binding to the wall of the colon. 

Yet have you ever wondered how these bacteria make it into the probiotic products that we purchase? As they are gut bacteria they have been harvested from the excrement of a healthy living human gut. Many of you may find this fact disgusting but many safety checks are carried out to ensure that the derived bacteria are non-pathogenic i.e. they do not have the capacity to induce illness.

Some probiotics are proficient in producing compounds that can breakdown the enzyme lactose in lactose intolerant individuals, and can also be found in foods such as some German beers and wine. That doesn’t mean you should have a glass of wine or a beer every night, rather look to provide your already happy gut bacteria with the correct foods. This is where prebiotics come in handy.

Prebiotics are foods usually carbohydrate based which promote the growth of good gut bacteria. Foods that are deemed to have prebiotic status are chicory root, Jerusalem artichokes, onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, wheat bran, wheat based products, natural yogurt and bananas. The inclusion of these foods within a healthy diet will provide the necessary nutrients to feed bacteria within the colon, allowing them to produce the essential compounds required to maintain its health, ensuring that there is a happy relationship between both good and bad bacteria. Therefore by consuming these foods there is no real reason to purchase manufactured probiotic based products to promote the growth of good gut bacteria if you are already feeding them with the correct nutrients from wholefoods to promote their growth.

So eat wholesome nutritious wholefoods, employ as much variation in your diet as possible, as this will preserve the harmony and symbiosis of the living organisms within your digestive tract,  that works so hard to keep us and our bodily functions in good working order.