Self-Care For Your Gut

Simply put, we are not floating heads.

How we care for our body plays a critical role in how we think and feel. And vice versa; how we manage our thoughts and emotions can significantly influence our digestive, immune and skin health.

While there is no one-size-fits-all strategy, research shows that starting with our gut microbiome is key, and every effort counts. From getting a good night's sleep and practising meditation, to staying hydrated and eating a variety of plant foods; our gut bugs can easily adapt to their ever-changing environment. In fact, studies show that changes in what we eat can induce rapid shifts to our gut microbiome, often within 24 hours.

Ever heard of the saying "it takes a village to raise a child"? Well the same goes for your gut, except the 'village' involves our environment and daily choices related to food, exercise, sleep, and stress management, just to name a few. All of these lifestyle factors ultimately shape the trillions of bacterial cells that make up our microbiome, and can cause microbiota shifts within just one hour.

Here are some of the most effective mind-body strategies for gut health:

1. Include Resistant Starch

Resistant starch travels undigested through to our large intestine, where it serves as a rich source of 'fuel' for our gut bugs. During this process, short chain fatty acids such as butyrate are released, increasing blood flow to our intestinal wall. This helps to reduce inflammation and enhance the absorption of important dietary minerals such as calcium and iron.

The best sources of resistant starch include: legumes (kidney beans, peas, lentils); under ripe bananas; cooked and cooled potato, pasta and rice; and pre-soaked rolled oats (e.g., Bircher muesli).

2. Stay Hydrated

Not only does drinking enough water support bowel movements, focus and exercise performance; but hydration has been proven to have a beneficial effect on the mucosal lining of the intestines, as well as supporting the balance of good bacteria in the gut.

As a rule of thumb, we require a baseline of 2.1L per day (for women aged > 18 years ), plus an additional 1L extra for every hour of exercise. This can also change based on the weather conditions (temperature, humidity), as well as your individual sweat rate.

Please consult your GP or Women's Health Physiotherapist if you have a medical condition that prevents you from meeting your daily fluid requirements.

3. Eat Leafy Greens

Interestingly, green leafy vegetables contain an abundance of the sugar sulfoquinovose, known as SQ for short. This is used as an energy source for good bacteria such as protective strains of E. coli. As the only 'sulfur-containing' sugar molecule, it releases sulfur into the microbiome, allowing it to be reused by other organisms to build proteins required for essential functions.

Additionally, the consumption of green leafy vegetables has been found to promote higher levels of optimism and self-efficacy, as well as reducing psychological distress, depressive symptoms and cancer fatalism. How magnificent is our gut-brain axis?!

4. Include Fermented Foods

Lacto-fermented foods such as sauerkraut, miso and kimchi contain naturally-occurring probiotic cultures that assist us in achieving a 'healthy' microbial balance. These beneficial bacteria have been shown to: mitigate IBS-related inflammation; promote microbial symbiosis; and provide neurotransmitters such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which attach to proteins to induce a calming effect.

5. Get a Good Night's Sleep

Sleep is essential for a number of physiological processes including: the release of hormones for growth and repair; consolidation of memory; relaxation of your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight); release of inflammation-fighting cytokines and more.

However, research shows that the diversity of our gut microbiome could be preventing us from getting a good night's sleep. It is evident that this is a two-way street though, with a recent study also suggesting that sleep can significantly influence the richness and diversity of Bacteroidetes, a bacterial species that assist in metabolising fat and keeping us lean.

6. Get Moving

Excessive exercise can damage our intestinal cells, leading to long term gastrointestinal complications. However, moderate-intensity exercise such as brisk walking and swimming can lead to favourable shifts in our gut microbiota, with several studies reporting that regular movement can increase the number of beneficial bacteria such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia hominis, and Akkermansia muciniphila.

Additionally, exercise can increase certain bacteria which produce the fatty acid butyrate, which can reduce inflammation and promote the repair of our gut lining.

"Sometimes it's the small things that make the big things count."