We are well into the swing of the new year now. February is a month that usually sees a continuation of the goals that have been set and healthy habits that have been put into place for the year ahead in the quest for greater health. So, this month we will focus on overall health and wellbeing.
What exactly does health and wellbeing mean?
Well, it can mean many things, such as a healthy diet and lifestyle, positive mindset, a good support network, spiritual faith/beliefs etc. but as we are all becoming more and more aware, good health begins with gut health. The human diet underpins optimal health and wellbeing; therefore, it is important to eat a well-balanced, broad range of fresh fruit and vegetables, lean protein, essential fatty acids and complex carbohydrates while minimising processed foods, sugar, refined carbohydrates and alcohol.
Gut Health
Maintaining the health of the gut microbiome is an important part of maintaining health and wellbeing. A diet filled with high fat, high sugar, processed foods, chemicals and toxins such as drugs and alcohol will ravage gut flora, directly impacting your health. However, there can often be food sensitivities or intolerances to seemingly healthy foods that can wreak havoc on our gut. Therefore, sometimes what is deemed healthy for one person, can be quite harmful for another. There are many people with sensitivities to common foods such as gluten, wheat, egg, dairy, sulphur, fructose etc. So, it is important to ascertain whether there are sensitivities or not by keeping a food diary or with a food sensitivity test, that your natural health practitioner can assist you with. Once you know which foods are potentially causing an issue, you can eliminate or rotate them.
Poor intestinal flora can give rise to many different disease states and conditions, including mood and neurological function. Research now suggests that the health of the gut can impact your mood greatly.
Fibre
Consuming foods that are high in fibre, both soluble and insoluble, is very important in maintaining a healthy gut. Fibre decreases bowel transit time, removes toxic waste quickly and efficiently, lowers cholesterol by binding to it and dragging it out of the system reducing the chance of it recycling back through the liver. It enables beneficial bacteria to feed, encouraging its growth, which is shown to reduce gastrointestinal issues such as bloating, flatulence, pain and discomfort. Reducing inflammation in the gut is important as it can cause damage to the intestinal lining, contributing to intestinal hyper-permeability. Incorporating plenty of foods that are high in resistance starch such as legumes, beans, cooked and cooled rice and potatoes, oats, green bananas, and lentils is important in the production of short chain fatty acids, encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria. While consuming fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut and kombucha will feed plenty of good bacteria into the gut to improve the overall health of the body.
Wonder Foods partially hydrolysed guar gum (PHGG) is a water-soluble prebiotic fibre that is derived from guar gum. The main prebiotic fibre found in guar gum is glucomannan, which is fermented by colonic bacteria, producing the short chain fatty acids. PHGG is gluten free, has no taste and easily dissolves in water, so it can be added to smoothies, cereal or used in baking.
Your gastrointestinal tract is also where most digestion and absorption of nutrients occurs. Taking aloe vera internally has shown to increase the bioavailability of certain vitamins by slowing the degradation of the vitamins. Aloe vera helps to nourish and soothe mucous membranes which is perfect for the gastrointestinal lining wall. It also supports healthy skin cells. Wonder Foods micro-distilled aloe vera is a wonderful addition to assist in the health and integrity of the gut.
Lastly, don’t forget to drink at least 8 glasses of water each day. Being dehydrated can leave you tired, lethargic and feeling hungry. Water is needed by every cell in the body; it is needed to transport nutrients around the body; for joint health and cushioning; for healthy, vibrant skin; for the maintenance and integrity of gastrointestinal mucosal lining; and nutrient absorption, just to name a few.
As simple as this is, it is amazing how many people forget to hydrate in their busy world.
