Fix your gut, fix your health- are you taking care of your ‘second brain’?

The gastrointestinal system comprises ~75% of the body’s immune system and is the only organ in the body that has its own independently operating part of the nervous system, called the ‘enteric’ nervous system. A properly functioning GI tract is critical for health and well-being, but yet it’s often treated like Cinderella, the unwanted stepchild, unappreciated, and ignored.

Now I know what you’re thinking Karen

“I just need to pop a probiotic”

Ehh… IDK about that.

That could help, but it’s not going to be the end all be all especially if you have disordered eating habits and the truth is.. popping a random strain of a probiotic may not do anything for you!!

"Ok. So wtf is a 'Probiotic'?"

I'm getting there Karen, chill...

Pre/Probiotics are "food" for the microorganisms in our gut, they’re non-digestible substances that promote microbiome diversity and stimulate metabolic activity.

You can start optimizing your gut health by consuming foods with naturally occurring pre/probiotics (e.g. green bananas 🍌[rich in resistant starch] kimchi, yogurt 🍦, kombucha 🍵, asparagus, dark chocolate 🍫) and building structure with your nutrition. 🍔🥗

By tapping into how are gut ‘feels’ after we consume a given a meal we’ll be in a better position to optimize our digestive health- this can improve our body’s ability to eliminate toxins from the body, decrease inflammation and reduce the growth of disease-causing bacteria. It can also improve our ability to absorb nutrients and minerals from our food which minimizes risk of nutrient deficiencies.

There’s so much interesting STUFF about the gut I could literally keep going for days, but I’ll spare you today Karen- Instead, I encourage you to give our episode a listen.