Gut Health
Why Does Gut Matter And How Does It Affect Your Health And Wellbeing?
If you are looking for ways to support your body’s ability to function effectively then nourishing your gut becomes important. We have all heard about challenges that happen because of how we digest food however gut can have an impact on your health and overall wellbeing.
Inside your intestines that contribute to digestion, are trillions of micro-organisms including bacteria, fungi, and viruses referred to as microbes which form an ecosystem within the body called gut microbiome or gut flora. There is a variety of reasons why we need to care about our gut health and gut microbiome. Firstly, these trillions of microbes play an important role as they produce hormones and vitamins that are important for our survival.
Secondly, the majority of cells that comprise our immune system are found in the digestive tract. When the body does not have the right balance of bacteria, certain organisms can grow out of control, impacting on fungal and other infections. Thus, a healthy gut microbiome is vital to the training of your immune system so how healthy your gut flora is indicates how healthy your immune system will be. When there is high richness and diversity of the microbes in your gut, your immune system is stronger and more stable. Research has shown that the composition of gut bacteria can indicate a risk of chronic diseases.
How Can You Improve Gut Health?
Diet has a huge impact on gut health as the microbes rely on what we feed them. There are foods that can reduce the microbe diversity such as sugars, sweeteners, foods containing antibiotics or fried foods among others.
Start by eating a nutritious diet high in fiber-rich foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fermented foods. Diets that are high in fat and sugar and low in fiber can kill certain types of gut bacteria, making your microbiota less diverse.
Reduce the use of antibiotics, which can reduce the healthy bacteria and only take them when necessary and as determined by your doctor.
Taking probiotics that include good bacteria have many benefits and help restore the natural balance of gut bacteria.
Exercise can also promote the growth of a variety of gut bacteria. Additionally, a high quality of sleep, reducing your stress levels can also affect the microbiome so it’s important to look at your lifestyle and wellbeing. Having a more varied gut microbiota may promote better health and, in turn, reduce your risk of disease.
Probiotics: What Are They And What Are The Benefits On The Gut’s Health?
Probiotics are combination of live, good bacteria and/or yeasts that live inside your body. When bad bacteria are more you might experience stomach bloating, trapped wind, or those bacteria might contribute to long term conditions that involve inflammation of the gut such as celiac diseases, IBS, IBD, Ulcerative Colitis or Chron’s disease.
The main job of probiotics, or good bacteria, is to maintain a healthy balance in your gut and help you reduce digestive discomfort. It’s like keeping your body in neutral. When more bad bacteria go into your body and increase in number your body is taken out of balance. Good bacteria work to fight off the bad bacteria and restore the balance within your body, making you feel better.
But apart from keeping the bad bacteria getting out of control probiotics help you digest food, create vitamins and break down medication. A lot of probiotic supplements however are proven not to survive the stomach acid in the gut making them ineffective
How Does VSL#3 Feed The Good Bacteria And Contributes To A Healthy Gut?
VSL#3 does more than a probiotic can do and its formulation is backed up by scientific research. VSL#3 is an especially concentrated poly-biotic with 450 billion bacteria in every sachet to colonise in your gut and ensure that they will survive the harsh conditions of the stomach. The general rule is that a diverse microbiota is thought to be a healthy one. The reason being is that the more species or strains of bacteria the greater the number of health benefits and that is what makes VSL#3 stand out as it is delivering 450 billion bacteria across eight different strains in every dose which is much higher levels that any other leading brands.