PROBOTICS - THEIR ROLE IN SUPPORTING OUR HEALTH

In recent years there has been a lot of conversation about the gut flora and this thing called the gut brain connection. Never before have people been so concerned about the trillions of bacteria that reside in our gut. The trillions of bacteria inside your body make up your microbiome. A majority of these bacteria reside in your gut and are referred to as the gut microbiota.

Pre-existing science used to think the gut had but one single purpose, to break down our food into fuel for our body. This is no longer the case.  In the past few years science has discovered that the gut plays a vital role in our psychology, in regulating inflammation, and in protecting immunity.

The gut microbiota plays a major role in our psychology through the 100 million nerves that line the gut called.  This neurological superhighway is called the enteric nervous system (ENS).  This system allows the brain and the gut to communicate through a series of hormones, neurotransmitters, and electrical pulses. The pathways of nerves that these two organs communicate through include endocrine, immune, and neural pathways. The discovery of the connection between the gut and the brain explains why emotions and psychological factors can show up in the stomach.

 Related: The Gut Microbiome? How Does It Affect Our Health.

Just as we might take care of the brain by eating antioxidants and omega-3, we should take the same precautions for the stomach. How? By introducing adequate amounts of live microorganisms into our system that incur health benefits on the host, also known as Probiotics. 

3 THINGS THAT WRECK YOUR GUT HEALTH

He famously helped Gwyneth Paltrow rethink her eating habits, so it was no surprise to see heart surgeon Steven Gundry, MD, onstage at the Goop conference over the weekend. And along with admitting that he usually skips breakfast—which is crazy when you think there are coffee-avocado smoothies to be had—the renowned doctor also talked gut health. (We’re listening…)

Dr. Gundry says that finding the right bloat-free balance may be as simple as eliminating some common drugs and foods that “wreck” (his word!) your stomach. “It’s not what I tell you to eat, it’s what I tell you not to eat,” he says.

FERMETED DRINKS TO KEEP YOUR GUT HAPPY.

You know the drill. Sunday fear becomes Monday blues becomes a slow start to another week that you’re not really feeling. 

If that’s a cycle you want to break, hitting up a healthier life is the best way to a zippier you. And recent scientific research suggests that one way of contributing to a holistically balanced body lies in getting your gut in a good place.   

6 Reasons To Eat More Nuts

Nuts are great. There, we said it.

Not only are they a far better alternative to biscuits when you get your mid-morning hunger pangs, but they also work wonders for health.

Don’t believe us? Here are six scientifically-backed benefits to eating them regularly. 

They could help you live longer.

Eating a handful of nuts a day keeps the doctor away - and might help you live longer, according to two long-running Harvard studies.

“We found that people who ate nuts every day lived longer, healthier lives than people who didn’t eat nuts,” said study co-author Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The report showed that daily nut-eaters were less likely to die of cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease.

Overall, the daily nut-eaters were 20% less likely to have died during the course of the study than those who avoided nuts. (Peanuts, which are actually legumes, counted as nuts in this study).

Could Your Gut Health Affect Your Sleep?

Almost 60 million Americans spend their nights in fitful slumber; tossing and turning, wrestling with the need to get to sleep, and yet torturously being unable to do so.

We all know those nights when no amount of counting sheep will work and each hour stretches by with increasing frustration.

Yet there are many options to help you sleep better, ranging from meditation to aromatherapy. But what if the solution was actually in your gut of all places?  

 

Tell Me About The Sleep-Gut Connection! 

Believe it or not, what’s happening in your belly right now will play a factor in how well you sleep tonight. 

Why? Because the gut influences our brain, and the brain regulates our sleep.

Previously, it was thought that the gut simply oversaw the digestion of our food. As it  turns out, our gut does a whole lot more than digestion. 

Our gut actually has a profound impact on many neurological functions. In fact, your gut contains so much neural tissue that it has been called ‘the second brain’. 

Furthermore, our gut plays host to over 30 types of neurotransmitters (like the ones found in your brain). The gut also contains 100 million neurons, which is higher than the amount found in our spinal cord! And if you need more proof of your gut’s brain-like properties, at least 95% of serotonin - an important neurotransmitter for cognitive function - is produced in your gut! Whoa, right?