Quick Facts: Gut Health
At Taproot Energetics, gut health is one of our passions and driving inspirations. We truly believe that health begins and unravels with the gut. In addition to our lengthier articles on gut health, we wanted to offer a quick read so you can sink your teeth into the basics.
What the gut microbiota thrive on:
- High fiber diet – fiber is their food
- Resistant starches – very green banana or plantain, cooked and cooled potato (eat cool), cassava
- Primarily alkaline diet
- Effective daily stress management practices
- Neither over or under eating
What negatively impacts our healthy flora:
- Sugar
- Chemicals (artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, preservatives)
- Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides
- GMO foods
- Prescription medications
- Antibiotics (prescribed or in foods such as conventional, feedlot animals)
- NSAIDS (acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen)
- Highly acid producing diet
- Processed foods
Gut Health and YOU
- 70-80% of serotonin is created in the gut
- 80-90% of our immune system is in our gut, by way of our gut bacteria and the GALT
- Our mucosal membrane and gut microbiome and integrity are impacted by diet, sleep and stress. This can contribute positively toward our health or lead to leaky gut, food sensitivities and autoimmune conditions.
- Our gut bacteria synthesize Vitamin K, short chain fatty acids and all B vitamins including B6 and B12.
- There are more nerve endings in the gut than in the spine.
- There are established connections between the gut microbiome and anxiety, depression, ADD, ADHD, OCD, obesity, diabetes, all autoimmune illnesses, all GI imbalances, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Dementia. The numbers of people affected with these illnesses in the US alone is staggering.
- More and more there is a thought process that many mental health issues are symptoms of neuroinflammation that is actually linked to the integrity and health of the gut.
- Our gut is how we are able to live or not live. There are 10 trillion human cells in the body and 120 trillion bacteria. We live in symbiosis with them. Their balance in our body and within our digestive system determines if we are able to get the nutrients out of our food, whether our immune system is upregulated or functioning well, the integrity of our mucosal membranes, our neurotransmitter and hormone secretion, all the way to how we metabolize the foods we eat and foods we crave depending on which strains are prevalent.