Immunity and Gut Health

Hi friends! Right now, more than ever, is a time to focus on reaching your optimal health.  We’re faced with COVID-19 24/7, whether it’s on the news, social media, talking to friends, family, coworkers, etc. We are drowning in a surplus of information on this nasty virus that is keeping us homebound. I realize it sucks but remember that we are all in this together.  Right now, we need to choose to reset, learn, grow, and create.

Learn more about your health, explore healthier habits, design something, try a new recipe, start an exercise routine, pray more, meditate more, be more present with yourself and family, play games, take a long walk… whatever you do, try to overcome the loss with focusing on opportunities to grow. We can’t possibly move forward if we drown in our sorrows. We can and we will overcome this.

So, maybe you’ve come here to tap into your curiosity of adopting some healthy habits. If so, you are in the right place and congrats for making moves!

Gut health is a topic that has received a lot of attention in the recent years.  When I talk about gut health, I’m talking about all the bacterial cells in our intestinal tract.  You might have also heard the term, microbiome or gut flora. We have more bacterial cells in our gut than we do human cells in our body. That’s 100+ trillion bacterial cells! The gut comprises 70% of our immune system. So, what can you do to help keep your gut happy?

Consume a diet rich in prebiotics and probiotics. Probiotics are good bacteria that create a healthy and diverse gut flora. This includes:

• kefir, plain yogurt, tempeh, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, kombucha tea and more. You can buy these in the store or make at home. Check my website for recipes.

Prebiotics are the foods that fuel the good bacteria. This includes:

• fresh fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich foods.

When we fill our gut with wholesome foods, we avoid dysbiosis or an overgrowth of the bad bacteria. If you have stomach upset, reflux, indigestions, gas, bloating, and other GI issues, think dysbiosis.  An overabundance of “bad” inflammatory bacteria, virus, parasite, or too much yeast (Candida) can lead to dysbiosis. Sometimes doctors treat patients with antibiotics which can kill the bad bacteria but also the good bacteria. It can take some time to recover your gut flora after a round of antibiotics so it’s best to have your diet rich with probiotics and prebiotics.

Water is also essential to keeping your immune system roaring.  A sufficient water intake helps to maintain optimal organ function and flushes toxins out. If your body is not properly hydrated, your body can pull water from your intestinal tract to use for organ function. This can lead to severe dehydration and cause GI distress.

The recommendation is to drink half your weight in ounces per day.

• Example: if you weigh 150lbs, you should be consuming 75oz. of pure water daily.

Cheers to a happy healthy and hydrated gut!