Gut health is an important, yet frequently overlooked, aspect of health and mental wellbeing. From governing mood to your body’s ability to process food, it influences everything from emotion to ability to perform physically. Here’s everything that you need to know about maintaining a healthy gut.

So, what is it? The gut, more specifically the gastrointestinal tract, is a complex set of organs located in your lower abdomen where it governs your ability to digest food. It houses a unique microbiome in which bacteria,  such as lactobacillus acidophilus,  thrives by breaking down food you ingest.  In the process of digesting food it affects our viral immunity, moods, endocrine disorders, skin condition, mental health and autoimmunity diseases. Maintaining a healthy gut is one of the simplest and easiest ways of staying both healthy and happy. 

What are the signs of an unhealthy gut?

Our lives aren’t built around good gut health. They are filled with stress, little sleep and high sugar, fat and caffeine. All these contribute to gut microbiome decline and make you feel worse. 

Signs of an unhealthy gut:

• Upset stomach, digestion issues. 
  A balanced gut digests food effectively, without complications. However, if bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, or heartburn occurs, then these are usually  a sign of an issue with the gut. 
• Sleep Trouble, Low Energy.
  Serotonin, the hormone that affects our mood and sleep, is produced in our gut. Gut damage inhibits the secretion of this invaluable hormone, resulting in poor sleep, low mood, and fatigue
• Weight Fluctuation.
  An affected gut impairs the body’s ability to store fat and regulate sugar. As a result, weight loss may be caused by small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), whilst weight gain may be a result of insulin resistance or the tendency to overeat due to lower nutrient absorption.

Good gut health:

The most significant step you can take to improving your gut health is to regularly consume food that is rich with nutrients that feed and care for your gut’s microbes. Typically these foods tend to be fermented and rich with prebiotic fibre. 

Fermentation, or Zymology to give it its technical term, converts carbohydrates into organic acids which assist your gut’s microbes in breaking down foodstuffs. 

Some great (and tasty) foods rich in these acids that you can add to your diet includes: Sourdough breads, kimchi, Miso paste, Kefir, Kombucha, olive oil and almonds. 

In addition to these, the addition of supplements such as Sun Chlorella to your diet can improve your gut health. 

Sun Chlorella has been proven to

• Strengthens and stimulate the immune system. This is due to it's high concentration of Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF), Zinc, and other essential vitamins and nutrients. 

• Binds with toxins circulating in the digestive tract. When chlorella is taken before, during or after meals can help bind and detox toxins, heavy metals or chemicals that may be present in the foods. This helps stop them being absorbed into your body. There is also some evidence to show that chlorophyll and other compounds in Chlorella algae work within the cells and tissues both directly and indirectly to expel toxins as well.

• Stimulates growth of friendly bacteria. Chlorella stimulates the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus, an important bacteria essential for maintaining a healthy intestinal tract. 

Maintaining a healthy gut is one art of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but it is no less vital. Take the time to understand your  body and how it affects you and you will see a change in both how you feel and how you perform day-to-day.