Gut Health!We’ve all heard these buzzwords urging us to take a look at the health of our digestive system. But it’s not all Probiotics and kombucha! Gut health is being linked to so much more than just overall digestion these days. We now know that there a link between gut health and brain health, maybe you have heard of the Gut-Brain Axis?
A prime example of this connection is where serotonin comes from. Although it’s responsible for mood regulation, 90% of your serotonin is actually created in the gut?! Not the brain! The gut microbiota have a direct communication line, firing signals between these systems. This Gut-Brain axis takes the part of our nervous system that is responsible for our ability to learn, reason and listen, and links it with the emotional or feeling center of the brain.
Since the spinal cord is the road on which they travel, chiropractic adjustments can be important in ensuring that the highway of communication is clear. Adjustments are very effective at taking pressure off of nerves. Think of it this way, if the road to your house was poorly maintained and riddled with potholes, it would take you much longer to get there than if it was newly paved. Well, same with the signals being sent from gut to brain, the smoother the connection the more likely they are to get where they need to go! Leave the adjustments to us, in the meantime here are some other steps you can take to improve your gut health!
Probiotic supplements: while these can be a great addition to your health regimen, they are not a fix all pill. If you have poor eating habits and are taking probiotics to make up for it, you aren’t really doing anything at all. You still have to do the work! Those little bugs in your gut need plenty of fiber to thrive, especially PREbiotic fiber which can be found in dandelion greens, raw garlic, leeks, asparagus and parsnips amongst many others.
Include fermented foods daily: the choices are endless! Kefir (dairy or water based) Kombucha, yogurt, Kvass, kimchi and sauerkraut! (No, beer doesn’t count!) try treating these like a condiment, a little dab with each meal will do ya!
Bone broth: helps strengthen the large and small intestinal lining
By Gabriella Gonzalez