Importance Of Gut Healing For Immunity
Gut health is an extremely important but overlooked part of our health journey. They say 80% of our immunity lies in our gut. And rightly so! A healthy digestion process is the basis of our optimal health. If we go wrong here, it’s bound to show up in some way or the other on our health, especially the way our body protects itself and responds to external threats. Our gut is lined up with trillions of symbiotic bacteria that actually communicate with our immune cells and control our immunity. Sub-par gut health does not allow even the most nutritious food to get absorbed well and our immunity suffers as a result of it.
How do you know if your gut health is compromised? Well, if you suffer from constipation, bloating, acidity, have food allergies or autoimmune conditions, take antibiotics regularly, suffer from too much stress or fatigue or sinus infections and the like, know that your gut needs to be healed. The digestive symptoms are the first the body produces to warn us but more often than not, we ignore them. If we continue to ignore gut issues, sooner or later it snowballs and leads the body into an array of immunity-related issues like infections, allergies and affects even heart and brain health in some cases.
Healing the gut not only enhances your immunity but also increases your energy levels and makes you more equipped to handle physical and mental challenges with ease.
Here are some effective ways to heal your gut health:
1. Pay Attention to your motions – Constipation has become an epidemic of sorts and needs to be taken seriously. If you do not get easy motions within half an hour of getting up, you are constipated. Eating the right food helps, of course. Another thing you can try is the toilet stools available these days that provide the scientific advantage of Indian commodes with the convenience of western WCs.
2. Eat lots of raw fruits and veggies – Eating fruits and vegetables in their raw, wholesome form allows the inflammation in the gut to be healed. It also adds enough fiber to your diet which is of utmost importance in managing gut health and balancing the good bacteria. But it's important to know how to eat them correctly.
§ Fruits First – Always have fruits on an empty stomach or 3-4 hours after your meals. Fruits are the fastest to digest and if had after other food items that take longer to digest, fruits ferment and the sugars in the fruit do more bad than good. Fruits like banana, papaya, pineapple and mango help in the production of digestive enzymes that allow your food to be digested and assimilated well.
§ Salads with each meal – Make it a point to have salads before each meal. Your salads can contain a mix of vegetables, sprouts, leafy vegetables, nuts and seasonings. Avoid store-bought conventional dressings. Try to mix spices and herbs to concoct your own.
3. Stop eating foods that spell danger for your gut – Read refined flour, pasta and packaged foods like crackers, savouries, etc. These are not easy to digest and always leave residues that affect gut health. Choose from among the diverse range of whole grains, legumes and beans. Stock your pantry with healthier and better versions of snacks so that you are always equipped to manage your hunger intelligently.
4. Avoid white sugar and artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose and Acesulfame K. These are particularly responsible for causing an imbalance in the gut flora. Choose healthier alternatives like honey, jaggery, palm sugar, stevia, etc.
5. Add probiotics to your diet – Fermented foods like yoghurt, kimchi, kefir, miso help in increasing your intake of digestive enzymes and healthy bacteria. Just make sure it is raw or unpasteurised, else it is of no use. Also, do not overdo.
6. Manage your stress and sleep well – Well, it sounds like typical advice, but when it comes to our immunity and digestive health, it is a huge one. Our digestion is completely disrupted and our enzymes go haywire when we are stressed out or when we compromise on sleep. I can't stress enough on the importance of managing these two for lifelong health and immunity. Use stress relaxation techniques or take up any form of practice that teaches you to respond (not react!) better to the daily stressors of life. It could be meditation, journaling, dance, anything!
7. Reduce dependence on pills – These days, we are programmed to just pop pills and antibiotics at the slightest inconvenience. This is a dangerous habit and gives away the control of our health to things outside our control while also increasing the body’s resistance to them. Learn to read your body’s signals well and take them only when absolutely necessary.
