According to WebMD the state of one’s gut health has an effect on the entire body especially your kidneys, heart, brain function and even contributes to obesity.
Lifestyle and Tech reached out to the Gut Health Association of SA and had a chat with co-founder, Bronwen De Paggio to share with our readers about the importance of the gut and why it’s urgent we do something about it sooner rather than later.
- How did you get into the space of specialising in healing the gut and educating people about it?
In 2011 my daughter, then a teenager was suffering with what we now call Irritable-Bowel-Syndrome (IBS). Her symptoms kept getting worse despite us following advice from doctors and taking medication as prescribed. We needed to find the root of the problem, not put band-aids on the results of the problem. Seeing her suffer gave me the drive I needed to find out as much as possible about how the gut works and what causes IBS. This led me to a discovery of the amazing world of gut microbes and I learnt the importance of the role of our gut bacteria also known as probiotics and that they are necessary for gut health.
- Why is the importance of gut health underrated by health practitioners, yet science is increasingly proving that it’s the cause of most diseases?
Doctors are trained to deal with the result of illness, they are not trained to prevent it. They focus on the symptoms instead of the root cause and how to support the body and prevent illness. It is equally concerning that the western approach to healing doesn’t put emphasis on the importance of the quality of food as the primary of source of energy, with little or no education that what we put in our mouths is one the leading causes of illnesses. The importance of our gut microbiome (the world of tiny little microorganisms that live in our gut) in reducing inflammation and making vital nutrients are relatively new science that many doctors may not yet have embraced.
Our immune system is primarily housed in the gut. If we’re eating foods that are harmful to the gut – causing inflammation and the immune system to go on high alert, then we have a problem. One that in many cases may lead to auto-immune conditions as the immune system keeps looking for something to ‘fight’ with.
- Which foods damage the gut the most?
For many people wheat (gluten) is the main culprit, followed by refined sugar and processed dairy. If you have gut issues, inflammation in the body or an auto-immune, it would be beneficial to remove these from the diet. Also remember that having the right balance of microbes (good bacteria) is also crucial to the gut working properly.
Why is wheat and gluten the main culprit after generations of us eating bread with no issues – you may be wondering? Over time, wheat seeds have been modified to produce super crops. This modification has made the gluten protein too complex, and our gut can no longer tolerate it, i.e., doesn’t have capacity to process it.
- What are the main symptoms of an unhealthy gut?
Instead of calling it an unhealthy gut, let’s call it an unbalanced gut microbiome. Most illnesses, diseases and health issues start in the gut. These same gut bacteria also protect the lining of the intestine and reduce inflammation. Symptoms of an unbalanced gut microbiome include allergies, constipation or diarrhoea, skin conditions, painful joints, brain fog, chronic bladder infections, female and pelvic issues like fibroids, leaky gut, crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, anxiety and many more.
- What is the link between gut health and depression?
Depression and anxiety can be caused by the gut. The microbes in the gut work together with the neurons in the lining of the gut to produce 85% of the serotonin in the body. Having too little or no good gut bacteria is a problem as your gut has many neurons responsible for producing neurotransmitters. In fact, there is more communication from the gut to the brain, than from the brain to the gut. The neurons work together with the gut bacteria and for part of this vital communication necessary for the healthier functioning of the brain and the body.
- And then there’s increasing talk of a leaky gut – what exactly does this mean and what causes it?
Leaky gut can occur when the lining of the intestine becomes inflamed or when the bacteria die and are no longer there to protect the lining. The lining of the gut is less than a hair thick. It relies on the microbes housed in a thick mucus lining to protect it, to break down food, to keep things moving and to hold water for processing. When the microbes die off through exposure to environmental toxins, antibiotics, unhealthy diet and stress, the lining becomes compromised and over time undigested food leaks through into the blood vessels of your immune system which run right next to the lining. This causes a panic in the immune system as the gut is supposed to be sealed off. A leaky gut can also cause major problems in the pelvic area as stomach contents leak into the pelvic bowl building up and causing inflammatory disorders.
- It’s holiday time – food and drink are in abundance. Please share some tips with Lifestyle and Tech readers – how to minimise damage on the gut during this time.
Balance is key. Support your body with foods and drinks that are beneficial to your body. Add good probiotics in by using fermented foods and drinks like kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut which are available at pro health and organic stores such as Wellness Warehouse, Dischem and Jackson’s Real Food Market.
Equally important is drinking enough ‘good’ water to hydrate and remove all the extra toxins. Eat as many veggies as possible followed by fruit. Avoid or reduce processed sugar and carbohydrates when possible and if you do indulge help your body to process these by eating healthy the next day.
If you are someone who really suffers from the effects of holiday foods, plan your meals. Take substitutes with you. There are amazing health deserts and snacks and many of the big retailers now have gluten free, low sugar alternatives available.
- Is there anything else you feel is important to share?
Your gut is probably the most important part of your body and the one you have the most influence over. Learn about it, understand how it works. More importantly, nurture it proactively – don’t wait till you are put on chronic medication – as the saying goes, ‘Prevention is always better than cure’.
If you’d like to get on a journey of repairing your gut, the Gut Health Association of SA is accessible to answer any of your questions.
Bronwen De Paggio is the co-founder of Gut Health Association of SA and qualified gut health and wellness advisor. She has worked in the wellness arena for nine years. She consults on getting the body restored through rebalancing and seeding the gut with nutrition – bringing it to its healthy state. Her mission is freeing from chronic illnesses.
Tags: Just life : WebMD : Gut Health Association of SA