How Gut Health Affects Overall Health
The large intestine is a powerhouse of the body. It not only provides fuel from food digestion, but also influences many bodily processes from head to toe.
If the bowel is not healthy, it affects the whole body. Lifestyle choices have a decisive influence on whether the colon is functioning well or not.
In this modern era with the oversupply of industrially manufactured foods and a plethora of harmful environmental influences, it's not always easy to keep the intestines healthy. However, there are still effective measures you can take to maintain intestinal health.
Other than the skin, the colon is our largest contact area with the world around us. Everything that we ingest, whether liquid or solid, whether nutritious or toxic, goes into the mouth and esophagus, down to the stomach and finally into the intestines.
The digestive system is responsible for processing at least 20 tons of food and around 60,000 liters of fluid in the course of a human lifetime. 1 Primarily in the colon, there are literally trillions of beneficial microorganisms there that ensure the vital nutrients in our food get absorbed.
Together, these intestinal bacteria form the intestinal flora, which in technical jargon are called the intestinal microbiota. Any unusable substances get bypassed, so they are largely excreted via the anus as the stool.
Any toxic substances that are remaining get sent to the liver's “detoxification center” via the small intestine and the portal vein where they are broken down. This is the ideal way in which digestion functions - unless, of course, there are problems that the intestines and liver have to cope with.
Suboptimal eating habits (such as too much sugar and processed foods), harmful environmental influences, and even medications (e.g. antibiotics) can reduce a purring intestinal motor into a sputtering junk box.2
Why do we need a healthy intestinal flora?
Research shows that maintaining healthy populations of "friendly bacteria" is important to many aspects of health.3 Some of the important roles that these intestinal microorganisms play include:
- To protect the sensitive intestinal mucous membranes and prevent the formation of openings in the intestinal walls. This would allow harmful substances from food to penetrate directly into the bloodstream.
- For the rapid processing of food pulp so that all nutrients can be filtered out and the toxins removed from the body.
- For the improved absorption of vitamins and minerals that keep us vital and active.
- For the production of various amino acids and essential fatty acids that cannot be ingested with food, which is required to protect every single cell in the body. For example, the short-chain fatty acids that are crucial to the body are formed almost exclusively through fermentation processes in our intestinal bacteria .
- For cleaning the intestines. A sure-fire way to rid the intestinal villi of putrefying and fermenting residues is to supply as many active intestinal bacteria as possible, such as lactobacilli, enterococci and bifidobacteria.
Steps For Maintaining Intestinal Health
Not all environmental influences (such as noise or exhaust fumes) can be avoided that easily today. However, one thing that anyone can do in order to have a positive impact on the health of the intestine is adopting healthier lifestyle choices.
As long as you maintain a nutritious diet, avoid constant stress, exercise regularly and refrain from smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, then the intestines and their bacterial inhabitants function very well. Annoying conditions such as constipation, diarrhea and flatulence are then rarely an issue.
Practicing some form of colon cleansing is also greatly beneficial. This can be accomplished by colonics, enemas, or cleansing supplements (see below).
Colon Cleansing Supplements
There is a common misconception that dieting and gut health are exclusive. This couldn't be further from the truth as there has been an increase in people who have turned to colon cleansing supplements for both detoxification purposes or weight loss goals, with no need of lifestyle changes.
All-natural colon-cleansing supplements will relieve the delicate lining of the digestive tract with the use of herbs and other nourishing ingredients to minimize inflammation and gently scrub intestinal walls. And although these products are often formulated with laxatives, they are gentle on the system, consisting of things like psyllium husk, magnesium, and other natural substances that won't upset the delicate equilibrium of the intestinal microflora.
Whether you're looking into it because your digestive system isn't working optimally or just trying to shed some excess pounds before summer hits, these products will help get you on the right track.
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