We have all seen adverts promoting digestive health but what does it mean to have good gut health and how can we improve it?

Dr Enam Abood explains that ‘the state of our gut impacts our mood, energy levels, and state of mind. If the gut is inflamed or not functioning properly, it makes the absorption of nutrients difficult.’

A healthy gut means that the food we eat is properly absorbed into our bodies. Our digestive system begins with our stomach and the real action happens in our intestines. Our guts contain over a trillion tiny microorganisms that are a combination of good and bad bacteria. The goal is to have the right balance.

What happens if our gut health balance is disturbed?

It can affect your metabolism and digestion. As a result, this can contribute to many conditions from which we could suffer, such as irritable bowel symptoms (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), infectious diarrhoea, or diarrhoea caused by antibiotics are just a few of the health issues related to our gut. And we are learning more about the wider implications of poor gut health from its connection to mental health, to Alzheimer’s, vitality and tiredness, skin health, immunity, cancer prevention and much more. It’s a fascinating area of medicine that few doctors have to date taken seriously.

Dr Abood, our Head Doctor who specialises in gut health and chronic conditions, explains,

“Too often, patients with chronic gastric or vague symptoms are not taken seriously by doctors and the medical establishment, many of whom are not interested in the nutritional aspects of health ranging from food intolerance to poor gut health. Over the last 20 years, I have seen multiple patients who suffer from overgrowth of yeast in the gut causing what is essentially a low-level constant hangover. They feel chronically tired, bloated, mentally foggy and unwell. This is so easily treated with a change of diet and anti-fungal treatment, but they have lived this way for years because of the limited viewpoints of many doctors. Luckily, doctors are getting more savvy, but we still have a long way to go.”

Dr Abood’s top tips to improve gut health

Take probiotics daily

Taking daily probiotics (20 or 50 billion count capsules) can help boost your immunity, maintain the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut and boost vitality. These are especially important if other things have knocked your immunity such as stress, a recent illness, or if you have taken antibiotics which can wreak havoc with your gut bacteria balance.

Make sure you’re eating enough fibre

Fibre goes hand in hand with our digestive system. Our bodies love it because it literally feeds the good bacteria in our guts and helps them to thrive. It also aids the body with getting rid of toxins. Vegetables are a good source of fibre, especially when you eat the skins.

Avoid the foods that cause inflammation

Processed foods and refined sugars are known to increase inflammation of the gut, causing poor absorption of nutrients and affecting good bacteria. In addition, 70% of the world’s population is lactose intolerant and dairy affects them in the same way, by causing gut inflammation and a wide range of symptoms including bloating, diarrhoea, but also aches and pains and tiredness.

Lastly, food intolerance can be found in the most unexpected places. Did you know many people are intolerant to fructose, the sugar found in fruit? That’s really mind-boggling considering how it’s drummed into us that fruit is good for us but for many, it can be the cause of multiple symptoms and affect good gut health.

Pay attention to what you are eating and how it makes you feel. You might consider trying a food diary or elimination diet. Testing is available for both lactose intolerance and fructose intolerance at our clinic if you want a definitive answer.

Manage your stress

When we are stressed out, it causes our good bacteria to become less effective. It disrupts the balance between the good and bad bacteria. Dr Ali Shakir, our resident psychotherapist gives regular tips on stress, so look out our for his videos and blog posts.

Taking better care of our gut health can lead to a happier and healthier life. We hope you can use these tips to help manage your gut health. But if you do have any concerns, the first step is to discuss them with someone knowledgeable. You can make an appointment with one of our GPs at the time that suits you, or book in with Dr Enam Abood for a full assessment.