Five reasons why it’s important to look after your gut health

Supporting your gut health is key to transforming your overall health and wellbeing. Good gut health is linked to everything from supporting your immunity and better skin health, to better mood and, of course, combatting niggling gut symptoms. 
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Five reasons why it’s important to look after your gut: 

1. Digestion: To enjoy your food without the discomfort
2. Female intimate health: To support a balanced and healthy vaginal and bladder environment
3. Inflammation and pain: To reduce risk of inflammation in other seemingly unconnected parts of the body such as the joints, skin and bladder.
4. Immunity: To balance your immune response so you’re less reactive to foods
5. Mood and mental wellbeing: To support your gut–brain axis and minimise the impact of stress on the gut microbiome. 

1. Digestion

Digestive symptoms including gas, bloating, diarrhoea, acid reflux, constipation and irritable bowel syndrome are common but, in excess, are not normal or something you have to live with. And popping a pill will only mask annoying symptoms temporarily. 

As a nutritionist, I apply the 5R protocol (based on Functional Medicine) in my online clinic to determine what might be causing your symptoms.  

This takes you on a clear 5-step gut healing journey where we: rethink, replace, repair, replenish and rebalance your gut. 
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To find out more, check out my upcoming 5-week online group programme: “Ease your Gut: Beat the Bloat”, starting on 5th March.

​Prefer to get to the heart of the issue straight away? You'll find out more about my 90-Day 1-2-1 Gut Health Programme here. 

2. Female intimate health

The vagina and bladder have their own distinct bacteria and yeasts. Imbalances in these can cause issues such as thrush, bacterial vaginosis, and general itching and discomfort in the vagina, and increase the risk of issues such as recurring urinary tract infections or cystitis, an overactive bladder, and interstitial cystitis in the bladder. 

When considering bladder and vaginal health, it is particularly important to consider cross-contamination by our gut bacteria, especially if we have digestive symptoms or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). 
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If you experience recurring vaginal or bladder symptoms despite getting the all clear from your doctor, supporting your gut health could be an important step in resolving these issues.

3. Inflammation and pain ​

Poor gut health could lead to systemic inflammation due to “leaky gut” or “gut permeability”. This may affect people differently: for some this could be achy, inflamed joints, for others it could be brain fog and an inability to think clearly. 

4. Immunity

A huge chunk of our immune system resides in the gut (approximately 80%!). Ensuring a healthy digestive system helps support the immune system and reduces our risk of food sensitivities. 

Poor gut-immune health can also increase the risk of skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis, hives and acne due to a “leaky gut” and inflammation. 

Making certain dietary changes to support a healthy gut lining reduces the risk of “leaky gut” and supports a balanced immune system. This is one of the key areas we cover in detail on my Ease your Gut, Beat the Bloat online group programme.

5. Mood and mental wellbeing

Our gut bacteria help make neurotransmitters, chemical messengers that regulate our mood. High stress interferes with our body’s ability to process food properly and interferes with this gut-brain communication. 

During my 5-week online group programme, I share my top tips on how to support this gut-brain communication and introduce you to diet and lifestyle tips that will reduce the negative impact of stress on your gut. 

Find out more about the Ease your Gut, Beat the Bloat online programme here. We're kicking things off on Friday 5th March.