Why is everyone obsessed with gut health?

Maintaining the health of your gut can go a long way in helping the body function smoothly

A quick search of #guthealth on Instagram on any given day would reveal over four million posts, ranging from “how to improve a fatty liver” and “21 day fat burning smoothie diet challenge” to “spicy radish bombs and fermented carrot seabuckthorn jars” and “signs your colon needs support”. Quite a mouthful, don’t you think? If you’re one among those constantly scrolling through social media (who isn’t?), you’ve probably come across posts by influencers sharing hacks and tips to improve their gut health—everything from purple juices to taking shots of EVOO or aloe vera juice. Perhaps we were always obsessed with gut health—social media has simply helped catapult the topic into the spotlight. But what’s so special about the gut anyway?

The science behind it all

Turns out, we are what we eat, and the health of our gut affects both our physical and mental wellbeing. The gastrointestinal tract, colloquially called the gut, is probably the most hardworking element of the human body, and it is imperative to maintain its health for the rest of our organs to function smoothly. “From processing and digesting nutrients to modulating the health of the immune and nervous systems, the gut plays a bigger role than we think,” says Dr Uma Naidoo, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist, author, nutrition expert and director of Nutritional and Metabolic Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). That ‘gut feeling,’ or ‘butterflies in our tummy’ is reflected by the state of our minds—there is a scientific reasoning behind it. The gut and the brain are derived from the same cells in the embryo, and are inextricably connected by the vagus nerve with each other. There is constant communication between the two. Our gut’s health can have a big impact on the state of our mind, and vice versa. But that’s only a fun fact about the gut—it really is a world of its own.

The gut is where over 39 trillion microbes thrive. “These bacteria naturally reside there and perform a variety of important functions for our digestion, immunity, cell growth, biochemical production, vitamin production, hormone regulation, management of sleep and circadian rhythm (the body’s internal clock) and regulation of conditions like mood and anxiety,” says Naidoo. When we include the genetic material, this group of bacteria is called the gut microbiome. Its health decides our mood, appetite and cravings. These tiny little bacteria—invisible to the naked eye—can generate all the same neurotransmitters which govern mood and cognition in the brain, too. It’s important to feed this thriving community in order for the rest of our organs to function well.

The larger picture

“Our gut is like our second brain,” says nutritionist Rashi Chowdhary, “It’s the largest immune organ, where 80 per cent of our ‘happy hormone’ serotonin is made.” Her 15-day Gut Cleanse Program, part of her community-based nutrition programme platform called The Collective, includes scientifically-backed nutrition advice given by certified nutritionists coupled with mindfulness practices and accountability tools to help heal the gut. The gut lining is a thin barrier (it has the thickness of half a strand of hair!) is what keeps us protected from the outside world, deciding what gets absorbed and what doesn’t. It’s critical to protect it.

Weight loss, too, starts in the gut. “Our gut secretes an enzyme called peptide YY everytime we eat in proportion to how much we eat—this enzyme carries the message to our brain to stop eating. An unhealthy gut won’t secrete the enzyme properly, failing to signal your brain to stop eating,” explains Chowdhary. In her practice focused on gut cleanse, she has seen clients recover from some chronic issues like psoriasis, eczema, acne, constipation, extreme bloating, even anxiety.

According to Naidoo, regular bowel movements, no abdominal comfort (gas, bloating, constipation or diarrhoea) when eating, a well-supported immunity, good mental health and resilience to changing environments are all signs of a happy and healthy gut. We compromise it by stress, which can lead to inflammation, and, therefore, poor mental and physical health. And let’s be real, most guts do remain compromised.

No one-size-fits-all approach

So #guttalk is indeed important. It makes you want to prioritise gut health. But taking care of your gut isn’t a one-size-fits-all process—your microbiome is unique to you. The drawback of a virtual universe that can create global hype within minutes is sometimes falling for tricks and trends that may have helped someone but might not necessarily work for you. “No onething can fix anything, it’s always a healthy mix of food, lifestyle changes and managing ways to respond to stress better,” says Chowdhary. “With nutritional psychiatry, it’s truly about going back to the basics and eating healthy whole foods and nutrients to help your gut and therefore help your brain,” adds Naidoo. She warns about the negative impact of low-fibre diets, processed foods, artificial sweeteners and sugary or fast foods. It’s not that tough—eating a fibre-rich diet—simply adding vegetables, berries, beans, nuts, seeds, legumes and lentils is a good way to begin your gut’s healing journey.

Chowdhary recommends adding good fats from nuts, ghee, coconut oil, butter or olives to your diet for their fatty acid profile and anti-inflammatory properties, getting extra fibre (almost 35 grams daily) from vegetables, seeds, coconut chunks and so on to feed the good microbiome, and consuming efficient quality protein that suits your gut and won’t cause bloating. “Getting good sleep, following a calming morning ritual and a circadian fast are all very helpful,” she says. We all love to keep our bellies happy, why not try to do it the right way?

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