Gut health is something I’ve only recently become interested in since I learned that my acne breakouts may be related to my gut. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“The microbiome is a term we are hearing more and more about, particularly when it comes to gut health. But what does it really mean? The microbiome is defined as the combination of all the different microorganisms that inhabit our body including; bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses. This may sound a bit scary but this array of microorganisms can actually help us in a multitude of ways including helping us digest our food, programming the immune system, providing nutrients and preventing harmful bacteria from colonising our bodies.
The gut microbiome is particularly important to our health, with the majority of microorganisms in our gut being found in the large intestine. There are thousands of different species of bacteria and other microorganisms found here. These bacteria have a crucial role in digestion, our immune system, and new research has started to suggest that they even have a role in controlling our central nervous system which controls our brain. Studies have also suggested that the gut microbiome may affect weight loss/gain.
Improving gut health refers to improving the status of your gut microbiome. Eating a diverse range of foods, particularly fruits, vegetables and legumes, is the best way to improve gut health. Fermented foods may also help to colonise the gut with healthy bacteria (specifically Lactobacilli). Prebiotic foods (foods that feed the bacteria in our gut) may also help to improve gut health. Probiotic supplements which contain live bacteria can help to colonise the gut with healthy bacteria. All these methods can help to reduce gut symptoms and improve gut health.” @themummyscientist
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
What’s this got to do with hypnobirthing I hear you ask? Well, the diversity of the bacteria you build is passed on to your baby at birth (seeding the microbiome).
.
