Gut Health

Getting familiar with your gut isn’t something that immediately comes to mind when you consider your yoga practice. We bend and stretch, constrict and expand, twist and turn, all the time trying to remember to breathe. You’d think all that lovely movement must bring digestive relief but it’s not something I’d considered in the same way as wondering if there is truth in the rumour that yoga makes you taller. (As a supermodel would be ideal but I’d take a centimetre or two.)

The state of your gut has a huge impact on your overall health. Did you know we’ve got eight and half metres of intestines sitting inside us? I didn’t, and immediately thought that explained my lack of a washboard stomach, although it’s not the length of my intestines that causes bloating but their condition.

Lifestyle choices, food intolerances and an irritable bowel are familiar triggers of digestive upset. However, gut health has also been linked to depression and anxiety, and autism spectrum disorders. A majority of your feel-good neurotransmitters (like serotonin) are located in your gut, not your brain!

I was lucky enough to spend a sunny spring morning at another ecostore #OnlyGoodStuff event with the wonderful Integrative practitioner Dr Kathleen Wills. There was cake, there was yoga, and there was a full-screen presentation of different stool sizes. There was something for everyone.

Dr Kathleen touched on several key issues and symptoms of gut health:

•  Symptoms of an unhealthy gut may include allergies, leaky gut syndrome (Hyperpermeability), low immunity and frequent colds, flus and fatigue, constipation or diarrhoea, headaches, frequent yeast infections and skin rashes or dryness.
• Conditions such as Crohn’s disease, Coeliac disease (due to wheat/gluten intolerance), bowel cancer, streptococcus (from things we take in and can’t digest), and leaky gut syndrome (where nutrients are lost through microscopic holes in the gut) are all associated with poor gut health.
• One in five people suffer from some type of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
• For those suffering from food intolerances, 74% are wheat intolerant, 56% diary intolerant and 23% intolerant of salad items. (Salad items! I had no idea that sulphur based produce, such as broccoli, cabbage, spinach, citrus, tomato and onions, can irritate your gut.)
• Comprehensive tests to find out if you have food sensitivities (these are different from allergies) which may be causing indigestion are available from your naturopathic or integrative physician.
• Extensive digestive tests are also available. A stool test sent to the USA (results take about four weeks) includes a report on all parasites, bacteria and yeasts found and recommendations for treatment.
• It’s worth keeping an eye on your stools as an indication of your digestive health. Ideally you want your stool to be long, soft and brown in colour, with clear cut edges. If you have blood in your stool, you should see your GP for any tests or possibly a colonoscopy to investigate the cause.

There are effective natural therapies that Dr Kathleen recommends, such as taking magnesium and calcium, and herbs (ginger, bach flowers, chamomile, peppermint and fennel). She is a great believer in probiotics too, and a lifestyle that includes meditation, yoga (think spinal twists, child’s pose, cobra and, of course, wind removing pose), massage and sleep. Sigh. Always sleep…

Soothing foods like yogurt, rice, oatmeal, bananas, rice, applesauce and toast can offer relief (I remember this as the BRAT diet used for toddlers with upset stomachs). Keeping well hydrated with water and herbal teas helps too.

As always, eating mindfully and taking the time to notice how your digestive system responds is the best way to monitor your own gut health. It can be useful to keep a food diary, noting down how you feel after eating certain things.

I’m following Dr Kathleen’s advice and have started a course of probiotics. So far, so good, I’m sure my immune system is grateful. I’m already a hard-core water drinker and have never had a problem avoiding onions. I look forward to being more aware and would love to hear if you’re eating for your digestive health… leave a comment below!

– Jane

Avoiding pesticides and chemicals is what ecostore is all about. They create beautiful products with none of the toxic irritants, such as Benzalkonium Chloride, a chemical linked to a rise in allergies. #TheyReallyDoDoGoodStuff

©The Yoga Connection