Gut health is in and vitamin c is out!

Looking after our health is no easy feat with all of the conflicting information out there today and with it being cold and flu season here in the UK it only seemed right that this weeks topic would be on immunity, and gut health. For years we have always been told that vitamin C was the sure thing for beating colds and flu but nuh-uh. Prevention is the best cure and prevention comes in the form of gut health.

1) Gut health, what, where, when, why and how?

Gut health is a broad term that relates to the health of our gut or more specifically, the health of our gut microbiome. A gut microbiome is an umbrella term for all of the different types of bacteria that live in our gut, the good, the bad and the ugly. This is predominantly dictated by our diets so if you have a diet diverse in whole foods, high in fibre and consisting of well balanced meals then most likely your gut microbiome will be home to lots of 'good' bacteria. Whereas if you have a diet high in sugar and processed food you will most likely have a gut microbiome hosting lots of ‘bad’ bacteria.

2) Gut health and immunity.

When you think of immunity your first thought might not well be gut health but after reading this, it should be. Our guts do more than just digest our food. They control our bodies. They produce hormones, so are heavily involved in our mood - thats why you always feel better eating healthily- and they produce the majority of the cells needed by our immune system, among many other things. Therefore, a thriving gut microbiome = strong immunity.

3) What you can do.

To support your gut microbiome you need to look at your diet AND you lifestyle. The good bacteria in our guts love fibre, whole grains, complex carbohydrates, fruit, vegetables, proteins, healthy fats and HYDRATION. Start incorporating more of these things into each of your meals and watch your energy, mood and health improve. Now lifestyle also plays a huge part in our gut as things like stress are all no good for our gut health and thus our immunity. Start by trying to reduce these where you can, in the little or small ways. And we can forget exercise - exercise regularly for good health.

P.S. vitamin C reduces cold and flu symptoms and is still great for your health so don't cut it out!