The gut isn’t just about digestion—it’s central to our overall health and vitality. Sometimes called our “second brain,” the gut is home to trillions of microorganisms—collectively called the microbiome—that influence everything from our immune system to our mood, energy, and even brain function.
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To understand why the gut is so important to our health, we need to realize it does more than just break down food. It's where we absorb the nutrients that fuel every cell in our bodies. It also produces essential vitamins like B12, K, and folate, which is amazing to us. It turns out that not all of the nutrients we need come from food alone, but are produced right in our gut.
Another fascinating fact about the gut is that it is where 70-80% of our immune cells reside. I always thought our immune cells were just in our blood and around our cells keeping the "bad guys" under control. But the majority of the immune cells are in our gut acting like gatekeepers to see that the bad stuff doesn't get into our blood or tissues in the first place.
And it's more than just a workhorse, it's called the second brain because it has 100 million neurons in it. Have you ever wondered where the expression, "I had a gut feeling" came from? There's a reason for that and this second brain is in constant connection with the brain in our head as well. They're like a team, working together to maintain healthy functioning of our physical systems, our immune system, our moods and energy levels.
When things are working well, we're hardly aware of all that's going on down there. But when things get off track, it can be very painful and even debilitating.
The common conditions that occur when our gut gets out of balance are things like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), leaky gut, constipation, gas and bloating, as well as GERD or acid reflux and inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis.
It's estimated that 60-70 million people in the US are affected by digestive diseases. That's about 20% of the population, or 1 in 5. Think about it, when you walk down a busy street or through an airport, 1 in every 5 people is suffering from a digestive disease.
The good news is, most of these conditions can be corrected and even eliminated. Like treating any condition in the body, our concern is that we treat the root of the condition and not just the symptoms. Rather than trying to manage symptoms with medications that suppress rather than heal, lasting gut health comes from nourishing the body and calming the mind.
The main things to consider to treat the cause of these gut conditions are first a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet, rich in fiber that feeds healthy gut bacteria and reduces inflammation.
This means avoiding processed foods because they harm the gut lining and microbiome diversity, as well as being below par in nutrient density.
Instead of processed foods, that can create damage, sauerkraut, kimchi, and tempeh are fermented foods that actually benefit the gut by adding beneficial bacteria. These are considered probiotics. And foods like garlic, onions, leeks, oats, and bananas in particular help the good bacteria thrive. They're often referred to as prebiotics.
Looking beyond the food and nutrition side of things, we can support our gut by reducing stress through mindfulness, walks in nature, breath work, and emotional healing. Just think about it, when we're stressed out, where do we feel it physically? Often in a tight gut, a churning stomach or butterflies. All signs of dysregulation in our gut.
Two other things that support a healthy gut are movement, as it stimulates digestion and improves motility, the muscle contractions that move food through the digestive tract. And also sleep. When we sleep the gut re-balances and restores itself.
We hope you can see how our gut health is central to total health. When we support the gut with nourishing food, kindness toward ourselves, and a lifestyle that values rest, movement, and joy—we unlock our body’s natural ability to heal from the inside out.
The recipe this week is a Middle Eastern Quinoa Salad. Similar to Tabouli. It's even more nutritious with the quinoa, loads of veggies and turmeric. It's very refreshing and flavourful. We think you'll like it!
To your Amazing Health,
Connie and Bill
Middle Eastern Quinoa Salad (Serves 4) *Adapted from Forks Over Knives
- 1½ cups dry quinoa
- 3 cups filtered water
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon no salt seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 cups finely chopped cucumber
- 2 cups colored pepper, diced in small pieces
- 1 cup fresh basil, finely cut
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- Juice of 2 lemons
Add quinoa and filtered water, cumin, turmeric, no salt seasoning and black pepper to Instant Pot or medium pan. Cook 7 minutes in Instant Pot or bring to a boil and then turn to low for 20 minutes in a medium pan. When cooked, fluff with a fork and allow to cool for 20 minutes or longer.
While the quinoa cooks, combine tomatoes, cucumber, red or other colored pepper, basil, onion and lemon juice in a bowl. Stir in the cooked quinoa when cooled and mix well.
NOTE: we topped our salads with ½ avocado each, diced, and loved this addition.