While the lowering number of fresh COVID-19 cases might make it sound like better days are coming, the pandemic is far from over. In fact, even before the second wave has fully waned, an inevitable third wave is being feared. India already has a new variant of concern to deal with and the experts feel that the third wave might hit us sooner than anticipated.
Clearly, lowering our guards is not an option right now. Ahead of the third wave, it is important we keep following the COVID-19 protocol and work on our immunity. Now, here’s the thing: in case Whatsapp forwards have you believing that a kadha is all that it takes to optimise your immunity, then think again. It is actually way more complex than that. Our immunity depends on a number of factors, gut health being a major one of them. Thus, the need of the hour is to work on all of these factors and we recently reached out to clinical nutritionist specialist, Dr. Anjali Hooda Sangwan for tips on improving gut health. Read on.
Problems That An Unhealthy Gut Can Lead To
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Did you know that 90% of our serotonin, the ‘happy hormone,’ is actually found in our guts? This is the hormone that stabilises our mood, feelings of well-being, and happiness. Well, that should tell you enough about the kind of difference that a happy, healthy gut can make in your lives. However, most of us spend our lives without giving much heed to gut health. Look around you and you’ll find so many adults struggling with various kinds of digestive issues. So here’s the thing–just cause you cannot literally see inflamed gut, does not mean that it is not a problem. As Dr. Anjali shares, “an unhealthy gut can lead to lowered immunity, mental health issues, delayed recovery from illness and infections, recurrent allergies or infections, and insomnia.”
Signs Of A Compromised Gut Health
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A lot of our everyday habits that might seem innocuous can lead to compromised gut health. “Smoking, drinking alcohol, eating processed foods, excessive sugar, and starch intake, and overuse of antibiotics can all mess with our gut health,” explains Dr. Anjali. Additionally, not paying attention to gut-related issues can also trigger problems. But how do you tell if your gut health has been compromised? Dr. Anjali lists down 11 symptoms:
-Feeling bloated
-Feeling dizzy
-Feeling nauseous
-New-onset migraines
-Pains and aches in the body
-Fatigue
-Lethargy
-Insomnia
-Autoimmune diseases
-Insulin resistance
-Diabetes type 2
Tips To Improve Gut Health
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As already established here, our gut health needs way more attention than it has been given all this while. Here are nine tips as shared by Dr. Anjali on improving your gut health so as to optimise immunity:
- Eat probiotic foods like buttermilk and kombucha.
- Don’t overindulge in alcohol
- Avoid processed foods like bread, chips, biscuits, ready-to-eat meals, etc
- Avoid condensed sugar products like sweets, candy, pastry, etc. if you are going to have them, leave them for the occasional treat
- Stop smoking
- Eat as much natural food as possible. Opt for fresh veggies, lean meat, lentils, etc
- Cook in ghee whenever possible. Ghee has butyrate which is excellent for the gut
- Choose good supplements after speaking to your doctor. Some of them are really great for gut, immunity, and healing.
- Avoid self-medication with antibiotics and always be cautious about antibiotics usage because it kills good bacteria too
Lastly fam, remember that prevention is better than cure. Take care of your gut health even when you don’t have signs of inflammation.
Featured Image: Instagram
