Most people don't realize the importance of gut health. Your gut health is the root of many physical ailments as well as your mental and emotional well-being.

Here are 8 incredibly important facts about gut health!

1. YOU ARE MADE UP OF BACTERIA.

Our bodies contain over 100 trillion bacteria. They play a significant role in our health and longevity.

2. BACTERIA ARE NOT ALL BAD.
We often associate bacteria with harmful infections in the body that we need to take antibiotics to combat. However, most of the bacteria inside your gut are beneficial bacteria that perform many functions like boosting our immune system, communicating with our brain, and aiding in the digestion of our food.

3. THERE ARE MORE THAN 100 MILLION BRAIN CELLS IN YOUR GUT.
There are millions of neurons in the gut. That’s more neurons than are found in the spinal cord or peripheral nervous system. The gut acts as its own brain.

4. THERE'S AN INFORMATION HIGHWAY FROM YOUR GUT TO YOUR BRAIN.
There’s one big visceral nerve embedded in your gut—the vagus nerve. Research has revealed that up to 90 percent of its fibers carry information from the gut to the brain, rather than the other way around. Needless to say, what's in your gut can truly affect your mood, emotions, and behavior!

5. MOST OF YOUR SEROTONIN IS IN YOUR GUT.
Some 95 percent of your body’s serotonin can be found in the gut. Serotonin, or 5-hydroxytryptamine, is produced by the enterochromaffin (EC) cells lining the digestive tract. It is believed to help regulate mood and social behavior, appetite and digestion, sleep, memory, and sexual desire and function. If your gut is unhealthy, that could affect serotonin production.

6. YOUR GUT IS YOUR DOCTOR IN COLD AND FLU SEASON.
Not only does your gut hold brain cells, it also houses the bulk of your immune cells—70 percent—in the form of gut-associated lymphoid tissue, or GALT, which plays a huge part in killing and expelling pathogens. GALT and your gut microbiome—the trillions of bacteria that live, like an immense microbial universe, in your gut—work hard to help heal you when you are having physical issues.

7. YOUR GUT NEEDS PREBIOTICS, NOT JUST PROBIOTICS.
Prebiotics, like onions, garlic, asparagus, bananas, and legumes, play a different role from probiotics (good bacteria). They’re dietary fibers that feed the good bacteria (probiotics) in your gut, help reinoculate your microbiome, and offset the effects of your altered gut flora. Fiber is important to help food move through the digestive tract and certain types of fiber can help you maintain regularity.

8. GUT HEALTH AND ANXIETY & GUT HEALTH AND DEPRESSION
Balancing your gut with probiotics and prebiotics (dietary fibers) can help with depression and anxiety. This goes back to the fact that our guts and our brains are in constant communication.

CONCLUSION

What is in our gut has a major effect on not only our physical beings but also on our emotions and behavior. It is SO important to keep our gut full of healthy bacteria (probiotics) by making sure they have all the nutrients they need which come from dietary fiber (prebiotics).

HOW TO IMPROVE GUT HEALTH NATURALLY
We can do this by eating foods that contain probiotics and prebiotics and/or by taking all-natural supplements that contain probiotics and prebiotics. If you'd like more info on a great lifestyle and diet plan check out What is Paleo Diet?

FOODS AND ALL-NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS THAT CONTAIN PROBIOTICS

Foods: Yogurt, Kefir, Sauerkraut, Tempeh, Kimchi, Miso Soup, Kombucha, Sour Pickles, Traditional Buttermilk, Acidophilus Milk, Natto, some cheeses (Gouda, mozzarella, cheddar and cottage cheese), Sourdough Bread

Supplements For Gut Health - Probiotics for Gut Health: Purchase XFactor Plus, Purchase VitalBiome, Purchase ProBio 5 

FOODS AND ALL-NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS THAT CONTAIN PREBIOTICS

Foods: Asparagus, Jerusalem Artichokes, Bananas, Oatmeal, Red Wine, Honey, Maple Syrup, and Legumes

Gut Health Supplements - Prebiotics for Gut Health: Purchase Slim® Microbiome Activating Drink, Purchase Lean™ Whey Chocolate (or Vanilla) Protein Powder.

Do Multivitamins Work?

Most vitamins claim to cover your nutritional needs. But in reality, there's a lot missing. If you look at the labels, many don't include 100% of the recommended daily amounts of the essential vitamins and minerals. In fact, they include quite a bit less.

Many multivitamin supplements are in capsules that aren't easily absorbed in your body or the forms of the vitamins and minerals themselves aren't easily absorbable. This means that you aren't even getting the amount that it says you should be getting on the label.

However, there is one multi-vitamin that lives up to it's label... Check out the article Which Multivitamins are the Best?

Resources:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/64685/10-brainy-facts-about-your-gut-its-smarter-you-think
https://www.healthline.com/health/digestive-health/things-your-gut-wants-you-to-know
https://www.benenden.co.uk/be-healthy/body/fascinating-facts-about-your-gut/
https://www.epicorimmune.com/blog/2017/04/05/10-shocking-facts-about-your-gut-microbiome
https://www.benefiber.com/digestive-health/gut-health-101/10-fascinating-digestive-system-facts/
https://www.biokplus.com/blog/en_US/gut-health/serotonin-the-happy-hormone-produced-in-our-gut_1
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-super-healthy-probiotic-foods
https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/ss/slideshow-probiotics