Follow your gut for better health

To improve our health, we need to focus on detoxification.
Representational image.
Representational image.

For the last few weeks, I have been writing about bad lifestyle and wrong eating habits that load our bodies with toxins. These toxins have a huge impact on the body, which affects the stomach, immune system, blood flow, metabolism, etc. To improve our health, we need to focus on detoxification. Traditionally, when we speak about detoxification or cleansing the body, it was always about cleaning the gut first. Some people would drink concoction, oils, herbs, etc., to initiate diarrhoea and clean out toxins from the body, and others would focus on periodic fasting. The latter has also become a trend as intermittent or dry fasting to detoxify the body, which mainly means much-needed rest for the digestive system so that the body can refocus on recovery of sluggish organs like liver, kidneys and lungs.

Detox, inside out

It is easy to accumulate toxins over time with bad eating habits, contaminated water, and environmental pollutants. After a while, these toxins slow down the digestive system and overload the colon. Backup of toxic wastes are reabsorbed into the bloodstream, and if this continues long enough it can result in a disease or inflammatory condition. Liver is the primary site of detoxification inside the body; however, it is essential to look at gut health first because the gut is the primary route of entry or exit for toxic compounds. Gut microflora helps digest toxins such as mercury and other heavy metals. If the gut microflora goes out of balance, detoxification will be compromised, no matter how well the liver is functioning.

Another reason we should focus on detoxifying the digestive system is because 90 per cent of your immune system is in your gut. Healthy gut microflora regulates the immune system by upregulating its action when there is imbalance or foreign invaders. Gut bacteria also helps in breaking down foods and helps in absorption and assimilation. These bacteria produce essential B vitamins, which indirectly boosts energy levels naturally. Regular bowel movement denotes that our gut is eliminating the toxins naturally. There are fat-soluble toxins in the gut and if they are not eliminated properly, they will be re-absorbed. The stored toxins can putrefy in the colon. Excess stores of toxins may stretch the colon and increase the chances of diverticulitis (pouches on the intestinal wall, which may become infected) or prolapsed colon. The colon issues impair the large intestine’s ability to function, which places strain on your digestive organs and affects nutrient absorption.

So, in short, the sewer system, i.e. colon, if not cleaned properly, can accumulate toxic poisons, which are absorbed into the bloodstream and may give way to diseases. That’s why cleansing your body and stomach is important. In our next article, we will learn about a few superfoods that will help in detoxifying your gut and reduce inflammation.

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