The pandemic has changed a number of things. Most people are now paying attention to their bodies and are increasingly concerned about their health. Be it shifting to a better diet or practising a daily Yoga routine, being healthy has become the ‘it-thing’. Paying heed to one’s gut health is the latest in a slew of healthy practices.
In fact, improving gut health has been touted as the biggest trend for the year in this realm. “Apart from restricting physical activities, food habits, and increasing stress levels, COVID-19 has also impacted our digestive system. Gut health can be directly linked to our immune system, mood, mental health, and physical well-being,” mentioned Adarsh Sharma from Patparganj, who previously suffered from discomfort due to gut-related issues. Therefore, it is extremely important to keep your gut in check with some healthy alternatives.
Core of the matter
Functional medicine practitioner and health coach Smriti Kochar from Gurugram mentions how a person’s gut houses their entire immune system. “Our body is one interconnected machine. There are seven systems in our body and all of them work in cohesion. If one of them becomes imbalanced, the others will be affected too.” In a similar vein, Gurugram-based dietician and founder of a wellness clinic named Nutriapt, Manpreet Kalra, adds, “Digestion happens in the gut. It is there that the body absorbs all its immunity.” Comparing the gut to a water jar, Kalra explains, “If the water pot is dirty, the water that you drink out of it will also be unhealthy. With a healthy gut, all the nutrients being absorbed are enriching. That is why it is important that one takes care of it.”
Protect your gut
As the seat of digestion, the gut is filled with different types of bacteria—both good and bad. The food you consume, therefore, strengthens the bacteria. While healthy food affects good bacteria, junk food increases the bad ones. Silver Shetty, a dietician and wellness coach from Gurugram, mentions how it is important to first address the gut problem.
“Gut health affects everything from chronic arthritis, constipation, gerd refluxes,” she mentions, adding that the best way to improve the gut is to avoid inflammatory foods as much as possible. All three practitioners talk about shifting to fibrous carbohydrates such as jowar (sorghum) and bajra (millet) and fats like ghee. Having curd and other probiotic supplements as well as fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables daily are essential.
Chandan Sharma from Bengaluru, who had been suffering from Crohn’s Disease, shares, “Many things had to be changed in my diet—shifting to cold-press coconut oil, removing gluten, and dairy except ghee, etc. Healthy fat and proteins were also added to balance my diet. I had developed a fear of food, thinking that it is harming my body. After a diet change, I can now eat more freely and sensibly.”
While Kochar shares that simple lifestyle changes such as an early dinner (followed by a regulated sleep time and 12 hours of fasting) along with a few dietary changes can help one improve their gut health, Kalra and Shetty add that a few simple exercises can also be beneficial. Stressing on the importance of gut health, Sharma concludes, “I like to say ‘We are what we eat, but more importantly, we are what we digest’. Everything starts from our gut. We are only as healthy as our gut is.”
FOLLOW A PLAN
1. It is important to cut down on anti-inflammatory foods such as fried and spicy food.
2. Reduce consuming heavy proteins and raw fibre. Instead, include more seasonal fruits and vegetables to your diet.
3. Practise simple exercises such as Yoga.
4. Cut down on milk.