Nourishing your gut

Our guts are very complex and often can be temperamental. Many people learn to persevere with tummy troubles, however, there is a lot we can do to support the health of our gut!

Read the article below to learn about some of the foods our guts love.

Probiotics

Our gut contains billions of different microbes which help to digest our food and produce useful waste products that reduce inflammation and bolster immune function. When the microbes are out of balance, we may experience symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, digestive discomfort and even poor mood.

Probiotics are defined as ‘good bacteria that confer a health benefit to the host’. They are powerful microbes and can help re-balance the gut. They are found in fermented foods such as kimchi, kefir and yogurt. However, not all fermented foods are made equal. Look for those labelled to be ‘raw’ or have ‘live cultures’ – they are usually kept in the fridge to control the level of fermentation.

Probiotic supplements are also readily available containing different strains of bacteria, but evidence as to their benefit is limited. Research is pointing toward there being no single ‘one-size-fits-all’ blueprint of the perfect gut bacteria population! The blueprint of your ideal gut microbiome is influenced by all sorts of factors, from the way you were born to your lifestyle, your genetics or even where you live.

Fibre and prebiotics

Fibre is the indigestible part of food that makes its way intact through the stomach. There are two types – ‘soluble’ and ‘insoluble’. The insoluble fibres are more well-known. They provide bulk to stools to help keep you regular. Soluble fibre on the other hand helps keep blood sugar levels stable by slowing down the release of sugar from food during digestion, thus maintaining energy and mood throughout the day. It also helps you feel fuller for longer, making it useful in appetite and weight control. Fibre is found in all plant-based foods and can be purchased as a supplement, usually in the form of psyllium husk powder.

Some types of fibre are called ‘prebiotics’ as they are fermentable fibres that feed our good gut bacteria. Some of the best sources of prebiotic fibres are asparagus, raw onion, raw garlic and Jerusalem artichoke.

Good gut health improves nutrient absorption, supporting hormone production and playing an essential role in regulating mood. It also results in reduced inflammation and improved immune function.

Wholegrains

Wholegrains are an excellent source of fibre and resistant starch. Grains consist of 3 parts – the inner germ, the middle endosperm layer and the outer bran. Most grains in the supermarket are refined and are mostly made up of just the starchy endosperm. Whole grains have all 3 layers intact and provide much more than just starch. They also contain more fibre, protein, healthy oils, vitamins and minerals.

Resistant starch

While most starch is quickly broken down into glucose and released into the bloodstream for energy, resistant starch is harder to break down and acts more like a fibre. It makes its way into the large intestine to be fermented by the gut bacteria, serving as a prebiotic. Resistant starch selectively feeds the good gut bacteria and helps rebalance the gut.

Resistant starch is found in lentils, oats, underripe bananas, cooked then cooled pasta, rice and potatoes.’

Article source: https://tghd.com.au/powerful-food-to-feed-your-gut/
Article author: The Gut Health Dietitian

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Tips to strengthen your immune system

Our immune systems do a remarkable job of protecting us from illness. However, we can’t expect them to perform at their best if we are not taking care of ourselves and our body is then having to work over-time. The article below outlines some areas we can consider working on, in order to ensure our immune systems are strong and ready for action.

Your immune system is your first port of call in the fight to stave off infection and disease. Keeping it in good condition is important both for individuals and the public at large to stay happy and healthy.

To help, we’ve put together a list of top tips on how you can keep your immune system fighting fresh.

First-hand hygiene

Soap and water can be hugely helpful in stopping transmission of the infection. Some viruses have a lipid (or fatty) layer on the outside, so simple hand washing breaks them down and stops them spreading. 

We’ve also learned that a person’s underlying level of health is relevant to how well the body copes with infection. Lifestyle changes can do nothing to stop you from becoming unwell – that mostly comes down to hand hygiene or social distancing techniques – but they can help to strengthen your body and mind.

The strength of the immune system varies not only from person to person but also from day to day – its ability to fight off disease fluctuates depending on many factors. 

Reduce stress

The headlines we’re bombarded with every day could easily have an impact on the nation’s mental health. In this time of stress, it’s useful to remember the impact stress hormones have on weakening the immune system.

In short supply, the stress hormone cortisol can boost immunity by limiting inflammation. But, once it crosses a certain threshold, too much cortisol in the blood opens the door for more inflammation. 

Stress can also negatively impact the production of lymphocytes — the white blood cells that are the body’s first line of defence against infection — putting you at potential risk of viral disease. Consider limiting your daily screen time and take breaks when you feel burned out. Relaxation techniques like meditation and gentle exercise might also help.

The importance of exercise

Regular exercise promotes cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, helps control body weight, and offers protection against diseases. 

Exercise also improves blood circulation, allowing immune system cells to move through the body more freely and do their job more effectively.

Eat a balanced diet

The immune system is the body’s natural defence system, and (like any army) its soldiers need sustenance. Make sure you eat a balanced diet with fruits and vegetables in order to receive the right proportion of micronutrients.

Nutrition, and the advice of nutritionists, is useful in understanding the best way to respond to patterns of illness. Monash University’s ‘Food as Medicine’ course, designed especially for healthcare professionals, gives an introduction to current evidence surrounding the impact of nutrition on the development and treatment of chronic low-grade inflammation, and potential subsequent disease development.

Don’t smoke

Smoking tobacco has several negative effects on immune system health, such as:

• Greater susceptibility to infections such as pneumonia and influenza.

• More severe and longer-lasting illnesses.

• Lower levels of protective antioxidants (such as vitamin C), in the blood.

Try to sleep

Studies show that people who don’t get enough sleep or good quality sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus.

When we sleep, the body releases proteins called cytokines, while sleep deprivation decreases their production. Cytokines are paramount during times of infection or inflammation.’

Source: FutureLearn

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Diet Duality: Getting the Balance Right

You can’t appreciate the light without darkness, rewards without challenges, inhalation without exhalation and movement without stillness. Life is a constant dance between contrasting situations, ideas, and states of being. It is only fair then that we afford this same leniency and appreciation to our diet – being conscious and making healthy choices as much as possible, yet also allowing some freedom and flexibility and being kind to ourselves when we do. Because we won’t get it perfect all of the time and we need to be open to that idea, in order to set ourselves up for success and not be easily defeated or disappointed. 

So many people struggle with this concept of duality when it comes to diet. Because unlike many situations in life, diet should be easily controllable, right? For the most part, we can choose what we feed ourselves, we have the power to control our weight and nutritional wellbeing. Unfortunately, as with anything that we have control over, it can open the door to self-criticism and guilt if we don’t make the “perfect” choices all of the time. Additionally, we don’t always appreciate that the drivers behind our dietary choices and ability to stick to them are multifactorial and complex. Our relationship with food can be quite intricate and can stem from a lifetime of environmental factors. It is therefore not uncommon for people to have a tendency toward an ‘all or nothing’ approach to diet. Either we are following the “perfect diet” all of the time, or, there is a lapse and we go the complete opposite direction. It can be difficult to comfortably dance the line between making mostly healthful choices and occasional nutrient poorer choices. 

Like yoga, a healthy diet works best when we can remain neutral in times of celebration and relaxation with our diet, not focusing on what we could have done better or what the impact of the less healthy option(s) will have – essentially, detachment. Guilt associated with our diet can feed into emotional eating and can even have a flow on effect to our mood day to day. One relaxed snack, meal, or day is not going to have a significant impact on anything. However, if we ruminate on this and then continue to indulge, this will make a difference over days, weeks and months. Having the ability to enjoy yourself and then return to your regular, healthy diet is when people really flourish. There is equilibrium. Afterall, life is fleeting, we want to support good health and quality of life well into the future but we also want to enjoy ourselves with people we care about - even if that means straying from your regular diet from time to time. 

Take this as a gentle reminder to be kind to yourself. To anticipate the detours from your ideal diet and to accept that, then move forward. As controllable as diet is, it is far more complex than we give it credit and there will be bumps in the road! Try not to villainise food or nutrients - good vs bad - this can unknowingly create unhealthy attitudes and behaviours around food, which often have the opposite effect to what people want. Rather, know what to limit and what to focus more on. It is never too late to make changes and your body and mind will thank you for that.


Author: Belinda Elwin, Dietitian & Nutritionist, APD

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Nutrition to Support Mental Health

Our bodies are extremely complex. Far more than we often appreciate. At any one moment, there are thousands of different systems working in synchrony together, just to keep us functioning and performing our day-to-day tasks. It is therefore natural that such a complex organism requires the right balance, quality and quantity of fuel in order to keep it performing to the best of its ability. When we neglect our diets, it can very quickly take its toll on many different processes within the body, including our brain functioning – mood, concentration, energy levels, memory and so on.

So what dietary measures can we take to ensure we are supporting our mental health? There are many nutrients and dietary characteristics that play key roles in our brain and mood, this article will introduce the gut microbiome and omega-3 fatty acids.

The Gut-Brain Axis  

Simply put, your brain and gut communicate with one another. Gut microbiota play an important role in these exchanges. The gut microbiome is an area that has been receiving a lot of attention recently. We have learned a lot about it but there is a lot to still be explored! What we do know is that our gut houses trillions of microorganisms with thousands of different species, some beneficial and some harmful, but in the healthy individual they coexist quite harmoniously. Each person has a very unique microbiome that is cultivated before we are even born and can quite quickly adapt to our changing lifestyles and conditions [1,2,3].

Changes in the diversity of our microbiota can actually directly affect our mood. Fortunately, diet is one way we can enhance our microbiome ecosystem. Our gut microbiota love prebiotics, which are readily available in many common foods. The same foods lower inflammation in the body, which can decrease the risk/ severity of numerous mental health disorders, as well as many other lifestyle related diseases [2,3]. In order to nurture happy & healthy gut microbiota, try incorporating more of the following prebiotic rich foods in to your diet:

• A range of different colours and varieties of fruit and vegetable – ideally leaving the peels on where possible! Aiming for at least 5 serves of veg and 2 serves of fruit per day.

• Legumes

• Nuts and seeds

• Wholegrains e.g. oats

• Healthy fats e.g. nuts, avocado, olive oil

Probiotics can also be beneficial as they contain live microbiota. Probiotics are generally found in fermented foods such as; yoghurt, kimchi, kefir and kombucha. It is not essential to take a probiotic supplement if you are eating a varied diet, however, there are circumstances where one may be beneficial to encourage growth of healthy bacteria within the gut [2].

Conversely, a diet higher in processed, more indulgent foods has been linked to low grade chronic inflammation and gut dysbiosis (imbalance of gut bacteria leading to common digestive issues), which increases the risk of mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, and heightened risk of other disease [2].

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fats are also linked with lower rates of inflammation in the body and reduced levels of anxiety, depression and memory dysfunction [1]. They are essential for brain development and functioning throughout the lifespan. The brain consists of a high concentration of lipids (fats) and omega-3 fats play a key role in the structure of cell membranes.

Some countries that follow diets incorporating a lot of fish have remarkably lower rates of depression, which is thought to be partly influenced by the omega-3 content of fish and its role in brain functioning [1].

Find omega-3 in:

• Oily fish e.g. salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines

• Nuts and seeds e.g. walnuts, flax seed, chia seeds

• Plant oils e.g. flaxseed oil

• Fortified foods

Not only is omega 3 great for our mood and brain function but it also promotes cardiovascular and ocular health.

The mechanisms of how different nutrients and dietary patterns influence our mood and brain function are also very complex and can be deeply explored. The above provides a brief overview of just two elements to take into consideration, again supporting the idea of a balanced, varied diet focusing on wholefoods. Stay tuned for further information!

Author: Belinda Elwin, Dietitian & Nutritionist

References:

1. Swaney S. Nutrition and Mood – What’s the Connection?. NSW: Nutrition Australia. Source: https://nutritionaustralia.org/division/nsw/nutrition-and-mood-whats-the-connection/

2. Harvard School of Public Health. The Microbiome. MA: The Nutrition Source. Source: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/microbiome/#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20family%20genes,of%20microbiota%20in%20the%20intestines.

3. Clapp M, Aurora N, Herrera L, Bhatia M, Wilen E, Wakefield S. Gut microbiota’s effect on mental health: The gut-brain axis. Clin Pract. 2017 Sep 15; 7(4): 987.

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