The Importance of Gut Health

These days our internal gut health dominates many discussions about the rest of our health, and is an important factor for many of us to consider. It can affect everything from our immunity, to how our skin looks, to how we are feeling. Improving our gut health might seem like a big task, however, it is something that we can easily achieve by eating the right foods.

You may not associate gut health with overall health. However, our whole biology, mental and physical health is linked together, and our gut health has an exceptionally strong impact on this. We felt the need to talk about gut health as more and more research is showing that our gut health influences everything in our body; from the look of our skin to our mental health and the ability to fight disease. It really is one of the best lines of defence in a healthy life. At Nakin we focus on achieving great skin through our award-winning Natural Skincare Products which help to enhance the face and neck with cleansers, face moisturisers and treatments. However, our internal health will also play a huge role in improving our outer beauty and looks, and our gut health is part of this.

It is all to do with the health of our gut microbiome. This is like an eco-system in our gut of about 100 trillion microbes: a collection of viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms. Think of it like a garden in our gut, that needs nurturing and help to flourish like any garden would do. They work to defend us against damaging microbes, to build our immune system and even to supply our happy hormone serotonin. Therefore, they are incredibly important, and our gut microbiome is now thought to be our second brain.

Gut health is fundamental to overall well-being, acting as a central hub for critical physiological processes. The gut microbiome, a complex community of microorganisms residing in our digestive system, plays a pivotal role in nutrient absorption, immune system regulation, and even mental health through its connection to the brain via the gut-brain axis. An imbalance or disruption in this microbiome can lead to a myriad of health issues, including digestive disorders, decreased immunity, and increased risk of chronic illnesses. Hence, maintaining a healthy gut is not just about improving digestive function; it's about fostering a foundation for total body health and well-being.

As well as our mental and physical health Now Patient state that if we have an unhealthy gut it can have an impact on the appearance of skin which shows up as spots, inflammation, redness, eczema, and rosacea. This makes sense as our skin is overly sensitive to disruption and imbalances in our biology and always gets affected by illness and stress. So even if you use the best skincare available like our Nakin Face Products, good gut health will support good skin.

How to Improve Gut Health

We know that the things that have a negative effect on our gut include eating processed foods, sugar or taking anti-biotics - as all of these kill off the friendly microorganisms. The good news is that we can quickly and easily improve our gut health by improving our diet. One of the well-known food traditions for improving gut health is the Mediterranean diet. It is one that we all love and have some knowledge of, and we can take the principles of it to improve our own diet. All we need to do is include those Mediterranean classics such as olive oil, fruit, nuts, and vegetables but also the lesser loved legumes. This includes ingredients like kidney beans and lentils. At first they may not seem that appealing but there are so many fantastic tasty recipes out there that include legumes and can really help to improve our gut health. Good gut health ingredients can also be really cheap to purchase so it is not a big investment, and can improve our situation in many ways, plus have a huge impact on our life. Which in turn can improve our every part of our health, natural immunity, sleep, skin and mood.  

It really is worth the time to take care of your gut. Eating healthily helps our looks and our weight but will also make us feel great too. Research mainly carried out in Australia has shown that if you switch from a sugary processed food diet to a Mediterranean style diet, this has a profound effect on mood. There was a study recently where 300 students were split into two groups, and half of them were give the Mediterranean diet, the other half stayed eating the same diet as they had beforehand. After three weeks on the diet their scores for depression and anxiety were assessed. There were large improvements to their mood, and they were also sleeping better. The science behind this is that the Mediterranean diet encourages the growth of the good bacteria in your gut and they in turn send out ‘feel good’ signals through the blood to your brain, which helps to calm us and feel positive.

The Mediterranean diet is one of the simplest that we know to improve our gut health. There are other special ways to improve it, but they require a bit more effort. This includes making your own natural fermented foods such as sauerkraut from cabbage, which is like a cheap homemade probiotic. There is also kimchi which is remarkably similar but originates from Korea and includes ginger and chilli. Both have a huge range of good bacteria and in an extremely high concentration. There are also lots of probiotic supplements on the market that can be taken, although getting our nutrients from natural foods is always recommended over supplements. With gut health being at the forefront of modern alternative medicine, there are many easily obtainable delicious recipes around that are specially designed to improve gut health.

To find out more about Nakin and our anti-ageing skincare visit us at www.nakinskincare.com Our face care products are made with the best plant active ingredients to enhance and improve skin with cleansers, moisturisers and treatments. The full range is cruelty free and made in the UK.