Written by Goda Savickaite
Illustration by Ruta Pulikaityte
What makes us happy is an age-old question and a hard nut to crack. It is a multilayered effort and a blend of every day practices that make us healthier. One way to look at it is through a 9 meter-long lens — our gut. It is referred to as our “second brain” due to its importance to vital processes taking place in our bodies. As we navigate the winding road towards happiness, gut health can help us steer the wheel with proper fuel and care it deserves.
Gut-brain relation
Why is it important to talk about gut health? According to a recent study done by the American Gastroenterological Association, around 40% of Americans face normal life disruptions due to various digestive troubles. In parallel, the growing amount of research on the importance of gut health highlights that it plays a crucial role in determining the quality of our well-being.
The gut, comprising our entire digestive tract, is one of the most important and longest (around 9 meters long) endocrine organs. The neurons in the gut ensure constant communication with the brain and vice versa. The so-called gut-brain axis is not only responsible for digestion, but it is in charge of many essential functions, such as:
balanced hormone production,
strong immune system,
resilient mental health.
After all, the gut is called our “second brain” for a reason. This can be illustrated by the widely spread expressions, such as “a gut feeling”, “go with your gut”, and the sensation of “butterflies” in your stomach. They invoke a particular feeling or an instinct about a certain situation, leading to decision-making processes connected to the brain.
“It takes a village to raise a child.”
It talks about a collaborative effort and support from a broader community to take care of the young ones. Swap “child” for a human body and “village” for a gut microbiota — home of trillions of microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes, which weigh 2-3 kg per person — and you get a better picture of the invisible processes constantly happening within you. This diverse community of microbes is largely responsible for keeping our immune system running and producing hormones that directly impact our mood and cognitive behavior.
Gut and mental health
New studies on the importance of gut health are finding that the connection between the imbalance of hormones and poor gut microbiota might be linked with various mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety. According to a registered dietitian and weight loss coach Melissa Colborne who spoke on the -What do people do? Podcast, gut health is directly related to improving our immunity and overall well-being:
“Ninety per cent of serotonin, which is our happy hormone, is actually produced in the gut. And they are also starting to find that [it is possible to] treat mental health disorders or depression by improving gut health. Seventy per cent of our immunity is found in the gut, so if you have a healthy gut you will be sick less often and healthier. Basically, if you have a happy gut, you have a happy life. And the way to improve your gut health is with food”,- RD Melissa Colborne.
These are key reasons why caring for one’s gut is central to feeling good, happy, and healthy. Luckily, there are simple ways to ensure proper absorption of nutrients and functioning of the gut-brain axis.
Nutrition, probiotics, and prebiotics
The food and products we consume do not only directly impact how the gut functions but also how you feel and how your entire body works.
It is known that fermented products, such as yogurt, kimchi, miso paste, and others, are highly recommended as essential building blocks of a healthy digestive tract and, by extension, our immune system. Such foods are filled with live bacteria and naturally derived probiotics that can provide powerful protection against any harmful intruders, such as bacteria and viruses.
According to Andrew Huberman, a renowned professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine, by following a balanced, gut-friendly diet, you can arm your body with an array of live microbes. A gut microbiome filled with a diverse and beneficial flora of microorganisms lays a strong foundation in a person’s life — both literally and metaphorically.
Furthermore, to ensure a well-functioning gut microbiome, prebiotics are necessary for maintaining healthy levels of probiotics. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains are the main sources of fiber which is a source of prebiotics — they essentially feed the probiotics and ensure their presence in the gut microbiome. The variety of food and products consumed weekly also matters significantly. While it does sound complicated, it can be an achievable step-by-step goal.
Source: Unsplash by Brooke Lark
“If you want to have a healthy gut, aim to have at least 30 different plants per week. Now, it might sound like a lot if you are someone who doesn’t eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, but it is not only the different types of fruits and veg. It can be nuts, and seeds, and herbs, and spices. Make sure that when you go to a grocery store, don’t buy the same fruits and vegetables — get more variety. For example, this week have red apples, next week — green ones, because that actually counts as different types of plants.”
Healthy alternatives to consider
Nowadays, most people are busier than ever, often spending as little time as possible for proper nutrition. Supermarket shelves are overflowing with highly processed foods and quick “pick-me-up” options that more often than not are not healthy at all. While it might be challenging sometimes to find healthier alternatives on your weekly grocery run, it might be that you just need to know what to look for.
SUN 365 is a Lithuanian-based company that offers healthy and sustainable alternatives to fruit juices and more. We asked Linas Skirius, a brand manager at SUN 365, why and how their products differ from other commercially available counterparts in the market.
What is SUN 365 cold-pressed, fresh, not pasteurized juice?
“Fresh, cold-pressed juice means that the juices are squeezed with a slow juicer that does not generate any heat in the process. From the time we take a fruit, the temperature never rises above +4°C. What is more, utilizing a vacuum, every small part of the fruit is pressed into the bottle for maximum nutrition and taste. The juice does not contain any added sugar, only the naturally fruit-derived sugar. That's how nutrition in SUN365 bottles is up to five times higher compared with being pressed with a centrifugal juicer! SUN365 is living, freshly squeezed raw juice that has to be kept in the fridge.”
What does heat pasteurization do to other commercially available juices?
“Heat pasteurization is designed to kill bacteria and extend the shelf life of the product by exposing the juice to high heat. This negatively alters the fruit and vegetable enzymes, vitamins and minerals, smell, and taste features — meaning that juice processed this way is not fresh and less nutritious.”
What is the added value of ginger immunity shots?
“Ginger immunity shots are our famous SUN365 fresh ginger shots, made from the finest fresh ginger and ripe lemons. What's the point in taking vitamin C pills when you can have the benefits of freshly squeezed gingers that are very well known for their numerous health benefits. They might look tiny, but they are really mighty.”
Why kombucha is good for your gut?
“Kombucha is an ancient soft drink made by fermenting tea for no less than 3 weeks. During this period the tea becomes naturally carbonated and is enriched by live bacteria and various healthy acids. To preserve all this goodness, we serve our kombucha non-pasteurized, therefore it has no additives and is completely organic! Just like champagne, our kombucha is naturally carbonated, organic, low in calories and full of live bacteria.”
Navigating the road to happiness
While physical and mental exercises are essential to feeling good, nutrition goes hand in hand with being healthy. Allocating a few minutes to think about what you consume daily or weekly has a tremendous positive impact on your gut health. While it takes incremental step-by-step changes, they bring meaningful long-term effects to the quality of your life. Combined with the many important aspects, such as building a strong immune and mental health system, a healthy gut can help unlock the path to a happy life.
