Your intestinal system plays an essential role in supporting your overall health and wellbeing.
It breaks down the food you eat to ensure your body gets the nutrients it needs to survive. While eating well, drinking plenty of water and getting lots of exercise support good intestinal health, modern diets and lifestyles can have a negative impact.
Poor diet, lack of regular exercise and overindulging in guilty pleasures like smoking, drinking, takeaways and junk food can slow down the process of food passing through your body and leave you feeling tired, sluggish and out of sorts. It can also prevent your body from absorbing all the vital nutrients it needs from eating. And because around 70% of your immune system sits in your intestines, keeping them in good condition is vital to your overall health and wellbeing.
Your intestinal system plays a vital role in helping your body maintain the delicate balance of bacteria it needs for better overall health. Here, we take a closer look at the intestinal system, the role it plays in keeping you healthy, and how you can look after it.
• Why Is Your Intestinal System Important?
A healthy intestinal system, or gut, can improve your immune system, mood and mental health and help your body to fight off a host of illnesses and infections. It’s home to millions of healthy, harmless yeasts, bacteria and other microbes, which work together to keep your body functioning as it should.
The key to maintaining a healthy intestinal system is to create the conditions that help your beneficial bacteria to thrive, so they can kill off any unhealthy bacteria or toxins which can cause long-term health problems. Your intestinal system affects your health in many ways. If your gut is not functioning as it should, it can lead to a host of health issues, some of which will be minor, such as tummy trouble, wind, constipation, bloating, diarrhoea and heartburn. It can also mean you have trouble sleeping or feel constantly tired. You may also be more susceptible to common bugs, like colds and flu, and struggle to shake them off. More severe issues with intestinal health include irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s Disease or ulcerative colitis.
• How To Support Your Intestinal System Naturally
As with all things health-related, a combination of eating well, exercising and getting plenty of rest and relaxation will support good intestinal system function. Several lifestyle factors will also play their part. Guilty pleasures like alcohol, smoking, caffeine, processed sugar, fast food, and artificial additives can all trigger gut problems if you over-indulge. When it comes to your diet, there are certain foods you should aim to incorporate to keep your gut working as it should.
Eating a rich and varied diet, made up of many different types of fruit, veg, proteins and carbohydrates, will help keep your natural gut flora healthy. Fruits, vegetables, beans, and legumes are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other essential nutrients vital to maintaining healthy gut bacteria. They are also high in fibre, which helps to stimulate the growth of gut bacteria. Raspberries, peas, artichoke, broccoli, chickpeas, lentils and wholegrains are all packed with natural bacteria-boosting properties.
Probiotics, meanwhile, play a crucial role in strengthening the body’s digestive and immune systems and building resilience to illness and disease. They can enhance the natural development of healthy bacteria and kill off the harmful bacteria that can lead to health problems if left unchecked.
Fermented foods also contain many healthy, natural bacteria, which can aid digestion and promote better intestinal health. Yoghurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir and kombucha are the ones to go for and can also help ease the symptoms of digestive conditions like lactose intolerance and IBS. And prebiotics, found in complex carbohydrates and fibre, promote the growth of beneficial microbes in the gut. Trying to live as cleanly and healthily as possible and limiting yourselves to the occasional treat, rather than making it a regular occurrence, will go a long way to maintaining better intestinal health.
But if you’re worried you might not be getting enough of these vital nutrients from your diet alone, natural supplements can help. Bowel Build is our key system product for the intestinal system. It contains nutrients and plant extracts perfectly balanced for a healthy digestive system. Its unique and effective formula encourages the proper flow of waste and elimination. It includes added ingredients Althea and Ginger for a soothing effect. Our formula also contains betaine HCl to aid digestion, with psyllium hulls and chlorophyll providing fibre and bulk.
We also offer a wide range of supplements that support better intestinal health. Like all Lily & Loaf’s supplements, they use premium ingredients and are manufactured to the highest ethical and sustainability standards.
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Disclaimer:
Information and other content provided in Lily & Loaf blogs should not be construed as medical advice and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise. If you have any medical concerns, you should consult with your health care provider.
