26/02/2020
“YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!”
If you’ve ever given a health and fitness goal a proper crack, you definitely would have heard this phrase come out of someone’s mouth at some point. Great advice, but a more accurate statement would be to go a bit further and say ‘you are what you absorb.’
The microflora in the gastrointestinal tract is home to at least 500 different microbial species which are estimated to be in excess of 300 trillion microbes... quite a lot!
These microflora play a crucial role in synthesising amino acids and vitamins, metabolisation of carbohydrates and alcohol, stimulating immune system to respond to antigens and functions as a communication system between the gut and brain to integrate neural, hormonal and immunological responses to external stimuli.
Stress, eating excessive amounts of processed food, alcohol and exposure to pharmaceutical or recreational drugs can lead to an imbalance in this gut flora which can lead to allergies, intolerances anxiety, stress and in worst cases progress to things like IBS, IBD, Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease and other autoimmune diseases if left unchecked.
With the a goal of optimal health in mind, your nutrition choices should be those that foster the growth and balance of the good bacteria in your gut and the more specific goals like body composition and weight loss tend to be a by-product when this is the case.