Take care of your gut so your gut can take care of you. We spend so much time hiding our gut and sucking it in, but it’s time to focus our energy on learning about its role in digestion and how to nourish it. We should be proud of all that our gut is capable of and recognize that keeping it healthy has major benefits for our mind, body, and soul.
Immunity
70 percent of the immune system lives in the gut, the gut plays an integral role in protecting you against pathogens and viruses. Just as your skin protects you against foreign invaders on the outside, your gut lining protects you on the inside.
Mental health
The brain and gut communicate with each other. Scientists previously thought there was a one-way communication between the brain and the gut, but now realize that it’s a two-way line. Basically, your gut, which is comprised of millions of neurons called the enteric nervous system, is also talking back to your brain. Also, 90 percent of serotonin, a hormone that affects mood, is produced by the cells in the gut. So an unbalanced gut can trigger anxiety, depression, and mood swings. Research has shown that probiotic-rich foods decrease anxiety and boost mood. That makes kefir a great wellbeing tool because it contains 12 live and active probiotic cultures.
Sleep
Many of sleep-influencing neurotransmitters—dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin among them—are produced in the gut as well as the brain. This shows how your sleeping habits and diet affect how your gut produces these important sleep chemicals, making probiotics an important factor in keeping your gut flourishing.
Digestion
There are more than 1,000 species of bacteria in the gut and each of them influence different aspects of your overall health. Probiotics can help balance the microbiome by replenishing the good bacteria and a balanced gut microflora assists in the bodies absorption of nutrients from food.
Skin Health
Skin issues such as acne may be an indicator of internal imbalances. Because the skin is our largest organ, poor nutrition choices may show up there first. Kefir contains a diverse count of probiotics that may help restore a natural balance of good vs. bad bacteria in the gut. Restoring the balance of intestinal microflora can help tame issues related to the stomach that result in skin problems.