Can Gut Health Affect Your Energy?
By Dr. Cara Lan
Yes! 100%. If you have poor GI health, you will most assuredly have less energy than those who do not. Caring for your gut is one of the best things you can do to keep your energy levels up.
Here are a few high-yield facts to keep in mind about how a healthy belly can keep you energized, happy and calm.
1. Gut Microbiota: The BFFs You Never Knew You Had
Your gut is like a bustling metropolis, teeming with a lively and diverse community of beneficial microorganisms. These tiny superheroes, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, make up your gut microbiome. They work tirelessly behind the scenes, aiding digestion, regulating metabolism, decreasing inflammation, informing your immune system, producing vitamins for you and fuel for your colonic cells and so much more, all of which affect your energy levels.
Gut villi with beneficial microbes.
2. Nutrient Absorption and Energy Production
When your gut is healthy it is good at absorbing the essential nutrients you need to create sustained energy. Key nutrients to be absorbed include both macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats and proteins) as well as micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phyto-(plant)-chemicals). These nutrients are converted into energy through a complex series of metabolic processes. When your gut is inflamed or just not working optimally, nutrients will not be absorbed as well, potentially leading to deficiencies. A well-balanced gut microbiome promotes optimal nutrient absorption as well as creates key energy producing vitamins ensuring your body has the necessary fuel it needs for energy production.
3. Gut-Brain Connection: Communication is key
The gut and brain are intricately connected through a bidirectional communication pathway called the gut-brain axis. This pathway is a constant conversation between the two, allowing signals and messages to continuously influence various aspects of your wellbeing, including your energy levels, mood and cognition. Imbalances in the gut microbiota can disrupt this communication, potentially leading to fatigue, mood imbalances and brain fog.
4. Inflammation: The Energy Drain
An unhealthy gut can trigger chronic low-grade inflammation. This persistent inflammation not only affects the gut itself but also spreads throughout your system affecting everything from your energy, to chronic pain of your muscles and joints, to chronic headaches, inability to handle stress, chronic mood imbalances … you name it. Low-grade inflammation wreaks havoc on all of your systems leaving you feeling sluggish, in pain, irritable, anxious, depressed and fatigued. By promoting gut health, you can reduce inflammation and experience a significant boost in energy levels.
5. Optimizing Gut Health for Enhanced Energy
Here are some key steps you can take today to improve your gut health and boost your energy this summer:
~Focus on a Colorful Variety of Foods: Spice up your meals with a colorful medley of fruits, veggies, herbs, whole grains, grass-fed and pasture-raised animal proteins, and healthy fats. Your gut loves a wide array of these foods which provide the essential macro and micronutrients necessary to support a diverse microbiome and your general wellbeing.
~Add Fermented Foods: Enliven your gut by including fermented foods with live cultures such as plain yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha. Your gut will thank you!
~Focus on PREbiotics: Feed those friendly gut bacteria with a wide variety of prebiotic foods rotated throughout the week. Examples include garlic, onions, asparagus, bananas, apples, watermelon, grapefruit, lentils, beans, leeks, whole oats, almonds, pistachios and flax seeds. It's like giving them a gourmet feast, and they'll return the favor by keeping your energy levels on point.
~Add a high-quality probiotic: While fermented foods can add some types of beneficial microbes, they are very limited in the number of microbes per serving as well as provide only a limited number of strains. A high quality probiotic supplement can ensure that a greater variety of microbes enter your gut and will increase the probability that many of them will make it beyond the stomach acid and digestive enzymes, into the lower part of your GI tract where they will live and do all their good work. (And the prebiotic foods you eat ensure they will have the food they need to live happily)!
~Rotate Probiotics: No probiotic supplement contains all the strains your body needs as there are hundreds of beneficial bacterial species in your gut microbiome. For this reason, rotating through different high-quality probiotics can be beneficial to getting exposure to a wide variety of species and strains.
Here are a few of my favorite probiotic supplements:
ProtoDophilus 50 billion by Protocol for Life Balance
Orthobiotic 100 by Orthomolecular Products
Essential-Biotic COMPLETE by Allergy Research Group
Click here to go to Log into or create a Fullscript account to order.
~Manage Stress: Chronic stress can disrupt the balance of your gut microbiota. Engage in stress-reducing activities such as meditation, exercise, and spending time in nature and with loved ones to help keep your GI relaxed and happy.
~Get Quality Sleep: Prioritize sufficient and restful sleep, as it allows your body to repair and regenerate, supporting gut health and energy levels.
Everyone's gut health journey is unique, and it may take time to notice significant changes. Be patient and consistent with these practices and you will see improvement! Enjoy your renewed energy!!!
P.S. If you or someone you know could use one on one help in renewing GI health, Click here to schedule a free 15-minute Health Alignment Consultation.
P.P.S. If you or someone you know if suffering with low energy, chronic fatigue or chronic illness please share my free, downloadable e-book: 8 Essential Steps to Begin Healing From Chronic Fatigue.