WHAT DOES YOUR GUT SAY?

health, Promote gut leading to your overall well-being

With the chilly weather, comes the food craving. Be it your weekend outing or bonfire get-togethers, winters is when one’s munching quotient soars to its peak. But do you know eating a diet full of highly processed foods with added sugars, salt and other additives, promotes gut microbes that can worsen cardiovascular and metabolic health. Hence, it is of utmost importance to take care of your gut health for a healthy mind and body. Ryan Fernando, celebrity and sports nutritionist, says, “The human gut represents the source of absorption of nutrition into the body. It’s like the gatekeeper that processes and allows the breakdown of food molecules into easier to digest dust particles.” Elaborating further, he adds, “The micro organisms in the gut is its own universe and it’s known as the micro bio. It consists of good bacteria and sometimes bad bacteria depending on your health status. The good bacteria is known as probiotics. The benefit of these good bacteria is that they digest and ferment the food and release molecules that lead to better health.” Moreover, fuelling your body with healthy food and essential nutrients plays a huge role in strengthening immunity. Neha Pathania, chief- dietitian of a Gurugram-based hospital, says, “Regular consumption of specific foods—including mango, cherry, cranberry, broccoli, walnuts and leafy greens—benefit the gut. They lower the obesity risk and support stress response.” Probiotics optimise our immune system, reduce inflammation and inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Dr Varun Katyal, nutritionist and wellness expert, says, “They play important role in making our immune system work properly, in determining our metabolism (and weight) and have a major effect on our mood.”