Gut-Instinct

We all know about ‘gut instinct’ but what is it, and where does it reside? Going by the name ‘Gut’ it must be residing in our gut- in our small and large intestine! 

This knowledge should make us give more thought (and respect) to our intestines. But the opposite is true in most cases! 

Most of us think of our guts as the place where our food is digested; and take these organs for-granted, expecting them to digest whatever we throw at (into) them. 

Perhaps, it is time to think again... and think fresh! 

The very phrase, ‘Gut Instinct’ tells us that our Gastro-Intestinal Tract is much more than merely a digestion center. In fact, it is quite literally our second brain and home to 2/3rd of our immune system. 

It is also interesting to note that approximately 100 trillion bacteria reside in our guts… (10 times the number of cells we have in our entire body)  and just like any other colony/ world, this gut-fauna is also divided into good bacteria and bad bacteria. 

Ideally (for good health and strong gut-instinct) the good bacteria should greatly outnumber the bad bacteria, but thanks to our 'modern' lifestyle, the opposite happens.

 

To find out which bacteria has a majority in our gut; we need to pay attention to our bodies (and listen to our gut-instinct). 

Abdominal Gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, acid-reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, skin problems like eczema, restless sleep, migraine headaches, an inability to lose weight, and sugar cravings are sure signs (symptoms) of the bad bacteria ruling the roost in our guts! And when bad bacteria is in majority, our gut-instincts are in trouble! In other words, we are not in touch with our innate intelligence/ in-tuition. 

How do bad bacteria get to rule our guts? There are only possible two ways - either we are eating something that is making bad bacteria thrive or we are ingesting something that is killing the good bacteria! 

Processed foods, sugars, and refined carbohydrates make the bad bacteria thrive; while pasteurized milk, chemicals- pesticide laden foods (meats, fruits, vegetables, grains), chlorinated water, and antibiotics etc kill good bacteria.

How can we reverse this trend, restore the good bacteria and sharpen our gut instincts? The answer is simple. We need to stop feeding the bad bacteria and killing the good bacteria.

A few steps that can be taken (and I like to take) are:-

Eat organic foods (grow your own food), as much as possible

Eat fermented foods, such as yoghurt (lassi), idli, dhokla

Eat live foods, such as sprouts

Reduce intake of sugar, refined, processed, packaged foods

Drink freshly squeezed veg-fruit juices 

Send love and light to the good bacteria residing in the gut.