ALL ABOUT

GUT HEALTH

1. Introduction

2. Gut Health Quiz

3. Unhealthy Gut- Causes and pathophysiology

4. Types Of Gut

5. Guidelines To Keep The Gut Healthy

6. Healthy Gut Recipes

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTIONDid you know that if your gut is healthy, your mood and health is much better than otherwise? Yes, you heard it right? Just like the saying “a way to a man's heart is through good food, similarly “the way to a happier and healthier life is through a healthy gut.” We all know that the gut is responsible for breaking down, absorption and assimilation of food. But numerous researches, that have been done in the last few years have found interrelationship of the gut with mood, mental health, autoimmune diseases, skin conditions, weight loss and cancer. Our gut consists of a wide variety of these good bacteria known as gut-microbiome or gut flora which can enhance immune system function, improve symptoms of depression, help combat obesity, and provide numerous other benefits. Some are bad bacteria and other bacteria are vital for the gut to function optimally. The average human body contains 37.2 trillion cells and 10 times as many microbes. We are host to somewhere between 300-1000 different species of bacteria. Therefore, the food we eat decides on the type of bacteria we want to allow or feed in our gut.

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The following questions are designed to understand and analyze gut related issues. The quiz is very simple, give 1 for each “yes” and 0 for each “no”. Once you have answered all the questions, make a total and we will give you a zone

that you fall into. This will help you determine if its time to reset your gut health.

GUT HEALTH QUIZ

1. Do you water retention/ feel bloated more than 3 times a week?

2. Do you consume more than 3 cups of tea or coffee daily?

3. Do you face issues such as constipation more than 3 times a week?

4. Do you have disturbed sleep?

5. Do you struggle with weight loss or maintaining an ideal weight?

6. Do you eat processed/packaged foods/ order foods more than 3 times a week?

7. Do you get cravings of foods often?

8. Do you take antibiotics or other medications often?

9. Do you get stressed easily?

10. Do you feel fatigued or tired often?

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SCORECARD

Congratulations you are in Green Zone. Dont worry that's a safe zone. Your gut is in a good and healthy state, keeping you happy and healthy.

0-2 Yes

You are in Yellow Zone. Which means you have to work on your personal and mental health. Adding right foods , focusing on pre and

probiotics can get you in the Green Zone.

3-5 Yes

You are in Red Zone and require immediate attention to your health. Work on your gut by adding anti-inflammatory foods, cleansing your

gut and making the body alkaline. Consult a Nutritionist to strenghten the gut and reduce symptoms.

6-10 Yes

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Unhealthy gut is known to result due to many modern-day lifestyle habits. Few of which are listed below such as: Eating out every weekend Binging on processed and packaged foods High stress levels Irregular sleeping patterns Regular intake of antibiotics and other drugs No movement post intake of meals Intake of oil and spice laden foods Skipping meals especially breakfast Excessive intake of caffeinated beverages such as tea or coffee.

This in turn may affect other aspects of our health, such as the brain, heart, immune system, skin, weight, hormone levels, ability to absorb nutrients, and even the development of cancer.

Unhealthy gut- Causes & pathophysiology

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There are a number of ways an unhealthy gut might manifest itself, here are the most common signs:

Weight changes: Many research conducted have proven that diets high in fat and sugar decreased the presence of specific good microbes which in turn further affected body weight, fat mass, insulin resistance, and low-grade inflammation. Thus, what we eat plays an important role in maintaining gut microbes and thus weight gain or weight drop.

Gastric disturbances: Gastric disturbances are of different forms such as burping, belching, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, acidity, gas, water retention etc. As we are all different, similarly everyone has different gut inflammation symptoms. It may not be the same for everyone. But if you face any of these symptoms, it may predict gastric disturbances or gut inflammation.

Sleep disturbances: Serotonin known as the happy hormone, that affects mood and sleep, is produced in the gut. Gut inflammation or gut damage can impair sleep patterns. Some sleep disturbances have also been linked to risk for fibromyalgia.

Inflamed gut: Research has suggested that a diet high in sugar and consisting of excessive amounts of packaged and processed foods can decrease the number of good bacteria in the gut. Low number of good bacteria has been linked to inflammation which is a precursor to many diseases and even cancer.

Food intolerances: Food intolerances may be caused by poor quality of bacteria in the gut. Difficulty in digesting the trigger foods can lead to symptoms such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and nausea, ability to absorb nutrients, and even the development of cancer.

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TYPES OF GUT

DYSBIOTIC GUT

UPSET GUT

BODY DEFENCE support GUT

UNHAPPY GUT

BLOATED GUT

A gut with an impaired microbiotaor imbalance of microbes

A stressed-out / sleepless gut thatis unable to manage daily functions

Gut with imbalance in microbiotathat requires immune systemsupport

Frequent gastric issues such as acidity, diarrhoea, constipation leading to

mood swings

A gut dealing with occasional tofrequent bloating now and then.

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Supercharge your gut with our guidelines. These guidelines have to be followed for minimum 5 days. These guidelines will help in reducing inflammation around the gut and improve efficiency to digest, assimilate and absorb the nutrients, which will improve your immunity, reduce cravings, bloating, water retention and much more.

1. Include Prebiotic Foods- Banana, homemade ghee, white butter, coconut oil, boiled potato, rice, sweet potato etc. are some of the common prebiotics that can be added in the diet to promote growth ofgood bacteria. One tip that will really help with an inflamed gut is to start the day with banana and cook your food in only ghee or white butter.

2. Include Probiotic foods- Probiotics are foods that consist of good bacteria such as home-made curd, water-based pickles, traditional buttermilk, carrot kanji, idli, dosa, dhokla, sanna's, handvo and any other fermented food products. Make sure not to use eno or baking soda in dhokla or idli. Adding these food items in your diet in limited quantities for the next few days will really show improvement in gut health.

3. Include anti-inflammatory foods- Anti-inflammatory foods such as turmeric, ginger, fatty fish or fish oils, walnuts, coconut oil, beetroots, celery (less than 5cm stalk more than 5 will aggravate), basil seeds (sabja), chia seeds have found to reduce inflammation and reduce the symptoms. But since everyone's body is different, start with small quantities to analyze if it works well with your body type especially ginger and garlic.

GUIDELINES TO KEEP THE GUT HEALTHY

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4. Avoid Highly Processed / Packaged Foods- Anything factory made or that comes out of a packet. (Such as Sausage, Deli-Meats – pepperoni, ham, salami, pasta, biscuit, chips, namkeens, even diet bhels, sevs etc.) should be completely avoided. Stick to homemade, cooked foods that is easier to digest and lighter on the stomach.

5. Limit Sugars and Artificial Sweeteners- Sugars in the form of visible and invisible should be limited.

6. No Milk- Milk has shown to worsen the symptoms, however fermented milk products such as buttermilk, dahi or any other variants are allowed. However, in some cases, these foods also cause gastric issues. Thus, would recommend to try out small quantities and accordingly decide.

7. Avoid Alcohol- Stay clear from alcohol and other alcoholic beverages.

8. Avoid Chicken- Excessive intake of chicken has shown to affect the bacteria, avoid chicken for the next few days or 1 week and you will automatically start noticing a difference.

9. Avoid unnecessary Antacids/ Supplements- However, tempting it gets to pop in those pills, it always recommended to try out natural methods. One tipthat really helps with acidity or gas is including a glass of ajwain seeds water.

10. No raw foods-This includes raw salads, uncooked meats, raw fruits etc. Especially post 4 pm, try and avoid these foods. Vegetables can be includedin form of steaming, sautéing or soups. Similarly, fruits can be added in form of mashed, smoothies or stewed form.

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Ingredients: . • 1 full mango (pulp) • 2-3 tbsp Home made curd • 1 tbsp Chia seeds

MethodTake a mango, scoop out the pulp. Add it to a mixer with curd and chia seeds. Grind with ice cubes. Add it to a glass. You can top it up with some soaked chia seeds, chopped nuts and mint leaves. Enjoy.

PROBIOTIC MANGO SMOOTHIE

HEALTHY GUT RECIPES

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Ingredients: . • Sweet Potato – 2 nos [ Boiled ] • Chaat Masala – 2 tsp • Imli Chutney – Optional [1 tbspn] • Salt- as per taste • Jeera Powder – ½ tsp • Lemon juice- 1 tbspn

MethodWash sweet potatoes and boil them. Allow it to cool. Take a mixing bowl. Add chopped sweet potatoes and all the other ingredients. Mix it well and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

SWEET POTATO CHAAT

• Coriander Leaves – Handful • Jaggey / Sugar/ Honey – 1 tsp • Green Chilly – 1 no. Finely chopped • Onions – ½ no Chopped • Cherry Tomatoes – 4 -5 nos. • Cinnamon- ½ tsp

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Ingredients: . - 2 pcs Pumpkin - Shallots- 3 nos// Onion-1 no - Tomato- 1 no - Carrot-1 medium - Pepper corn- 2 to 3 nos - Cinnamon -1 small pc - Ginger-1/4 inch

MethodThoroughly wash the veggies and cut into pieces. Add all the ingredients in pressure cooker. Add 2 cups of water and take 5 whistles on low flame. Blend in mixer. Strain through soup siever. Add chopped coriander leaves.

ANTI- INFLAMMATORY

SOUP

- Garlic- 1 pcs - Coriander leaves-1 tsp - Mint leaves-3 pcs - Salt -1 pinch - Lemongrass-2 inch stalk - Basil leaves-2 - Organic haldi-2 pinch

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credits

Harpreet Pasricha(Diet Consultant &

Nutritionist)

Stephanie Gomes(Senior

Nutritionist)

Utkarsha Naik(Graphic

Designer)

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