Your gut is essential to living and feeling the best you possibly can! If you have an unhealthy gut, you may struggle to show up and perform at your very best– whether that be in the gym, at work or even at home with your family. So why is it important to protect your gut health? Your gut can affect almost every other part of your body: kidneys, liver, brain, and so on. This is a huge reason we should protect it and work to keep it healthy.
We are going to dive more into what it means to have a healthy versus an unhealthy gut. We are also going to discuss some key ingredients that make up a greens and/or red supplement products, and how a supplement like this may just be a solution for you when it comes to improving your gut health.
Healthy vs. Unhealthy Gut
Do you find yourself struggling to digest certain foods? Have a strange amount of bloating, gas, diarrhea or constipation? These all can be signs that your gut may be unhealthy. Read on to learn more about the differences between a healthy versus an unhealthy gut.
Healthy Gut
A healthy gut can process foods and discrete waste more readily, without as many of these added symptoms (bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation). Your gut microbiome is the home for most of the bacteria that live in your digestive track. This bacteria in your gut is what helps you disassemble food that flows through your digestive tract, taking the nutrients from these foods and making them into something your body may be able to utilize. However, this “good” bacteria in your gut is not the only type of bacteria that resides down there.
Unhealthy Gut
So-called “bad” bacteria grow and develop within your gut as well, just not as much or as fast. The “good” bacteria in your gut multiplies at an even faster rate than the “bad,” taking up as much room as possible in your gut. This leaves the “bad” bacteria with no room to proliferate. This constant cycle of bacteria growth where the good outweighs the bad can be called gut equilibrium. However, an unhealthy gut consists more of this “bad” bacteria in one’s gut, causing unpleasant symptoms to arouse, while taking your gut out of its natural equilibrium, and straying you away from feeling like the best version of yourself.
Taking a supplement that may aid in the growth of this “good” bacteria may help you keep your gut health more regulated so that it stays in this healthy equilibrium. A prebiotic, digestive enzymes, or a greens and reds supplement could be an option to add to your regular diet. Let’s talk more about what most of these supplements on the market contain, and how these certain ingredients can not only benefit your gut health but your general health and well-being as well.
Enzymes and Prebiotic Fiber for Healthy Digestion
Your gastrointestinal tract creates and emits digestive enzymes that work to break down proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and other compounds found in the foods you eat. They enhance chemical reactions in the body, which in turn aids in the digestion of food and nutrient absorption from the foods you eat. There are multiple different types of enzymes that serve different functions in order to help absorb these nutrients from the food we intake. Amylase, for example, is an enzyme that holds the role of breaking down carbohydrates and starches. Protease is directed towards breaking down proteins in these foods, and lipase deals with the fats. The supplementation of digestive enzymes can be a great way to make sure your gut is properly functioning the way it should, especially if you have underlying gastrointestinal intolerances or diseases.
Prebiotic Fiber
Prebiotic fiber has a numerous number of benefits for the human body. Prebiotic fiber changes the composition and activity of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, boosting the growth of this “good” bacteria in your gut, which works to break down foods and keep the gut healthy from foreign predators. Taken from an article in the MDPI on Nutrients (which can be found here), Joanne Slavin wrote that a prebiotic is classified if it can:
- resist gastric acidity, be hydrolysed by mammalian enzymes, and be absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tract.
- be fermented by the intestinal microflora.
- selectively stimulate the growth and/or activity of intestinal bacteria potentially associated with health and well-being.
With its chances of not only lowering your risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and some gastrointestinal diseases, prebiotic fiber is also known to enhance immune function. Its benefits are outrageous. Consuming prebiotic fiber can be a healthy way to increase your consumption of fiber on a daily basis and maintain an overall healthy body.
Build Up of Immune Support
Maintaining a strong immune system is another key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. A lot of greens and reds supplements are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that directly correlate to improving the health of your immune system. Ascorbic acid, for example, is classified as an antioxidant that works to protect your cells against free radicals, which can damage the structural integrity of your cells and tissues, in turn weakening your immune system’s ability to fight off predators. Organic turmeric is another ingredient that is usually found in greens and reds supplements that has been proven to support the immune system. Curcumin, a main compound found in turmeric, is shown to change certain immune system responses and deflect enzymes that can cause inflammation build up in order to allow your immune system to fight off the infections that come in contact. Reishi and Cordyceps mushrooms are another key ingredient in greens and reds supplements that have been shown to present promising effects on the immune system because of their anti-inflammatory properties. Medical mushrooms like these consist of powerful polysaccharides known as beta-glucans, which fight this inflammation build-up that can occur within your body and negatively affect the activity of your immune system.
Organic Greens and Reds Blend
Are you someone who struggles to add fruits and vegetables into your everyday diet? Most of the greens and reds that make up a supplement powder consist of dried fruits and vegetables, and these powders are sometimes naturally flavored with stevia or other natural flavors to make the taste more enjoyable, creating a healthy alternative for someone who just may not like the taste of certain fruits and vegetables. As already mentioned, these dried fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can make it easier for you to make sure you are receiving the proper amount of nutrients per your daily intake levels. Greens and/or reds powders can be great sources of calcium, selenium, iodine, potassium, and chromium, as well as many other vitamins and antioxidants. The benefits from having these vitamins and nutrients in your diet is long stretching. If you want to learn more about each nutrient specifically as well as their individual effects on the body, check out the Harvard Health Publishing from Harvard Medical School, right here.
Do you need supplements for gut health?
If you find yourself with these gut-wrenching side effects, digestive aids or prebiotics may benefit you. However, having a well-balanced diet is the first key to making sure your gut health is functioning well. For high-quality Power Greens and Reds supplements and other nutritional supplements to support your health and wellness, you can shop the selection at Innovative Sports Nutrition today.