13.
Food FIXES for a Healthy Gut
The digestive system is one of your body’s command centres.
Keep it happy and you’ll do more than settle your belly—you’ll
improve your overall health.
When most people think about the gut, their minds go to a couple of places.
Possibly first: Why is mine so big? And second: Why do I have bloating, gas,
constipation, or an overall yucky feeling?
No matter what you’re thinking right now, I want you to hang on one second
and consider this: Your gut—the intricate system of organs involved in the
digestive process—is really your second brain, because it plays a major role in
your moods, your immunity, and many other aspects of your general health. So
before I get into the common tummy ailments, it’s important for everyone—
whether you suffer from bellyaches or not—to understand one of your body’s
main control centres.
Like your brain, your stomach, colon, and small intestines pilot so much of
what you do, how you feel, your behaviours, and your health outcomes. These
organs even share hormones in common with your brain. For example, the feel-
good hormone serotonin is in large abundance in your gut. Let’s look at how it
all works together and why this chapter is about more than just constipation and
bloating.
You have 100 trillion or so bacteria living in your body—this world is referred
to as the microbiome. Different types of bacteria perform different functions, and
they come in the classic good versus evil variety. Some can help your health, and
some can hurt it. Your goal isn’t to eradicate the bad ones; the key is to establish