gutvibesonly.
Feel Great From the Inside Out
Welcome to gutvibesonly.
Our aim is to be a platform that:
EDUCATES you about gut health
in a way that is easy to understand
EMPOWERS you to take control
and understand your own gut health
SUPPORTS you in making
practical lifestyle changes
to help improve your gut health.
About Us
Fatima
We created Gut Vibes Only as a platform to share our personal journeys with our own gut health and all the learnings we have picked up along the way.
Fatima has suffered from anxiety, bloating and IBS since she was a child and Riz was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in his 30s.
Between us, we have seen numerous Doctors, Nutritionists, Naturopaths, Acupuncturists and other specialists to understand what was going on with our bodies.
We have both seen significant improvements in our conditions since understanding our own gut health and making certain lifestyle changes. We want to share what we’ve learned with you in the hope that some of our learnings may help you too.
Wherever you are in your gut health journey, we hope we can de-mystify the often complicated world of gut health in ways which are easy to understand, empower you to take control of your own gut health and support you in making practical lifestyle changes that can improve your gut health.
Riz
What is the Gut?
What Do People Mean When They Talk About “The Gut” and What Is “Gut Health”?
I was once taught by someone that if you can’t explain something to your grandma or a 10-year-old, then you don’t really understand it yourself or you aren’t explaining it properly. So we are going to start by explaining what the gut is in a really basic way. Here goes.
Salivary Glands
Mouth
Oesophagus
Liver
Stomach
Pancreas
Large Intestine
Small Intestine
Appendix
Rectum
Anus
What is the Gut?
Your gut consists of a group of organs in the body. An organ is simply a part of your body that performs a specific function, e.g. your heart is an organ that pumps blood around the body.
The main organs that make up the gut are your stomach and intestines. Each of these performs specific functions, but more broadly, they help break down food, which is also known as digestion.
I find that the best way to understand this is to imagine the journey of a grape from when you eat it to when it comes out the other end, i.e. when you go to the bathroom. You put the grape into your mouth and chew it. It then goes down a pipe called the esophagus and enters your stomach, then the small intestine, then the large intestine, and finally exits your body via the anus (your bum).
So, where is the gut in all of this? The gut essentially starts at the stomach and ends at your large intestine. See the diagram opposite.
Other fancy words that are sometimes used when talking about the gut are your gastrointestinal (“GI”) tract or digestive system. Technically, these also include parts of your body like your salivary glands and your esophagus, i.e., the pipe which connects your tongue and your stomach.
In short, your gut simply refers to a number of organs in the body: the stomach and intestines. These organs are focused on breaking down food and are where digestion primarily takes place in the body.
What is Gut Health?
Gut health refers to the health of the system that we have just outlined above. The health of this system relies on having a good balance of bacteria and other tiny organisms in your digestive system. This balance is important because:
Digestion: Good gut health helps your body break down food and absorb nutrients properly.
Immune System: A healthy gut helps protect you from getting sick because a large part of your immune system is in your gut.
Feeling Good: Your gut and brain are connected, so a healthy gut can help you feel better mentally and emotionally.
We will be exploring all of these topics in more detail including how you can make sure you have a good balance of bacteria in your gut along with other practical ways you can improve your gut health over the next few weeks. Stay tuned !
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