The benefits of looking after your gut health are now way too loud to ignore.
And if you're an older gun like me who is looking to have an awesome second half of their life, then you really need to get on the gut health train.
In case you're wondering, I'm 46 years old, and after starting to drink kombucha daily and getting serious about my gut health I've never felt better.
I hear you, the world doesn't need any more 46 year old men thinking they're Peter Pan. But who says that our later life should be where we slow down, start creaking, or even worse get an illness or condition that puts us out the game?
What I know now is that it doesn't need to be that way. I've seen people still surfing the waves like a king at 85 years old, climbing mountains at 75, and even a 70 year old who was out of shape at 60 doing back flips now.
It's really simple.
Look after your gut, and your gut will look after you.
This article will tell you 10 of the top health benefits you could experience if you start looking after your gut health.
Why you should believe:
- The Functional Drinks Club taproom in Otley, near Leeds sells the largest range of real kombucha in the UK.
- We've successfully helped 100s of people improve their gut health with kombucha.
- We only sell real deal kombucha that's made the correct way, unlike 99% of the kombucha you can buy in the supermarket.
- Since I started looking after my gut health I've lost two stone in weight, my psoriasis is under control, and my energy levels are off the charts.
Want to jump straight into the world of awesome kombucha and start improving your gut health right away?
Visit the taproom in Otley, near Leeds, or build a kombucha box that goes anywhere in the UK.
Be proactive with your health, don't wait for something to happen
When it comes to improving your overall health you can't find a better starting place than your gut.
All the research is now pointing to your gut being fundamental to living a healthy life, yet the majority of our diet is filled with ultra-processed foods that do nothing for it.
And in a world where the food items that are really good for you cost so much money, and the food items that are bad for you are as cheap as chips, it's becoming harder and harder to get the good stuff your body needs.
The world isn't adding up right now, and the people who should be protecting us really don't care. If they did, why would they allow full fat Coke to be sold to us?
That's why it's super important now to start looking after ourselves.
In a world where nothing is guaranteed, you owe it to yourself to make the little improvements that will have a massive impact on your life.
A great starting point is to improve your gut health by adding something fermented daily into your diet.
Not just anything fermented, but one of the following:
- Kombucha
- Kimchi
- Kefir
- Kraut
These fermented foods and drinks are the difference between putting unleaded and super unleaded in your car. They make everything function so much better.
And by making this little change, you'll see one or more of the following health improvements.
This is our list of top 10 health benefits you can experience from looking after your gut health.
Gut health: the top ten health benefits
1. A digestive system that purrs
Say goodbye to bloating, gas, trapped wind, and discomfort.
If you've got a healthy gut, it means that your digestive system will function better. Imagine a world where you're consistent when it comes to the number two.
I'm clockwork baby, I clear my bowels every morning at the same time without having to worry about anything else throughout the day.
That's just one of the benefits of good gut health, there's loads more.
I love that I can now experience a day without bloating or gas, it's a game changer to how I go about my day to day.
Mind you, I still haven't gone back to wearing skinny jeans after the weight loss because I'm not Mick Jagger.
2. A stronger immune system
There's a reason why doctors recommend drinking real deal kefir while on a course of strong antibiotics.
It's because antibiotics wipe out your immune system leaving you open to attack - and you don't want that.
I couldn't resist, and I know only old schoolers will be able to name the song the last paragraph is riffing on.
Anyway, the reason they recommend kefir is because your gut is home to a pretty big number of immune cells.
This means that it's super important to have a healthy, balanced gut microbiome to help you fend off infections and illnesses more effectively.
For me, this is even more important if you've got a 6 year old daughter like I do. She is like a sponge for bugs and viruses when she's in school, meaning I need to take proactive action to fend them all off.
That means having awesome gut health.
3. Improved nutrient absorption
The better your gut health, the better it is at getting all the goodness from the food you're eating.
And that's what we're talking about.
A healthy gut means you're getting even more health benefits from the food you're eating.
In a world where too many people waste money on supplements that do nothing, wouldn't it be awesome to know that you're getting all the vitamins and nutrients you need from the food you're eating?
Our advice, ditch the supps and get on with improving your gut health and diet. Trust us, you'll feel 100x better for it.
"If you put shit in, you get shit out"
Kevin Gillespie, Functional Drinks Club founder
4. Better mood and mental health
The gut-brain connection is real.
Think about it.
When you're first conceived and just a little embryo, all you consist of is a gut and a brain. And that connection grows as you grow.
It's that simple, so it's super important that you understand how important having a healthy gut is to your mental health.
It's not called the "second brain" for nothing, and as we now know, it's actually a lot more important when it comes to impacting on your mood.
Here's the thing, if you eat crap, then you're going to feel like crap mentally and physically.
Give it a shot, just try eating healthy for a full week - no sugar, no ultra-processed foods, no alcohol, but a lot of meat and veg.
100% you will notice a difference within yourself. What have you got to lose, except your mind...
This scene always pops into my head when I think about the connection between the gut and the brain.
Who knew that Mike Myers was the original Tim Spector...
5. Weight management support
I lost two stone and kept it off after I started to look after my gut health.
I don't think any more needs to be said on this other than it makes sense that this would happen.
Think about it.
If you get your body performing at a top level, then it means that you're doing the right things to help it be that way anyway.
And I now know that alcohol destroys the gut microbiome, so I've got rid of that from my life as well.
I'll caveat this by saying if you think you can eat foods that are good for your gut health while still eating pizzas and kebabs then forget about it.
You're not ready to be the best version of yourself.
6. Better skin
Just like there's a gut-brain connection, there's also a gut-skin connection.
We've all had oily or spotty skin when eating bad food like pizza, sugary sweets, or fizzy pop. That's because we now know that the gut microbiome influences our skin's own microbiome.
It goes hand in hand, so once again we're back to that old saying - you put crap in, you get crap out.
The types of skin conditions that can be impacted by having an unhealthy gut:
- Acne
- Dermatitis
- Psoriasis
- Rosacea
But it's not all about prevention of skin condition flare ups. The detoxifying effect of having a healthy gut means that your skin will be clearer because of reduced inflammation.
Remember, looking after your gut health is also the best form of skin care.
7. Reduced inflammation
A balanced gut microbiome (the collection of good bacteria in your gut) helps regulate your body's immune system.
Now, not all inflammation is bad, it's actually part of your body's natural defence system to help protect and repair.
However, too much inflammation is, and it's caused by having bad gut health (unbalanced).
Chronic inflammation leads to a lot of the skin conditions listed above, as well as more sinister illnesses and conditions that can really impact on our quality of later life.
It's why I'm so big on getting on the gut health train if you're coming into the second part of your life. It will make a massive difference to your day to day life.
Make the change. Your future self will thank you later.
8. Balanced sugar levels
Probiotic rich food is amazing for gut health, and for controlling your blood sugar levels.
As it turns out, the 4Ks (kombucha, kimchi, kefir, kraut) are packed with probiotics, so making sure you have one of them daily as part of your diet is one step closer to having a balanced blood sugar level.
It's not just fermented food and drink that helps with it all. Foods rich in polyphenols like berries, green tea, and dark chocolate have all been shown to improve gut microbiome diversity.
Most importantly though, having a healthy digestive system plays a significant role in how the body processes glucose.
Long story short, having good gut health equals balanced blood sugar.
9. Better sleep quality
This is all about the gut-brain connection and various hormones.
How it works is the gut and brain communicate through what is called the gut-brain axis, a communication network linking the gut microbiome to the central nervous system.
We now know that the gut microbiome plays a crucial role in the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, which is needed to create melatonin, better known as the sleep hormone.
Nearly through with the science, but the key point is that around about 90% of your body's serotonin is produced in your gut.
Pretty important to have good gut health then, especially if you want to have a good night's sleep.
10. Long-term disease prevention
Taking care of your gut is the best investment you can ever make, because what's the point in money if you're not around to enjoy it?
Here's your insider knowledge when it comes to the best investment you can make right now.
A healthy gut is associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases like heart issues, diabetes, and a number of different cancers.
And it's not too late to start making the positive changes, I know.
The number of people who have come into Functional Drinks Club who have turned their stomach issues round just by drinking real deal kefir every day for a week is growing and growing.
Looking after your gut health really works, don't wait to make the positive change.
The author: Kevin Gillespie
Kevin Gillespie is the founder of Functional Drinks Club and is on a mission to help as many people as possible to enjoy a healthier + happier + stronger second half of their life. Kevin has helped 100s of people to improve their gut health and cut down their alcohol consumption to ensure they stay fit and healthy as they move into their 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. In the UK, too many people accept that they will have an ill-ravaged last few years of their lives, but it doesn't need to be that way. A few simple changes made to your diet can have a massive positive impact on how your later years play out.
