We all understand the need for food intake. Our stomach reminds us of this fact on a regular basis! The nourishment that our body needs to survive and flourish is locked away within this food, so it's the digestive system and the Gut, that plays the role of breaking food down from the large molecules that are bound together both physically and chemically, into singular nutrients that our body can either use or store for future use.

Sounding simple? Not so......the gut is not called the 2nd brain without good reason!

You may have heard the expression "You are what you eat". We'd like to present you with a truer alternative – "You are what you digest!" Digestion is a complex process relying on the smooth interaction of a number of organs which include the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestines, large intestines, colon and on a supportive basis -the tongue, salivary glands, liver, gall bladder and pancreas.
In this day and age we have a huge variety of foods available for consumption. Compared to our predecessors, our foods have become over processed, chemically laden and nutrient deficient. I once heard a supermarket described as a mausoleum for food. The facts are that much of our available foods are quite dead! New food technologies have challenged our body's ability to effectively process these foods and in many cases this nutrient deficient food is of little use to us.

KEY FACTORS IN GUT HEALTH.

Enzymes that are vibrant and alive play one of the most important roles in the digestive system. It is said that we are born with a certain number of enzymes in our body and as those numbers diminish, we as humans become diseased and diminish as well. We need a constant supply of enzymes through proper food intake to keep healthy. Enzyme rich foods are usually raw or only heated to very low temperatures as these delicate enzymes are destroyed through the cooking process with heating over approximately 43 degrees Celsius.
For the majority of people, you will now realize that your average diet is very deficient in live enzymes.

In this "civilization," due to improper eating habits, we have knowingly or unknowingly reached a point where our bodies are severely depleted of enzymes. The long standing intake of processed or devitalized foods and the continual intake of cooked food wherein all enzymes are destroyed at a temperature greater than 116 degrees Fahrenheit (46 2/3 Centigrade), brings us gradually to a state of enzyme deficiency wherein our bodies are now operating at levels whereby we can no longer properly digest the food we eat.
Prof. Dr. Sir John Whitman Ray

Enzymes are involved in the breaking down of our food groups – proteins, carbohydrates and fats into the smaller, simple complexes and amino acids.
Amino acids are nitrogen containing acids that build and repair tissue, they form antibodies to combat invading bacteria and viruses; they are part of the enzyme and hormonal system, they build the nucleoproteins (RNA and DNA); they carry oxygen throughout the body and participate in muscle activity. When protein is broken down by digestion the result is 22 known amino acids. Eight are essential (cannot be manufactured by the body), the rest are non-essential can be manufactured by the body) as long as we supply good quality enzyme rich foods that have not been heated over 43 degrees Celsius.
Some amino acids are: Lysine, Histidine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Threonine, Serine, Glutamic Acid, Proline, Alanine, Valine, Methionine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Tyrosine, Phenylaline, Cystine and Glycine.
As adults we require up to 20 amino acids in their natural form so that all our bodily metabolic functions can be performed and in particular so that the endocrine glands can produce and secrete all the hormones necessary for proper cellular function. If there is one amino acid missing in the diet due to cooking the food we consume, or due to eating processed foods, or due to the inability of the body to digest protein, or eating a protein deficient diet, then certain hormones cannot be produced and secreted by the endocrine glands.

Symptoms of Gut Dysbiosis

There are many symptoms of a gut dysbiosis that might be obvious to you and some much less obvious. The following is a short list of some of the more common symptoms:

• Bloating, belching
• Food sensitivities and allergies
• Reflux, G.O.R.D.
• Insomnia
• Fatigue including Chronic Fatigue
• Migraine, headaches
• Stomach & abdominal pain
• Diarrhea & constipation
• Crones disease
• Diverticulitis
• Depression & anxiety

The 2nd Brain

One of the least acknowledged areas of gut dysbiosis is the effect that an unhealthy gut has on our emotions and mental health. Modern theory has labeled the gut as the 2nd Brain, and with good reason! Just think of the last time when you were upset –many people would feel sick in their stomach and possibly have urgent bowel movements. Butterflies in the stomach are a classic symptom of nervousness. The relationship of the gut and emotions is a very strong one and if we are subject to any sort of emotional distress, we are prone to experiencing the effects in our gastrointestinal system and the reverse is also true. A dysfunctional gut will create a myriad of unbalanced emotional symptoms as a result. These symptoms can eventually present as physical disorders impacting our lives.

Technically known as the enteric nervous system, the second brain consists of sheaths of neurons embedded in the walls of the long tube of our gut, or alimentary canal, which measures about nine meters end to end from the oesophagus to the anus. The second brain contains some 100 million neurons, more than in either the spinal cord or the peripheral nervous system.
95% of serotonin/neurotransmitters/happy hormones come predominantly from the gut not the brain and 85% of our immune system is manufactured in the lining of the gut wall.
Dr Michael Gershon, The Second Brain 1999

What exactly is gut dysbiosis?

As adults we have approximately 2 kg of bacteria in our gut and bowel wall. Out of that 2kg we can have up to 85% beneficial bacteria (good guys) and 15% pathogenic bacteria (bad guys). Now, we can happily continue with this balance of bacteria but when we experience stress, poor diet or malabsorption, the pill, antibiotics (there is a time and place for antibiotics), environmental chemicals and pollutants, viruses and parasites, then this puts the gut out of balance which we then call dysbiosis.
It is imperative that we look after our gut. To maintain our health, we must maintain these good bacteria throughout out life. Even if we are on the perfect diet, we can still be nutrient and mineral deficient if our digestive system isn't keeping up. Taking higher doses of supplements isn't always the answer – but correcting the digestive system is always a good place to start.

How do we maintain a happy digestion and help to prevent imbalances in the body?

Our body is remarkable, given that every 5 days, the lining of our gut turns over and renews itself, giving our body the chance to create a new and healthy environment full of good bacteria. Our best friends in the gut are the 'good bacteria!'. This good bacteria keeps us healthy and strong. The good bacteria help to break down our foods and extract essential minerals and vitamins. They are responsible for our production of vitamins and assimilation, cholesterol metabolism, controlling our glucose levels and normalizing our bowel motions.

Fermentation

With an under functioning gut, it is possible to temporarily bypass the digestive process by using fermented foods that are predigested by the friendly bacteria. Many probiotics on the market are laboratory produced spliced bacteria that are affected detrimentally by food acids, alcohol, pH balance and mostly arrive depleted in the gut. When ingesting whole foods which are predigested, the good probiotic bacteria has it's own food source and a robust community of bacteria active and willing to work in their many productive roles throughout your body and especially in the gut.
In conclusion, it is difficult to be healthy if our gut and digestion are not in good working condition. As the gut is the first line of defense for the immune system, so a damaged gut can lead to many serious implication for our overall health and wellbeing, you see almost any disease can be traced back to a few simple factors, an overload of toxicity from stress, eating unhealthy food and excess exposure to chemicals and pollutants in the environment and water, all relating back to our gut and digestion.

Mark Green, Founder of detoxME and creator of The Modern Science of Detoxicology Training states "I've seen miracles happen with peoples health, just by balancing the gut with pre digested, enzyme rich, whole super foods laden with natural wild lactobacillus. This is nature at its very best!"