Groom your immune

What if I said that you can continue to enjoy your favourite foods, party away, treat yourself to the occasional binge, get away with it all, and still have good immunity, metabolism and gut health. Don’t believe me yet??! Hold that thought…

 Hi K&K Fam,

Welcome back to our second offering from the “Kal & Kai” way of life. We commend you for joining us on this journey and taking the time to gather the right kind of knowledge to take care of yourself and your family. Wholesome health and sustainable practices await to enrich your life in every way possible. From our experts, we bring to you the time-tested practices that keep your holistic health. Read on to find out more –

What will you get out of this blog???

• A good understanding of what makes for a healthy gut
• Where do you stand in your immune journey
• Easy practices to improve your gut health, in turn your immunity

In our last blog post, we talked about the Centenarians in the Blue zones of the world and their healthy practices that led them to having longer fuller lives with great immunity. This post is going to be an extension of that, while offering a recipe for a good immune system.

Today, let’s talk about what makes up the “gut” in our body and why it is important to keep our gut in top shape and how we can do this in simple steps here

Gut – We may have heard this colloquial term being used loosely to describe a stomach or a digestive system as a whole, but, what is this thing we call a “gut” in our body and how does it play a role in keeping our overall health? Not to give you a science lesson or anything, but, simply put, the food we eat is converted into nutrients through the process of digestion which begins with the chewing of the food in the mouth, and moves to the process of breakdown in the stomach and small intestine, and ends with the elimination of indigestible food from the large intestine(Colon). The space in our body where the above process happens is what makes up the “gut”

So now that we know where the gut is, let’s talk about what makes it healthy.

What makes your gut healthy??

A diverse gut microbiota, they say!

So, what is gut microbiota in plain English?? Our gut is home to a large number of species of bacteria and fungi that help chemically breakdown the food we eat into a form that is transferable through our blood stream to various cells in our body as nourishment.

Ever wondered why good gut health shows as glowing skin??

The keyword here to focus on is “diversity” ; the more diverse the species of microorganisms, the more resilient the gut.

Here is where one can’t but admire the elegance of a self-sustaining design of the human body – We need these gut bacteria to digest the food we eat, but based on the kind of food we put in the body, it is also responsible for introducing new species of microbes, promoting microbial growth, replenishing them, and depleting them. So, by simply choosing the right kind of food over a period of time, one can ensure a good bacterial population and thereby a tranquil gut.

“You are what you eat”

Now let’s tackle the question of “Why?” – Why is gut health important to us? Gut is regarded as a “second brain” because what gets produced in the gut affects the functionality of every single part of the body. The quality of nourishment directly correlates to the efficiency with which the physical body performs. This has been public knowledge ever since science helped us understand our physical body, but if this isn’t reason enough to care for our gut, let me give you another thinker –

Did you know that 70% of your immune system(cells) is housed in the gut?

These immune cells play a vital role in policing the food we eat for harmful substances. But, what is of primary interest is that the effective performance of these immune cells are controlled by a robust gut microbiota. These immune cells are nurtured by the microbiome in the gut and are only as good as their feeders.

The immune system develops an adaptive intelligence over time to distinguish between harmful, foreign cells and the body’s own healthy cells and this crucial information is being stored and carried out in what is called the “T-cells”.

This is precisely why some people enjoy a more responsive immune system than the others, and one of the main defining factors is the quantity and quality of food we put in our body. 

So, the T-cells are essential in determining whether or not the immune system works for the body or against it. When the gut is imbalanced or has too much “bad” bacteria, the T-cells are rendered ineffective resulting in a malfunctioning immune system – it could be failing to attack the harmful viruses leading to an infection, or attacking one’s own healthy cells leading to auto-immune diseases, or not stopping an attack after the foreign body is vanquished leading to malign cancerous cells. Eating gut-replenishing foods not only ensures immunity against illnesses, but also prevents malfunctioning of our vital organs.

Hence, a healthy gut is the way to having a robust immune system!!!
Here are a few recommendations from the “Kal & Kai” way of life to develop a healthy gut and a healthier YOU –

First, let us learn to recognize the signs of a healthy gut.

• Bowel movement once every day, preferably around the same time.
• Feeling energetic and feeling light
• Good appetite around the same time everyday
• Clear skin around the cheeks

If you are experiencing these consistently, then you are doing something right, and your gut is happy!

But, if you feel your gut is off-balance and are experiencing the following symptoms, read on to find out our recommendations for a gut revival.

• Constipated or irritable bowel
• Gassy and bloated
• Acne/breakouts on face or back
• Lack of appetite in spite of regular activity
• Food intolerance

How to improve gut health and revive it by replenishing the good bacteria ?? What to do and what not to do??

Gut depleting practices – These are pretty self-explanatory and are best when kept to a bare minimum for good gut health

• Excessive eating out/junk food consumption
• Not getting enough exercise/hydration
• Taking too many antibiotics
• Cigarette smoking/Drinking alcohol often
• Lack of deep sleep

Easy gut replenishing practices suggested by the gut health experts –

Eat different kinds of food – Target to eat at least three different kinds of legumes, greens, and grains every week. Eat naturally coloured fruits and vegetables.
	Be ecologically sensitive – Consume the seasonal fruits and vegetables that are locally grown in your area. Food miles(The distance travelled by your food to get to you) are not the best thing for your gut bacteria.
Eat fermented/pickled foods – Naturally fermented foods and pickles are excellent sources of natural probiotics and help provide some immediate relief for gut problems.
	Move more and sleep deep – Keep an active lifestyle that will facilitate a deep resting and recovery cycle.
Gut Reboot every 6 months (Our favourite) – This is a fading practice in today’s time but is absolutely relevant for the modern lifestyle. Just like most small issues are resolved with a reboot of your laptop, you can reboot your gut to normalcy by purging with a “castor oil” stomach cleanse. We will make a specific blog post on “how to clean gut, purge and come out of a stomach cleanse the right way”

If we can cultivate basic, mindful daily routines that help replenish your gut bacteria, without giving up too much of our existing lifestyle, we CAN live a healthy life from the inside out.

Totally doable, don’t you think!