Listen to Your Gut! Your Immune Health is Talking
Be proactive with your immune health by tuning into your body’s signals
The gut is the primary battleground for immune health, but how do we aid that frontline defense? By recognizing daily signals that may indicate an immune health issue, such as Celiac or Crohn’s disease, we can be more proactive with our health. Left unchecked, persistent immune issues leave us vulnerable to more serious health conditions. Our bodies communicate to us through discomfort, so making that connection is key to addressing the problem.
Digestive Discomfort Can Be a Sign of Immune Health Issues
Got gas? It’s okay, we all do. Expelling gas is normal, but the frequency largely depends on your diet. If you have excessive gas that you would like to reduce, I recommend removing specific items from your diet that you suspect are a cause and note the difference. Lactose intolerance (digestion issues with cow milk sugars) and Celiac disease (digestion issues with wheat, rye, and barley products) can both cause excessive gas and may be relieved by dietary changes.
Ever have the “too-full feeling” of being bloated? This is a discomfort tolerated by many that should be avoided as it challenges your immune system. Avoid overeating, rapid eating, and excessive use of salt, fat, or sugar to prevent bloating. More serious issues associated with bloating are weight gain, constipation, Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and ulcerative colitis.
Another possible immunity issue that can be very uncomfortable is constipation (defined as less than three bowel movements a week). If your food choices are generally healthy, you already include high fiber and you have reduced processed foods, try eating less dairy and/or meat. Drinking plenty of fluids, staying physically active, and avoiding stress are also helpful to combat constipation.
That brings us to diarrhea, which is defined as loose, watery, and more-frequent bowel movements than normal. Persistent diarrhea that goes beyond a few days leaves your immune system compromised. It may be that your immune system is just slightly overwhelmed by some type of pathogen, but other causes include medications, lactose intolerance, fructose, and artificial sweeteners. Lastly, diarrhea can also be signs of Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease, or IBS so it should not be ignored if persistent.
Heartburn, another common discomfort, can also be a sign of a gut/immune issue. Heartburn is acid reflux, a condition where some of the stomach contents are forced back up into the esophagus and creates a burning pain in the lower chest. Most often heartburn is due to consuming certain foods or drinks (spicy foods, fried and fatty foods, alcohol, or carbonated beverages). Think about what and how much you are consuming and realize that when heartburn occurs, your gut is busy addressing your consumption issues and is not able to focus on immune health.
Finally, let us stop ignoring these discomforts and stop telling ourselves that they are normal states of being that we should tolerate. Instead, learn to appreciate these feelings as signs from our bodies that something needs to change. While most of us do not eat a perfect diet, we can be mindful of our consumption and keep our immune health in check, avoiding more serious consequences that can come from a compromised immune system.
Be well!
Matthew Bednar, PhD is a contributing writer for ION Biome, providing stateof- the-art products for developing and maintaining the foundation for a balanced gut microbiome.
