If you’re one of those adults who struggles with their weight, you probably know that losing those extra pounds isn’t as simple as it seems. Low-fat, high-fat, all carbs, no carbs—the number of fad diets and supposed “quick fixes” out there are endless, but they often don’t work and usually leave us feeling frustrated and hopeless.
In reality, our human bodies are incredibly complex, and we have to take much more into account than just how much we eat and exercise when it comes to sustainable weight loss. Although many factors play a role in your weight, supporting your gut health from the inside out may be just what you’ve been missing in your weight management efforts.
We are more bacterial than we are human. The role of gut flora is important in health & disease. Gut flora enhances the functions of gastrointestinal tract, gives protection from infection, and regulates metabolism. Unfavorable gut flora causes diseases like Obesity, Diabetes and other psychological diseases like depression. Patients suffering from diabetes also have a leaky gut, gut infection and inflammation in the gut.
Factors responsible for unhealthy gut flora and hinder your Weight Loss:
- Antibiotics and other medications like birth control and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Diets high in refined carbohydrates, sugar and processed foods
- Diets low in fermentable fibers
- Dietary toxins like wheat and industrial seed oils that cause leaky gut
- Chronic stress
- Chronic infections
- Children without breast-feed may have bad Gut flora
Unhealthy Gut flora is a prime contributing factor in slowing down your digestion and hampers your efforts towards having a perfect body and weight.
Here’s how gut bacteria help support our healthy metabolism.
- Supports Nutrient absorption. Our favorable bacteria in the gut breaks down the food for digestion and produce fatty acids, enzymes and vitamins but when flora is not friendly, all nutrients are not absorbed irrespective of the healthy diet. In this situation, we feel hungry and craving for missed out nutrients. In absence of beneficial bacteria, we are faced with malnutrition.
- Boosts Hormonal balance. Our hormones are being supported by our good microbes. The hormone leptin determines the feeling of fullness. This hormone gives signal to our brain about fullness means we should not eat more. Therefore, microbes support sensitivity of leptin, enabling our brain to get the feeling that we should stop eating more. Overeating leads us obese and diabetic.
- Discouraging Stress. Stress causes weight management adversely. It also affects overall health. Stress destroys beneficial bacteria in our gut. This leads to indigestion, lack of nutrient absorption, hormone regulation, and weight. Stress makes us to overeat. Fortunately, friendly flora can help reduce levels of cortisol, and fix the level of serotonin, for changing our mood positively. Stress, thus, contributes in making us obese and suffers from diabetes.
- Supporting blood sugar levels already within the normal range. People who are overweight are more at risk to suffer from diabetes. Fluctuating glucose levels lead to unhealthy food cravings for sweeten products to boost our energy. As a result, due to excess storage of glucose, an influx of insulin turns off the signal to burn the fat. Our favorable bacteria increases the secretion of insulin to avoid us facing the diabetic problems.
Tips to restore gut health to promote weight loss.
- Must use Probiotics to maintain the gut health.
- Fruits and vegetables increase nutrition and reduce toxicity. Fermented fruits and vegetables can be used as a source of Probiotics.
- Eating slowly helps in proper digestion.
- Have sound sleep.
- Drink enough water
- Gut problems affects your mood and brain. Adopt meditation techniques.
- Exercise daily to maintain your gut health
- Eat three types of fruits daily.
- Skip the artificial sweeteners.
- Limit your exposure to environmental toxins.
To reach your weight loss goals, it is better to correct your bad gut flora first and simultaneously work on changing your life style about what you eat and how you sleep. Stress levels also contribute but foundation of a healthy metabolism resides in your gut.
