Is Weight Gain Related to our Gut Health?

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Amanda Pittas: Clinical Nutritionist

Balancing lifestyle with nutrition, for a happier, healthier life!

 

Is Weight Gain Related to our Gut Health?

There’s no such thing as skinny or fat gut bacteria. The main role our gut bacteria plays is to help: 

·       Regulate our metabolism

·       Absorb critical nutrients

·       Support our immune system

·       Support our brain function through the gut brain axis

 Whilst combing all of the above, weight management is just a side effect really. 

It can be frustrating to watch some friends eat whatever they like, hardly ever exercise, and still look trim. This could well be due to their metabolic powers, or their gut bacteria.  

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Gut Bacteria and Weight Loss?

It’s now well known that the good gut bacteria found in our digestive tract is beneficial for our health and that’s because of all the different roles they play in keeping us healthy. In fact, the more gut bacteria diversity you have, the better you can manage your hormones, mental health, immunity as well as weight management.

However, if your gut bacteria is imbalanced it can cause dysbiosis. Meaning you have lower levels of good gut bacteria and more opportunistic bad gut bacteria working hard in your digestive tract. So, this could very well help explain not only poor health but weight gain as well. 

There are actually certain types of gut bacteria (such as Akkermansia muciniphila and more) that help in managing our weight, we just have to feed them. These types of bacteria feed on the mucus that lines your gut, strengthening your digestive tract intestinal barrier, stopping inflammatory microbes passing through and upsetting the balance in the body and creating illness. 

Have you ever heard of leaky gut? It’s not a medical term but it is a saying that’s used in the nutritional industry. It simply means that our intestinal wall in our gut has junctions that allow water and nutrients to pass through into our blood stream whilst disposing of harmful substances inside our gut. 

When we suffer from leaky gut, these junctions become wider allowing food particles, bacteria as well as toxins enter our bloodstream. When this happens, we are susceptible to an immune response and gut inflammation usually occurs. It is thought that leaky gut may contribute to many conditions such as irritable bowel symptoms, food allergies, skin rashes and even diabetes to name a few. I’ll talk more on leaky gut another day. 

If you have been feeling the effects of eating poor lately, you might like to consider now is the time to start looking after your gut heath. I have a 6-Day Gut Healing Meal Plan or 6 Day Gut Healing Meal Plan for Vegetarians to get you started. Each plan incorporates a full shopping list, meal prep guide and delicious recipes that take all the hassle out of cooking so you can focus on yourself and feeling well.

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Foods to Boost Gut Bacteria and Manage Your Weight?

So, going back to our gut bacteria and how it helps strengthen the intestinal barrier of our digestive tract. The good gut bacteria also produce short-chain fatty acids that help regulate appetite. It does this by binding to receptors in the gut lining that release specific gut hormones which regulate our appetite so that we don’t feel hungry. This way we are less inclined to snack and eat extra calories. 

 Short-chain fatty acids are produced when we ingest non-digestible dietary fibre and resistant starch. The fibre we eat is then fermented by our gut bacteria. One known short-chain fatty acid,  acetate is produced from the breakdown of fibre and can help manage unnecessary weight gain. 

Studies have shown by including fibre in our diet that produce short chain-fatty acids, improves our body’s blood sugar (glucose) management, cholesterol levels and promotes weight loss. So, you see fibre is quite important in our diet.

It is recommended to include between 25g to 30g of fibre from food per a day in our diet. It’s actually quite easy to reach your 30g quota per a day. In fact, below is an example of how much fibre you can eat in a day and more! 

What does more than 30g of fibre look like in a day? 

 Breakfast. Fibre (g)

1/2 cup of oats. 2

1 small handful of almonds. 3.5

½ cup of strawberries. 4

Add your milk of choice.

Snack

½ cup blueberries. 1.8

Lunch

1/2 cup of brown rice. 1.75

1 cup of raw spinach. 0.16

1 small tomato (diced). 1.5

¼ capsicum (diced) 1.4

½ cup of red kidney beans. 23

Add a sprinkle of feta and a tbsp of dressing for taste. 

Snack 2

 ½ cup of raspberries. 4

Dinner

½ cup cooked broccoli. 2.5

½ cup cooked green beans. 2

1 medium size baked potato with skin. 4

Salmon with a miso dressing. 

Total Daily Fibre 51.61g

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What Else Can Your Gut Bacteria Do?

Now that we know that fibre is fermented in the gut and feeds our good gut bacteria to produce short-chain fatty acids, the by-product of eating fibre does more than manage our weight. It can also combat inflammation in the body that lead to illness and mental health. In fact, by increasing your prebiotic dietary fibre such as onions, garlic and oats to name a few, your gut bacteria can produce another short-chain fatty acid called butyrate. Butyrate is pretty special because it provides energy to the cells in our gut lining. When our cells don’t have enough energy to function, it can lead to leaky gut. There’s that nutritional term again!

 So therefore, a diet high in fibre foods can produce short-chain fatty acids such as acetate and butyrate to name a few and in turn help manage weight, fend off illness and inflammation as well as nourish our brain and mental health. 

The Take-Away Message

 So instead of eating processed and convenience foods which actually have either no or little nutritional value, try increasing your fibre intake. By increasing your daily fibre with fruit, veggies and wholegrains you’ll be nourishing your gut bacteria and in turn they will help you feel a whole lot better both physically and mentally.

Don’t forget, if you’re really serious about gut health you can purchase Nutritional Balance’s 6- Day Gut Healing Meal Plan or  6 Day Gut Healing Meal Plan for Vegetarians. 

Supporting optimal health is the key to achieving a balanced lifestyle and continued wellbeing. Need a little more guidance on balancing your gut? Contact me at Nutritional Balance and see how I can help you!

Related articles: 

How to Reduce Your Body’s Pain and Inflammation

Balancing That Gut Feeling

Is Stress (Cortisol) Stopping You From Losing Weight?

 References:

·       S Byrne, E S Chambers, D J Morrison and G Frost. 2015. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4564526/

·       Edward S. Chambers, Tom Preston, Gary Frost and Douglas J. Morrison. 2018.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6244749/

·       Manuel A. Gonzalez Hernandez, Emanuel E. Canfora, Joan W.E. Jocken and Ellen E.Blaak.18 Aug 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6723943/

Disclaimer

The information provided in this blog is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. None of Nutritional Balance services shall be used to diagnose or treat any health problem or disease. We cannot and do not provide medical advice. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before altering your diet. The information provided in this blog should not be used in place of a consultation with your physician or other health care provider. We do not recommend the self-management of health problems. Should you have any healthcare-related questions, please consult your physician or other health care provider promptly. You should never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of the information provided in this plan.

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How Does The Gut Affect Our Health?