You and Your Gut: Food Choices Really Do Matter

You may have noticed an uptick in health news about gut health—it’s easier to understand why knowing that a very large portion of your immune system starts right in your digestive tract, also known as your gut. Your immune system fights off sickness and disease and keeps you healthy. When it’s out of balance, the result is inflammation.  

Research published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has shown that inflammation is the common link between the leading causes of death in the US, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes—and the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide. Pretty sobering.  

Where does inflammation likely start? Your gut—the passageway from your mouth, all the way to your anus. It contains all the major organs of your digestive system, including your esophagus, stomach, and intestines. There are other organs, like your pancreas, liver, and gall bladder that help you digest your food—but if you put it in your mouth to eat it, it passes through your gut first, and last.  

A short “Did You Know” article would not be near enough to tell you how important what you eat is to the health of your immune system, but suffice it to say, the food you eat is a key modulator—or controller—to the pathways that cause inflammation. The modern, industrialized diet contains saturated fats, sugars, and food additives that suppress your immune system. While we’ve made it easy to eat food that tastes good, the answer is choice, but it can feel complicated because good food can be both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory. 

“You are what you eat,” and “food is medicine,” are statements that reflect the reality of your diet. What you eat can result in good health or be the underlying cause of a chronic disease like cardiovascular disease, asthma, cancer and mental health disorders. And autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto thyroiditis, diabetes, lupus, and many skin disorders.  

Some of the anti-inflammatory diets include the Mediterranean Diet, the Nordic Diet, the Asian Diet, and the DASH Diet. When it comes to news about health or diet, it’s always worth a fact check, but the truth is, following a healthy diet reduces inflammation. That means a better quality of life, and you may even live longer.  

Putting all the information in a short article is a tough task, but if you are motivated, your healthcare providers and nutrition coaches at Viaro can help put your gut back into balance. Lifestyle changes don’t have to happen overnight. One day, one food choice at a time. 

Teresa Pulvermacher, FNP-C 

President, ViaroHealth 

For questions or comments, contact wellness@viarohealth.com