How Gut Health Impacts Your Overall Health

May 20, 2022 |Sweet Bites

How Gut Health Impacts Your Overall Health

Gut health is a trending topic currently, and for good reason. As such, every bite of food you consume passes through your gastrointestinal tract, which makes the health of your “gut” a crucial part of your overall health.

A healthy balance within the intestines is a result of bacteria and microorganisms cooperating to create an ideal environment for digestion, nutrient absorption, and more. An out-of-balance gut, on the other hand, can throw off the whole body, affecting metabolism, the immune system, mood, neurotransmitters, and more. This lack of balance can also result in bloating, gas, diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea, and other uncomfortable symptoms⁽¹⁾.

While research on gut health is very much in its infancy, it’s clear that a greater diversity of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract is associated with better physical and mental health, as discussed below.

Prebiotics and Probiotics

Many people think about prebiotics and probiotics when we talk about gut health. The consumption of both probiotics and prebiotics is crucial to a healthy gut. Probiotics are bacteria that live in certain foods or supplements, usually those that have been fermented. Examples of probiotic-rich foods are yogurt, sauerkraut, and miso, and these bacteria work directly in the gastrointestinal tract to maintain an ideal healthy and balanced environment.

Prebiotics, on the other hand, are a form of dietary fiber that feed preexisting bacteria in the gut. In other words, they feed the probiotics. Fiber is a very important and beneficial aspect of any diet, as it helps with regulating bowel movements, alleviating and minimizing gastrointestinal symptoms, promoting gut health, and preventing gut-related diseases, whether acute or chronic.

Sweetpotatoes are a great source of fiber, boasting four grams of fiber per cup or medium sweetpotato. Adding sweetpotatoes to oatmeal, snacking on a sweetpotato muffin, or incorporating sweetpotato into your pasta at night can do wonders for your gut health.

For optimal gut health, aim to eat between 25-40 grams of fiber each day. If your current diet is relatively low in fiber, aim to increase your intake slowly to avoid bloating. Consider increasing your intake of fiber-rich plant foods, such as nuts and seeds, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables, especially sweet potatoes.

Gut Health and Cardiovascular Health

Beyond the gastrointestinal tract itself, gut health affects other areas of the body, like the cardiovascular system. Changes in the gut microbiome composition, or an unhealthy balance of bacteria, has been linked to pathologies such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes⁽²⁾.

Gut Health and Mental Health

Similarly, gut health and mental health are deeply intertwined, especially relating to anxiety and depression. When the body experiences significant emotional stress, these psychosocial factors may influence gut physiology, resulting in actual pain and other bowel or digestive symptoms.

Other research has found that individuals with a more diverse gut bacteria tended to score higher on cognitive tests, indicating that gut health and brain function may also be correlated^(3).

Gut Health and Immunity

A large part of our immune system resides in our GI tracts. Therefore, a healthy gut also helps to boost the immune system, which promotes the health of the rest of the body. In short, the healthier and more “balanced” the gut is, the better these cells function. This resulting immune protection can help the body fight off cancer, tuberculosis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and more^(4).

Sweetpotatoes For Gut Health

As previously mentioned, sweetpotatoes have 4 grams of fiber per cup, making them a prebiotic fiber-rich choice for your diet. Sweetpotatoes contain both soluble and insoluble fibers, so they’re a great choice for fostering a healthy gut microbiome. Sweetpotatoes are also high in potassium, making them a great choice for cardiovascular health.

Furthermore, sweetpotatoes are an antioxidant-rich food. Antioxidants help to promote gut health by reducing inflammation and fostering the growth of “good” gut bacteria, which can, in turn, lower the risk of gastrointestinal symptoms and ailments like IBS.

Don’t know where to start to improve your gut health? Check out some of our favorite recipes below, any time of day.