It’s funny but as we get closer to Gut Week (23-29 August if you hadn’t heard) I start to wonder how many people ‘truly’ love their gut?
They probably appreciate their digestive systems, especially when they are working well and processing food as they should be. And when you’re eating the right foods, getting exercise and promoting a healthy lifestyle then there’s a good chance that your gut is loving you right back!
But like with so many other things in life, the more you learn and understand the more you can love. And that sentiment relates to our gut as well. So while there will be some of us who may always face digestive problems, and have learnt lots about their gut to try and manage symptoms, others will be at a much earlier stage in their digestive education and will be looking for help and advice.
So what sort of things can we teach you? Well for instance we’ve talked about bacteria before – both the good and the bad – did you realise that your gut contains about 1.5kg of bacteria? Did you also know that the majority of your immune system is based in the gut? Well it’s something that all experts are agreed on so looking after your gut, and keeping it healthy, can make a difference to your overall health and wellbeing.
The gut is about 24 feet in length. Of course it does bend and fold back on itself and runs through the centre of the body. But some bits are even longer than you think. The small intestine is in some ways inadequately named as it has an immense surface area. It is elaborately folded, but if it was smooth and you would need a space of two miles! And if laid out flat it would be the size of a tennis court! Now think about that when Wimbledon comes around!
Of course there is a lot more to share about the digestive system but hopefully you’ll take some time to look around the site to see for yourself. Go to the What does the gut do? section to get started or share some of your tips and even myths with us. The more we can share help and advice then the more of us will be on the road to healthy digestion – and that is certainly a journey we want to experience.