A healthy gut – but what exactly is “gut health”?

A healthy gut – What exactly is “gut health”?

Alexandra Wiesinger Published on April 24, 2023

Gut health – a healthy gut and smooth digestion – plays an important role in our body.

100 trillion highly specialized bacteria in the gut are constantly at work maintaining digestion, nutrient supply and our body's defenses.

If the digestive system becomes unbalanced, the consequences can include not only hormonal imbalances and a weakened immune system but also impaired brain function.

So it's up to you to protect your gut and supply it with valuable nutrients – for your own vitality and to live healthily!

In the following article, you will learn about the influence of a healthy gut in your body and what you should consider when eating a healthy diet.

Read all about gut health now

The gut: a central organ

A healthy gut plays an important role in our overall health. The longest organ in the human body is not just for digestion.

Our intestinal health is also largely responsible for a stable immune system and can influence our mental well-being.

But what actually makes this seemingly boring tube the health organ of our body?

100 trillion bacteria – healthy bacterial strains found in the intestines – ensure a functioning digestive tract every day.
The organ protects us on three different levels: the healthy intestinal flora, the intestinal mucosa and the immune system.
80% of immune cells are located here.
Our gut makes us happy – more than 90% of the happiness hormone serotonin is produced here.
We have around 100 million nerve cells in our gut – more than in our spinal cord.
The gut-brain axis allows it to communicate directly with our brain and thus influence our feelings.

How can you tell if your gut is healthy?

The best way to find out whether your gut is healthy and your bacterial flora is functioning properly and taking good care of your health is to have a stool analysis done by a specialist in internal medicine.

This provides information about bacterial overgrowth, which, among other things, can be responsible for chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.

However, a healthy gut often gives off signs that you can easily recognize yourself, at least to rule out serious illnesses.

Do you have beautiful, healthy skin? Then a bacterial imbalance is rather unlikely.
We all know what it's like to have a lack of concentration after a hard day. However, persistent concentration problems can have their cause in the gut-brain axis.
The happiness hormone serotonin also has an enormous influence on our sleep. If you wake up frequently during the night, the cause may well lie in the digestive tract.

What can I do for my gut health?

A healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition can go a long way to promoting your gut health and maintaining the balance of your microbiome.

The numerous beneficial gut bacteria thrive on what you feed your body and thus depend on high-quality nutrients.

To help you with your gut health, we have put together some tips for a healthy gut.

Guide to healthy breakfasts – read more

Which foods and nutrients are particularly good for the gut?

Dietary fiber from oats, flaxseed, psyllium, legumes, lots of fruit and vegetables
Whole grain products (whole grain bread instead of white flour rolls)
Resistant starch from boiled and cooled potatoes
Lots of water and unsweetened tea (water helps flush out toxins and keeps the intestines clean and healthy)
Natural sweetness
Probiotics (such as lactic acid bacteria) from natural yoghurt, sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, miso, etc.
Prebiotics and prebiotic foods (such as inulin (found in chicory, parsnips, etc.))
short-chain fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids (nuts, oils, avocado, etc.)

These foods support your intestinal flora and thus good intestinal peristalsis (this is the term used to describe intestinal movements).

How healthy is muesli for the intestines?

Which products and foods should you avoid?

Highly processed foods (often contain hidden sugars and fats)
coffee, alcohol and soft drinks
refined sugar
animal saturated fatty acids
fast food
red meat (okay in moderation)

As for dairy products, you should watch your body closely. For some people, dairy products can cause significant digestive problems. An intolerance (milk protein, lactose) can be the problem here.

To keep your gut working properly, a sugar-free diet is recommended. It's best to start the day with a sugar-free breakfast.

Why are healthy intestines so important?

A Chinese proverb says: “In the center, in the intestines, lies life”. So a healthy gut also ensures overall well-being.

Our gut bacteria not only control digestion, they also strengthen the immune system, produce vitamins and hormones, and have an enormous impact on our brain function.

So if our gut health is out of balance, it can affect the way the whole body works – not just our bowel movements. A disrupted intestinal flora affects the whole person!

The immune system is weakened, essential vitamins and nutrients cannot be absorbed sufficiently and, according to studies, even neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's can be caused by a weakened intestinal flora. ¹

It is therefore imperative to eat a healthy diet to promote your own intestinal health, to ward off pathogens, to build up your intestinal flora and to support this complex digestive organ.

As important as our gut is for the entire body, various diseases can also originate from it. Here is a brief overview of the most important ones:

Chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis )

Food intolerances (gluten intolerance, celiac disease, fructose intolerance, histamine intolerance)

Other diseases (irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), appendicitis (colloquially known as appendicitis), intestinal tumor polyposis coli, polyps intestinal colorectal, carcinoma (bowel cancer), gastrointestinal virus (also known as gastrointestinal flu)

Promote your intestinal health with VERIVAL

To keep your gut and thus your whole body fit a healthy diet is particularly important. However, the majority of the population associates a change in diet with restrictions in everyday life and having to go without.

We at VERIVAL have made it our goal to show you how simple, varied and delicious healthy eating can be.

With porridge, you can provide your body with the most important nutrients in no time at all and keep your gut healthy.

Not a fan of cooked breakfasts? No problem, VERIVAL muesli, with its high-quality ingredients, also contributes to your gut health.

Our products are based on an often-underestimated grain: oats! The complex carbohydrates in wholemeal oats mean your blood sugar rises only slowly, which is good for your gut and keeps you fuller for longer.

In addition, the high fiber content of 10% promotes healthy digestion. At VERIVAL, we provide you with an environmentally friendly healthy breakfast and the basis for a successful day – especially for your gut.

Buy healthy breakfast from VERIVAL now