The Beer Belly, the Bag of Wheat, the Six-Pack or whatever you call it – MAXIM fitness guru, Alexa, shares her expert’s tips on getting your gut into a healthier gear…
Who would have thought that the dad bod would become all the rage?! Twenty years ago washboard abs and glistening pecs were the envy of most men yet here we are, seeing women flock to men with burly shoulders and thick waists. While it’s great to no longer have to flog yourself in the gym to catch a date, on the flip side, you need to be aware that your stubby holding front may be a sign that your guts are in dire straits.
Most men are familiar with the round, hard stomach that many of their fellow friends at the footy club sport. It resembles strength and the capacity to sink one too many tinnies. However, it also represents some serious inflammation. When our gut is inflamed, it balloons, and the dreaded bloat is usually thanks to it being imbalanced or ‘leaky’. So why is having good gut health important when our forefathers never bothered to change their belly growing ways? I asked Functional Medicine Practitioner and Fertility Specialist Holly Sinclair to give us the lowdown on all things gut and why you should learn to listen to it.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Because the links between your gut and almost every bodily process are so strong, a healthy gut promotes higher energy levels in a myriad of ways. At the most basic level, if your gut health is compromised, not only will you struggle to effectively break down your food and absorb nutrients hindering the ability of your body to produce energy, but you’ll also impact its ability to produce serotonin – the neurotransmitter associated with promoting a good nights’ sleep and keeping you in a good mood.
GUT HEALTH FACT #1: Your skin is a reflection of your gut
Chris Kresser, world renowned leader in Functional Medicine and NY Times bestselling author, states that, “50% of gut issues manifest outside the gut” and research is now showing that your gut health influences every part of your being, from your skin through to your joints. When you have dysbiosis (aka an imbalance of good vs bad bacteria in your gut), you become very vulnerable to health issues. Given that your skin is your biggest organ, it should be no surprise that it will show up here first through conditions such as acne, psoriasis, eczema, premature balding and alopecia.
GUT HEALTH FACT #2: Your gut bacteria could be keeping you awake
Not much is more frustrating than spending hours awake in bed, unable to do anything other than stare at the ceiling. Gut bacteria play a major role in influencing sleep patterns through the creation of important chemical messengers like dopamine and serotonin. So if you suffer from poor sleep, it may be a sign that you need to rebalance or diversify your gut flora and fauna. There’s also a good chance that you may play host to a parasite. Parasites often come out to play in the evening as they enjoy the fuel of our melatonin. A common symptom is teeth grinding at night. This is them enjoying your nervous system and all it has to offer! It is also well known that these unwanted visitors reproduce around the full moon which could explain why your sleep is often worse when that big, glowing beauty in the night sky is at its biggest and brightest.
GUT HEALTH FACT #3: Your gut is your second brain
It even has its’ own nervous system. The vagus nerve communicates information from the gut to the brain using neurotransmitters and gut hormones. And given that over 70% of your immune cells, hormones and neurotransmitters are produced there, it makes sense that if your gut is unhappy and out of whack, then you’ll probably feel pretty unhappy and out of whack, too. When there’s imbalance or inflammation in the gut, you can expect to have a multitude of brain based symptoms such as depression, anxiety, brain fog and memory loss to name just a few. This begs the question, “Is mental health really just all in your head?”
GUT HEALTH FACT #4: Go hard or go home
Remember the US documentary Super Size Me? Following a 30-day experiment of a McDonald’s only diet, the main character Spurlock destroyed his gut microbiome burger by burger, and as a result clearly showed a real life effect of diet on testosterone levels. EVERYTHING starts in your stomach. Your swimmers and woodies depend on a healthy gut! And your gut has a direct influence on your testosterone and sperm health thanks to certain groups of bacteria that are produced there. Research has shown a positive correlation between the amount of firmicutes (a type of bacteria) and serum testosterone levels.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
So after throwing a lot of fun facts (and words) your way, you’re probably wondering where to go from here. Surprisingly it’s easier to improve your gut health than you think.
- Eat a serve of organic animal protein at every meal such as red meat, chicken, fish or eggs. Steak and avocado is a superb start to the day and beef jerky is a handy snack.
- Throw in slow cooked meat twice a week, ideally something cooked off the bone for its collagen and glycine content.
- Sip on a cup of bone broth daily.
- Ditch the wheat. Gluten is easily the most pro inflammatory food protein out there, so swapping gluten based packaged products for more real and unprocessed food is an easy way to remove inflammation.
- Keep your alcohol intake to clean spirits and organic wine.
- Drink filtered water.
By ALEXA TOWERSEY & HOLLY SINCLAIR
ABOUT ALEXA
“Action Alexa” is an internationally published celebrity trainer, sports model and nutrition and lifestyle coach with over 15 years’ experience in the health and fitness industry, and has worked with NZ’s world champion rugby team, the All Blacks. She has qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Champs and was named as one of the Five Toughest Trainers in Asia during her seven-year stint in an MMA gym in Hong Kong.
For the full article grab the May 2023 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.
