If I were to ask you what the most important part of your anatomy was, what would you say?

Your heart? Your brain? Your lungs?

All very important, but there’s a part of you just south of those that all of the others depend on in order to be able to function.

Your gut!

As a matter of fact, your gut largely determines whether you awoke and are reading this article today or…will never open your eyes again.

Here’s why:

Your gut’s three life-saving jobs

Your humble intestinal tract has three very significant, life-saving responsibilities:

1- Absorbing nutrients

2- Eliminating wastes

3- Housing the majority of your immune system

Each of those functions affects you from head to toe, and if your gut is slouching in any of those areas, it’s only a matter of time before you pay the price:

Nutrient absorption

Every single cell, tissue, and organ in your body is dependent on nutrients for survival. 

So if your gut is not carrying out that job like it should, your body WILL most assuredly begin to break down.  All sicknesses and diseases have nutrient deficiencies as a primary underlying cause—not just the obvious well-known ones like scurvy, rickets, and osteoporosis.

For example, lacking in certain B vitamins (folate, B6, and B12) and essential fatty acids increase your heart disease risk.

B vitamins and essential fatty acids are also crucial for proper brain function.

Deficiencies in vitamins C, D and E, as well as zinc, can weaken your immune system functioning.

Lacking antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and lipoic acid can cause free radicals to spiral out of control in your body, setting the stage for cancer, heart disease, stroke and premature aging.

And those are just a drop in the bucket!

Waste elimination

Your “products of excrement” are so much more than the unusable portion of your foods!

Your body also eliminates excess cholesterol, old worn out hormones, viruses, harmful bacteria and other toxins through the “escorting services” of your BMs.

So if your intestinal tract is lax in this area, you can get in trouble with things like elevated cholesterol levels, increased risk of hormone-dependent cancers and autointoxication (where viruses and toxins are absorbed into your bloodstream).

Plus having a lengthy bowel transit time (meaning it takes too long for your foods to move from Ur-mouth to Ur-anus) sets the stage for harmful bacteria overgrowth which can contribute to leaky gut, impair nutrient absorption, weaken your immune functioning and may even trigger flare-ups of diverticulitis. 

Immune housing

Although your immune system is all over your body, about 70 percent of it is housed in your gut.

Your immune system protects you from EVERYTHING--not just colds, infections, flu and viruses, but also cancer!

Also, most of your body’s serotonin is manufactured in your gut, so if your gut is unable to carry out this important function, you may eventually find yourself suffering from depression.

Keep yours healthy!

Now that you see all that your humble intestinal tract does for you, it’s crucial to make sure yours is in tip-top shape!

Start with your diet. Limit refined carbs, sugars, processed/fast food and especially SODA!  Concentrate on lots of fiber-rich fresh vegetables and fruits, and healthy sources of proteins and fats. 

Support a healthy gut with probiotics.  Probiotics like Super Shield multi-strain formula provide crucial support to the intestinal tract by helping to repopulate your supply of friendly bacteria so they can, in turn, encourage strong immune functioning, proper nutrient absorption and more regular BMs.

 

Reduce stress.  Stress harms your friendly flora and can weaken your immune system functioning—that’s why you always seem to get sick under times of great stress.  Regular exercise is a top-notch stress reducer, and you can also try meditation, prayer, yoga, deep breathing, acupuncture, counseling, watching comedies or aromatherapy.  Do whatever works for you.

Use antibiotics only if absolutely necessary.  Antibiotics destroy your friendly gut flora and leave you even MORE susceptible to infections and viruses in the long run.  Plus their overuse has resulted in the development of “superbugs” that are becoming increasingly resistant to medications.

See what a difference it can make in how you feel when you support your precious gut health.

To your health,

Sherry Brescia