5 Signs of a Healthy Gut

You might already know that your gastrointestinal tract is crucial for maintaining proper health. It is the passageway that transports food to the stomach. The main job of the gastrointestinal tract is digesting food and converting it into essential nutrients that are absorbed by the human body.

Things that remain back are considered waste and are excreted through the anus. The proper is very simple- you fall sick if you do not get sufficient nutrients. Nevertheless, studies over time have shown a more complex and more significant role of the GI tract than this. Studies have also found that there is indeed a connection between healthy gut flora and overall health, as it betters immunity and helps in digestion. But how to know whether your gut is healthy or not? Here are 5 Signs of a Healthy Gut

1. Your Poop Frequency and Gut Transit Time

There is no hard and fast rule regarding how often an individual should poop. You just need to look for a specific pooping pattern: "three and three", or popping between three times during the day and three times a week. If you poop within this range, you have a healthy gut.

Your gut is healthy if you poop during the day, but if you wake up to poop in the middle of the night, something is wrong with your gut. And hence, you need to consult a doctor as soon as possible.

Next comes the gut transit time, or the time it takes to digest the food and make it pass through the gut. If your gut transit time is neither too long nor too short, you have a healthy gut. As per Research, transit time can vary from one person to another, with the typical time being approximately 12-24 hours, or 1-2 bowel movements every day.

2. The Ideal Poops

The consistency, colour and shape of your poops can also offer crucial clues about the health of your gut. If your poop is predominantly brown regularly, your gut health is good enough. The indicator of a healthy gut is poop that falls somewhere in between dark brown and medium brown.

Nevertheless, if your poop is in a different colour, like red, green, black or yellow and if you are not into consuming high-coloured food, such as beetroot, take it as a sign of an unhealthy gut. Your gut might be misbehaving, and you must consult a healthcare professional immediately

Indicates that your gut is in perfect health.

• Forms firm to soft sausage shapes passed into a few smaller pieces or a single large piece;
• It is smooth in its texture;
• Sinks in the comot easily;

Indicates that there's something wrong with your gut.

• Floats which means there's undigested fat in the poop;
• Is liquid or very soft, like you have diarrhoea;
• It is lumpy, hard and appears like small solid nuggets, which means you are constipated;

3. You Poop Without Experiencing Any Pain

If you can poop easily and comfortably, your gut is behaving correctly. To ensure that you have a healthy gut, you should be able to complete your poop without having to push very hard to get it out and without any pain.

Do you find it uncomfortable to pass your poop? Or do you experience some kind of pain while passing your poop? Then consider it a sign of irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerances, constipation, or other medical problems that require proper analysis.bAlso, if you find yourself straining too much to pass your poop, take it as a sign of an unhealthy gut and consult a doctor instantly.

4. No Gas or Bloating

You are wrong if you think you are good enough not to pass any gas or fart. Gas is a happy and natural byproduct of trillions of gut bacteria munching on the foods you consume. And if you fart between 10 to 20 times throughout the day, it means that your gut is in prime condition. Remember that it is healthy to fart, and problems arise when you do not fart very often, which is a sign of healthy gut activity. Also, do not try holding back your gas as it can negatively affect your health.

Gas that remains trapped in your stomach will make you feel bloated. While it is normal to feel a bit gassy and bloated after having a meal, experiencing bloating more than what's normal for the others, specifically after having certain foods, is a sign of an unhealthy gut. If you are experiencing regular and persistent pains or bloating that does not have any explanation and goes away even after changes in diet or situations, like increased stress, you must consult a doctor.

5. Better Mood and Memory

Good gut health positively impacts your memory and mood. Research shows that the gut produces almost 90% of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, which helps you stay in a better mood. In addition, the gut produces a lot of neurochemicals, due to which you can learn and retain new things. So, have your mood or cognitive abilities become better? It might be because of a healthy gut.

Bottomline

Always make it a point to eat to keep your gut healthy. You must understand and consume foods that allow good bacteria to thrive in your gut. As per Research, there are 15 good and 15 bad varieties of microbes linked with good and bad pointers for health and their favourite foods. Your main aim is to identify the 15 good microbes and consume foods they love. You can keep your gut health in good condition for a long time.