Why is Digestive Health So Important?

Digestion is important because your body needs nutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals) from food and drink to work properly and stay healthy.

Your digestive system breaks nutrients into parts small enough for your body to absorb and use for energy, growth, and cell repair.

Your GI Tract works by breaking down food in the following ways:

• Proteins break into amino acids

• Fats break into fatty acids and glycerol

• Carbohydrates break into simple sugars

There is also good bacteria in our guts to help with the process of breaking down our food. The incredible complexity of the gut and its importance to our overall health is a topic of increasing research in the medical community.

Numerous studies in the past two decades have demonstrated links between gut health and the immune system, mood, mental health, autoimmune diseases, endocrine disorders, skin conditions, and cancer . At one time, our digestive system was considered a relatively “simple” body system, comprised essentially of one long tube for our food to pass through, be absorbed, and then excreted.

The term “gut microbiome” refers specifically to the microorganisms living in your intestines. A person has about 300 to 500 different species of bacteria in their digestive tract. While some microorganisms are harmful to our health, many are incredibly beneficial and even necessary to a healthy body.

Having a wide variety of good bacteria in your gut can enhance your immune system function, improve symptoms of depression, help combat obesity, and provide numerous other benefits.