Feeding The Gut: Are We Really In Control?

thedrewtrott(51)

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#nutrition

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Our guts and brains are closely linked. But are we calling all the shots at meal-time?

It sounds crazy, but the microbes in our gut actually play a role in our eating behaviour - telling our brains what foods to eat and even influencing our cravings.

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Think of them as a pet (stupid, I know) that loves one certain type of food and will rarely stray from eating anything other their food of choice. That is essentially what these microbes do.

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Over time they evolve to survive on what we eat (and therefore what they feed on). A simple example - if you fill up on junk foods all the time, they will evolve to love and thrive on junk foods. Eventually, you end up craving more and more junk food to satisfy their needs - and that is why you won't be craving a salad anytime soon.

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The good news is, they are super tiny microbes that evolve at such a fast rate - this means that you can create an impact and change how they affect your body. Making a healthier diet choice and avoiding those cravings that you know are doing you damage, for even a short period of time, can create a huge effect on your gut microbiome.

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This might be one of the reasons why vegans claim to no longer have cravings for animal products (yes, even cheese) after they have transitioned. Consuming a strictly plant-based diet introduces a whole lot of new and different types of bacteria to our gut community; this can change what our body wants/desires and indeed how our gut and brain interact with one another.