40% of people worldwide have a functional gastrointestinal disorder or GFID. They’re a common issue with more of an impact on your overall health than you realize. There are several questions you can ask to determine if you have a healthy digestive system 

Are you at a healthy weight? Are you getting enough nutrients and having regular bowel movements? Is your immune system working properly? Can you regulate your mood, and do you have a clear mind? How are your energy levels?

If there are problems in any of these areas, you may also have a gastrointestinal disorder. Read on to learn about 7 major benefits of maintaining a healthy digestive system.

1. Improved Nutrient Absorption and Bowel Movements

Food is the first thing you may think of when the term “gut health” comes to mind. You’ll picture food going from one end of the body to the other.

The digestive system gets its name from the fact that it helps you digest everything you eat. It makes sure you get the essential nutrients from meals such as fats, carbohydrates, and minerals.

When it’s gathered everything it needs, it expells the rest as waste. Having a healthy digestive system usually means having a bowel movement 1-3 times a day. This is only a general guideline because what qualified as a “healthy” digestive system differs from patient to patient.

2. Eliminating Toxins

What many don’t realize is that the digestive system affects more than what you eat and drink. It’s also able to remove potentially dangerous and even deadly chemicals that you’ve taken in or been exposed to.

A healthy body has several effective methods of removing toxins, including everyday actions such as sweating, crying, and even breathing. The digestive system is one of the most important parts of the process. It contains the liver, the body’s primary detoxing organ. It also makes sure that anything that could be potentially dangerous gets expelled as waste.

This is one important way that gut health affects the rest of your body. It keeps these toxins from spreading throughout the bloodstream and causing serious diseases.

3. Weight Loss

The digestive system is also essential for maintaining a healthy weight. When it’s working correctly, it sends food and nutrients through smoothly while removing toxins and waste. When it’s not, it can leave you feeling bloated from being unable to digest your last meal and too tired to exercise.

A healthy lifestyle adds to the natural effect of a healthy digestive system. Drinking enough water, eating enough fiber, and exercising often will help you lose even more weight.  

4. Higher Energy and Stamina

An unhealthy digestive system may not be able to send everything you eat through your body, leaving too much of it stuck in your stomach or intestines. This can leave you feeling bloated and overly full.

It may also be unable to get enough nutrients out of the food and drinks you take in. This can leave you feeling weak and undernourished.

Both of these problems can decrease your energy and stamina. They can become so draining that you won’t be able to get up and do anything else.

There’s also the simple fact that the body and mind only have so much energy to devote to each system. It tends to focus on the ones that are unhealthy, and if it sends all its resources to the digestive system, there won’t be any left. 

Maintaining a healthy digestive system will help you get your energy and stamina back. You won’t feel bogged down and your body and mind will have the fuel they need.

5. Healthier Immune System

75% of the immune system is in the stomach. It’s closely tied to the digestive system, and one can’t be healthy without the other. 

Immune weaknesses leave you open to disease and bacteria. They may even cause your body to attack healthy cells and systems and lead to inflammation and other unpleasant symptoms. 

Have your immune system and your digestive system checked at the same time if you notice any of these symptoms. There are also plenty of other ways to boost your immune system if treating digestive symptoms doesn’t help.

6. Improved Mood

Approximately 90% of serotonin is produced in the digestive system. It’s an important neurotransmitter and hormone with a wide range of functions. It affects your:

• Nausea response and gag reflex
• Bone health
• Healing and blood clotting
• Sleep 
• Sex drive

One of its most important and well-known functions is the way it regulates and affects your mood. Along with dopamine, it’s known as a “happy chemical.”

Having a healthy digestive system makes sure that your body gets enough of it. This will help improve your mood and overall sense of well-being. It even lowers your risk of developing psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, and mania. If you already have them, a healthy immune system can reduce the impact of your symptoms.

Maintaining the gut microbiome has been shown to have similar effects. Balancing the amount of healthy and unhealthy bacteria in your digestive system using probiotics also improves your mood.

7. Greater Mental Clarity

The stomach has been called the body’s “second brain” because it has such as close connection to the way we think. This explains why there are plenty of mental benefits of a healthy digestive system.

Everything from our stomach to our intestines contains neuropeptides that transmit brain signals. They can do their job better if the digestive system is in proper health, and this allows you to enjoy greater mental clarity.

Healthy Digestive System

A healthy body starts in the gut. It contains essential organs, neurotransmitters, and hormones that you need to be at your best.

A healthy digestive system is essential for proper nutrition, avoiding toxins and disease, maintaining a healthy weight and stable mood, and improving energy and mental clarity. It has a major impact on overall health and needs to be maintained with a healthy diet and exercise.  

Fairbanks Family Wellness can help you find natural ways to improve your gut health. Contact us today.