Pizza, hot dogs and fries, oh my!Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Carli Liguori, University of Pittsburgh

Have you noticed grabbing an extra bag of chips at the supermarket? Or eating more frozen dinners than you used to? Or even eating snacks that you haven't eaten since you were a little kid?

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended nearly every facet of our daily lives, from how we dress, to how we work, to how we exercise.

It's also changing the way we eat. As a registered dietitian and nutrition researcher, I'm fascinated by the types of food people are buying during this strange time.

One recent survey found that 42% of respondents indicated they're purchasing more packaged food than they typically would and less fresh food.

Sales of frozen pizza have almost doubled. Sales of frozen appetizers and snacks - think Bagel Bites - are over a third, while ice cream sales have increased 36%.

According to Uber Eats, the most common food delivery order in the United States has been french fries, while the most popular beverage has been soda.

To me, these foods have one thing in common: They're the stuff we ate as kids.

Why might grown adults be reaching back into the pantry of their pasts? What is it about a pandemic that makes us feel like we're teenagers at a sleepover?

The reasons are deeply rooted.

At its core, the purpose of food is to nourish. Of course food provides us with the necessary energy and balance of vitamins and minerals to power and fuel the body. But anyone who's reached for a pint of Ben and Jerry's after a particularly stressful day will know that nourishment is about more than nutrition.

During periods of stress, people tend to eat more and show a greater preference for higher calorie foods. The sweeter and saltier the better. Regardless of hunger, a tasty snack can feel comforting. There's evidence to suggest that highly palatable foods, especially those high in fat and sugar, may elicit a response in the brain that is similar to the response from opioids.

Yes, a delicious slice of rich chocolate cake can be just as good as drugs.

We tend to call many of these foods "comfort foods," but the definition of comfort food is a bit slippery. Food is deeply personal. The foods that comfort people depend on their cultural background, taste preference, and personal experience. We know, however, that food can induce feelings of nostalgia that transport us back to simpler times.

So perhaps it's no surprise that, during a period of uncertainty that has many of us desperate for some relief and comfort, the foods of our childhood can act as a salve. For some of us, that bowl of Lucky Charms isn't just a sweet treat; it's a reminder of days gone by, a time of safety and stability.

There's nothing inherently wrong in finding temporary relief from chaos and uncertainty through food. But it's probably best to view these changes in eating behavior as a temporary habit during a weird time. After all, a diet rich in macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets doesn't exactly set our bodies up for long-term success.

As people's lives start to regain some sense of normalcy, diet can actually be a major part of the equation. Returning to a more health-conscious diet could be part of reestablishing your previous routines. And if you've never been able to find the time to prioritize healthy eating, now could actually be a good opportunity to start laying the groundwork for habits that become the new normal.

[You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help. Read The Conversation's newsletter.]

Carli Liguori, Instructor of Nutrition and Behavior Change, University of Pittsburgh

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Coronavirus diets: What's behind the urge to eat like little kids? - Kiowa County Press

School gardens make something very difficult possible: bringing together in a single activity the aspects of food sovereignty, community production of knowledge and food, environmental education and gastronomic culture, preservation of local biodiversity, and strengthening (or reactivating) the links between the ecosystem and its inhabitants.

It is precisely the open-air classrooms that Slow Food has been promoting in Africa for almost 10 years, and which even in these difficult times (with schools closed almost everywhere in the world) do not stop. They are based on shared knowledge, which can be replicated, of which students and teachers feel proudly responsible and who can contribute materially when the food on the market is scarce or higher.

It is clear that there is no single model of a school garden. There are many variables: different ecological contexts, countries at different latitudes, and with greater or lesser resources available, in-depth study of agronomic or culinary aspects, age of the students involved, the involvement of the local community. The book, Agrobiodiversity, school gardens, and healthy diets, has the particular advantage of bringing out this richness and variety (over 75 collaborators have contributed to the publication): it includes case studies from all over the world (Australia, Vietnam, Hawaii, Philippines, India, Nepal, Morocco, Lebanon, Sub-Saharan Africa, ) from different contexts and experiences, urban and rural areas, indigenous communities and international organizations.

An interesting work for everyone and especially for those who want to start this type of educational activity: the most successful practices are reported as well as the most common critical aspects, what are the essential elements, and what strategies to improve and fully integrate this type of teaching in school curricula.

When I talk to colleagues, friends, and family about the book [and your work] it arouses so much enthusiasm and interest, it resonates so clearly with them, how important it is to empower kids to be able to eat more healthily, make informed decisions about what they grow and eat and lead healthy and sustainable lives, stresses Danny Hunter, senior scientist of the research team that worked on the publication.

The Slow Food network is proud and grateful to have been involved in this precious work, created by The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and published in the Issues in Agricultural Biodiversity series by Routledge Earthscan publisher. Thanks to the interviews with the coordinators of the Slow Food Africa network, greater visibility was given to a fundamental work carried out by thousands of volunteers and activists, to the efforts and enthusiasm of many children, their teachers, and families.

In Slow Food school gardens which we remember today are 1,690 in 35 countries new generations of Africans are growing with this mentality. Students have practical experience of agroecological techniques, learn to respect and love the environment, to re-known the local food biodiversity and its adaptability to the specific climatic context, while acquiring culinary skills when involved in the preparation of food at the school canteen.

Lilian Shoo (16, from the Henry Gogarty Secondary School in Tanzania):

I think gardening really pays off, apart from complimenting important nutritional contents in our meals it can also be a source of income. When I go back home for holiday I will actually share gardening experience with my family and friends. And a volunteer agronomist points out that This is an activity whose benefits touch everyone. If properly done, the school garden has the capacity to feed the entire surrounding community of the school.

Charles Kariuki (in seventh grade at the Kangoya school in Kenya) shares his enthusiasm:

I participate in gardening activities because I love the job. I have learned a lot, including new techniques like multi-storey gardens, portable gardens and drip irrigation using waste bottles among others. I introduced the techniques back to home as they were new to my family. The garden also creates a platform for socialization since we usually meet there and work as a team. Apart from learning different agricultural skills and science; we also organize educational storytelling sessions once a month.

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School gardens: education without borders that guarantees a better future - Slow food

That hasnt slowed demand for meat. Sales from April 12 to May 9 were 28 percent higher than in the four weeks ending Jan. 18, before the first reported case of coronavirus in the United States, according to data from Nielsen.

But the meat industrys troubles may have provided a boost for plant-based meat substitutes, which had a jump of 35 percent in sales during the same period. (The increase just for uncooked products was more dramatic: 53 percent for the vegan products versus 34 percent for meat.)

To meet the demand, Impossible Foods has been hiring more workers, increasing pay and adding more shifts. Beyond Meat reported record sales in the first quarter of this year.

Those companies new generation of plant-based alternatives developed in laboratories, with long lists of unfamiliar ingredients had been slowly catching on with consumers. But some say that reports of illness among meat-processing workers have made them even more curious.

Before the pandemic, William Thomas, 19, usually bought ground beef and chicken on his weekly shopping trip near his home in Brookline, N.H. Since April, he has been buying plant-based meat instead. Id always been trying to block out a lot of what was going on behind the scenes of the meat industry, but I cant ignore it forever, he said.

Mr. Thomas, who is currently unemployed, is now eating a mostly vegetarian diet for the first time in his life.

With the pandemic around, a lot of the industries, you know, not taking the proper precautions to make sure everyone is safe, I feel like that would probably also go in toward the products, he said.

Some Americans were already looking to plant-based diets as a way to combat climate change.

I think it uses much less water to grow a bunch of peas than it does to grow a cow, said Faizal Karmali, 45, an independent philanthropy consultant who lives in the Dumbo section of Brooklyn.

Mr. Karmali and his fiance have been trying since December to eat a more plant-based diet. At the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, he had a craving for meat. But then, he noticed higher meat prices and read reports of worker deaths.

I just figured that the dynamics there were enough of a nudge not to bother creating more demand for meat, he said.

Impossible Foods plant in Oakland, Calif., has not yet had any coronavirus cases, said the chief executive, Pat Brown. No cases have been reported at the North Carolina factory of Atlantic Natural Foods, which makes the Loma Linda line of plant-based foods, said Doug Hines, the companys founder.

For years, plant-based meat alternatives, typically made of vegetables, legumes and grains, were widely considered of interest mostly to vegans and vegetarians. But in the past year, substitutes made with plant-based protein have shown up in fine-dining and fast-food restaurants; even some large meat companies have started producing them. Although their creation involves complex alchemy, some plant-based meats can cook up and taste just like ground beef.

Even before the coronavirus, interest in plant-based meat was rising. From late December to early January, before the virus hit, sales of plant-based meat were up 30 percent over the same period a year earlier, according to the Nielsen data. Meat sales increased about 1 percent during that same period.

Now, for the first time, plant-based meats are often competitive in price with ground beef, and sometimes easier to find, as fears of meat shortages prompt bulk buying.

During the pandemic, Monia Lauretti, 47, has been doing her grocery shopping online at Instacart. She is a pescatarian, but her family eats meat. The website had put a cap on the amount of burgers she could buy just one package per family. Then she saw a pop-up ad for the Beyond Burger.

I wondered, what is this? Ive never seen this before, said Ms. Lauretti, a stay-at-home parent on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. They taste like normal beef burgers, and they are delicious. Her 16-year-old son, Alessandro Dal Bon, liked them, too. So shell buy them again.

Impossible Foods, which before the pandemic sold more of its products in restaurants than in grocery stores, has expanded its retail footprint. Mr. Brown said his products are now sold in more than 3,000 stores, up from fewer than 200 in January. Its work force of 653 full-time employees is up from 587 in January.

In the first quarter of the year, Beyond Meat, whose stock is publicly traded, reported net revenue of $97.1 million, an increase of 141 percent over last year. Its products are now in 25,000 grocery stores nationwide, and the company recently expanded into China.

We were saying that by 2030, Beyond Meat could have a $1 billion in sales, said Alexia Howard, the senior research analyst of U.S. food at Bernstein, an equity research group. Now, were saying by the end of 2020, which is only 18 months later.

Beyond Meat will offer a value pack starting this summer, priced competitively with traditional meat products. We did not anticipate doing this, said Ethan Brown, the chief executive (who is not related to Pat Brown of Impossible Foods). But when all of a sudden, you start to see wholesale prices move in the beef industry, we said, Weve got to do something now.

Although these companies have long criticized the meat industry, they are careful not to gloat over their successes.

Were not waving the flag saying, This is great, said Mr. Brown, of Beyond Meat. Its a tragic situation. Sure, we want to reach more people throughout the period, but overall, its a tough thing.

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Plant-Based Meats Catch On in the Pandemic - The New York Times

I have two children and would like to be around in the future and see them grow up, says Danny Beard, a 44-year-old-systems developer from Meridian, MS. The possibility that he might not be around in the future really hit home when he went for his yearly physical. He was shocked by his weight, and even more so when his doctor prescribed liver screenings and cholesterol medication.

For the previous five to eight years, his weight had crept up, driven by his feelings of depression and low self-esteem. He was unmotivated to do more than lay around the house and play video games, scarfing down junk food and soda. He was also a heavy smoker, which didnt do wonders for his health. At age 43, he was at his heaviest: 218 pounds.

After his physical, he resolved to change. He asked for a Chantix prescription to stop smoking. He stopped drinking soft drinks, and completely revamped his diet. Hed eat a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast to help lower his cholesterol; lunch was tuna and crackers, a protein shake, and an apple, followed by a dinner of vegetables and grilled chicken with a protein shake. He aimed for 1400 to 1600 calories a day.

For exercise, he started walking on his breaks at work. Hed try to get 9000 steps a day, and stood at his desk rather than sitting. He started light runs after work. Within a month, his tests were back to normal, earning appreciation from his doctor.

After eight months of losing weight, hed motivated a co-worker to also try slimming down. The two became gym buddies, starting with a 5x5 program of progressive overloads in squats, barbell rows, deadlifts, overhead presses, and bench presses three days a week. Beard did cardio twice a week on off days, including speed intervals and a 5K run.

In a year, he lost more than 65 pounds. His friends and coworkers say he looks like a different person, and he says he feels better than ever. Everyone tells me I smile a lot more now, he says.

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His first 5K time was around 36 minutes, but hes shaved that down to 26 minutes; hes also prepping for his first half-marathon. Now that hes dropped so much weight, hes looking to build muscle; he admits having a little trouble wrapping his head around the idea of eating more calories rather than fewer. Hes upped his intake to 2500 calories a day, aiming for 150 grams of protein daily when hes strength training.

Beard feels like hes come back from the brink, turning his health around to make sure he has a future with his kids. He encourages anyone who wonders about their own future to take that first step. As long as you do something every week or every other day, he says, its better than nothingeven if it is a short walk on your break at work. Thats where he started, out of necessity. He stuck with it, and soon a year of real change had passed. You will be surprised by how little changes every day will add up and make a big difference.

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This Guys Shredded Look Started with Walking on Work Breaks - menshealth.com

We do it about a third of our lives, and its important enough to dramatically affect the other two-thirds. Its sleep.

But sleep isnt coming easy for many people in 2020 as we deal with life-altering changes stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

But experts say sleeping is still the bedrock of our lives.

Stress can affect sleep and it is so important to get good quality sleep during this pandemic, said Dr. Alison Mitzner, a pediatrician, writer, and mother of two. Its a cycle, as sleep can affect stress and stress can affect sleep. The lack of sleep can also make you more impatient and more stressed.

Just as diet and exercise is important for overall health, so is sleep, especially with the pandemic, Mitzner told Healthline.

COVID-19 is affecting everyones body, not just those who have the virus, added Dr. Raul A. Perez-Vazquez, who practices internal medicine for Tenet Florida.

During the pandemic and social isolation, the issue has become more prevalent, he told Healthline. Our cycles temperature and circadian (body clock) have been disrupted as we spend more time indoors, possibly not aware of the time of day.

Increased exposure to blue light from screens will decrease melatonin, which usually fluctuates with our circadian rhythm, also impairing sleep, he added.

Doctors are seeing it in their patients.

Many folks have forgotten about good sleep hygiene during the pandemic and are sleeping at all hours, Dr. Aneesa Das, a sleep expert at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Healthline. Its important to get out of bed at the same time each day and try to limit time in bed to 7 to 9 hours, based on the amount of sleep one typically gets.

If able, avoid naps, she added. Or at least keep them under 20 minutes, because daytime napping can lead to nighttime insomnia.

Since sleep is as important as diet and exercise, all three factors influence one another.

Experts say exercise can be a big factor on sleep. But timing is everything.

To sleep better at night, get moving during the day, said Christina Pierpaoli, a sleep researcher and committee member of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine.

Sleep pressure or the bodys hunger for sleep accumulates with increasing time spent awake and dissipates with the opportunity to sleep, she told Healthline.

Vigorous, moderate, or even mild daytime energy expenditure in the form of cardiovascular exercise walking, swimming, household chores, etc. stimulates something called adenosine, which builds sleep pressure, she said. Daytime energy expenditure means more sleep pressure and, usually, improved sleep.

You can think about it like money, Pierpaoli added. If you have $100 and you spend $50 of it, you wont have that money later. The same calculus applies to our energy levels. Energy spent earlier in the day means less later, translating into quicker, deeper, and more consolidated sleep.

Body temperature is directly related to sleep and theres a natural decline in body temperature that occurs at night to signal your body to sleep, according to Dr. Candice Seti, a licensed psychologist and certified insomnia treatment clinician.

There are things you can do to help your body temperature trigger sleep, Seti told Healthline. One of them is exercise. When you exercise, your body temperature rises. That temperature rise maintains for a few hours and then it steadily starts to drop. This drop can work with your bodys natural circadian rhythm and help promote sleepiness.

The way to do that is to get in 30 to 45 minutes of moderate-level aerobic activity and do it about 3 to 6 hours before bedtime, she added.

Exercising shortly before going to bed is a bad idea, experts agree.

It can cause insomnia for many, said Bill Fish, a certified sleep coach and managing editor of SleepFoundation.org, which recently published Sleep Guidelines During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

There has yet to be a conclusive study to show exactly the peak time to exercise to help with sleep, but one thing is certain: You should be completely relaxed at least 45 minutes before going to bed, Fish told Healthline. Meaning, if you do work out, you should be showered and back to normal body temperature at least 45 minutes prior, to give your body time to relax and prepare for rest.

Beyond that, as long as you are getting 30 minutes of cardio throughout the day, you put yourself in a good position to get to rest quickly, he noted.

Experts say some forms of exercise are better than others when it comes to better sleep.

From walking to running to high intensity workouts, cardio is proven to promote better sleep, said Dr. Bryan Bruno, the medical director of Mid City TMS, a New York City clinic that treats depression. A walk on a treadmill or around your neighborhood is an easy way to get your cardiovascular workout for the day.

Bruno also promotes strength training.

While it may seem intimidating, strength training can be done in the comfort of your home, he told Healthline.

Pushups, bicep curls, and squats are simple and convenient strength exercises that will exhaust your muscles and enhance your sleep quality and duration, he said. Strength training can increase your time in deep sleep, the most restorative sleep.

Many experts say yoga with its meditative qualities is the perfect workout to help with sleep patterns, even in the evening.

If someone is struggling with falling asleep, yoga can be beneficial for insomnia at the start of the night, Dr. Benjamin Troy, a board certified psychiatrist and medical reviewer for medical startup Choosing Therapy, told Healthline. Yoga seems most helpful when a focus is placed on taking deep, relaxed breaths.

Researchers say there are a number of ways for people to exercise during the pandemic to promote better sleep at night.

One way is to get up at the same time every day and exercise earlier in the day. Body temperature affects the ability to sleep the lower, the better for sleep. Exercise raises body temperature.

Experts say not to exercise anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours before bedtime.

Do something that gets your heart rate up or breaks a sweat during the day. Daylight is good for sleep cycles.

If you have to exercise in the evening, do something meditative like yoga. Pierpaoli said studies show evening exercise can enhance deep sleep as long as its done at least an hour before bedtime.

Things will get better and people can achieve good, restful sleep during this chaotic time, especially if they make reasonable attempts to prioritize sleep and practice good sleep hygiene, Pierpaoli said.

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Losing Sleep During COVID-19? Tips on How and When to Exercise - Healthline

As the mercury level rises, the risk of many diseases increases too. The scorching heat usually brings with it a lot of diseases such as typhoid fever, diarrhoea, jaundice, heat stroke, dehydration, and skin problems. Despite the unbearable heat and humidity that characteristics of summer, some people eagerly wait for the season to arrive for various reasons. One is that summer brings with it a variety of delicious seasonal fruits, including the most awaited mangoes.

Interestingly, many of these summer fruits are effective in fighting sun damage and provide an instant boost of energy. May be this is the mother natures way of protecting us from the heat.

During the summer season, our body lose more water as we sweat a lot. Therefore, it is important to keep your body hydrated during the summer. Adding summer fruits in your diet is one of the easiest ways to do that. Here are 10 best fruits that can keep your body cool and hydrated.

This red and juicy fruit is one of the best summer fruits to eat during this season. Since watermelon consists mostly of water and very less sugar, the fruit is considered a very healthy summer snack. It is said that each bite of watermelon contains about 92 percent water and 6 percent sugar.

Watermelon also contains vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B6 all of which help boost immunity. Vitamin A is good for the eye health. Potassium found in the fruit can help maintain water balance in the body, prevent muscle cramps and keep your heart healthy. Eating watermelons can protect your skin from sun damage, reduce risk of sunstroke and cancer.

Mango is rightly called the king of fruits. It is this fruit that makes summer a favourite season for many people. Mangoes are high in calories, but they also a rich source of many nutrients. This fruit contains as many as 20 minerals and vitamins. Its high fibre content helps promote digestion and keep you full for longer. Mangoes are rich in Vitamin A and C, as well as potassium. Zeaxanthin, a pigment present in mangoes, can protect your eyes from harmful blue rays.

Another great fruit to include in your diet, papaya contains nutrients like Vitamin A and C, folate, and various phytochemicals. Papain, a compound present in papaya, is very good for your gastrointestinal health. It can help treat indigestion and bloating, which are common problems during summers. This fruit is also a good source of beta-carotene that prevents skin damage and reduces inflammation. Papaya contains antioxidants that are known to prevent cancer and serious heart diseases. For those who are on a weight loss journey, papaya can work wonders in shedding those extra kilos.

Guava is one of the top-rated tropical fruits and is considered one of the super fruits due to the numerous health benefits it offers. It is a powerhouse of nutrients like vitamin C, lycopene and antioxidants that are beneficial for skin. Guava is a rich source of manganese which helps your body to absorb other key nutrients from the food that we eat.

Foliate, a mineral found in this fruit, boosts fertility. The potassium in guavas helps normalize blood pressure levels as well. Gauva contains about 80% of water, as a result it helps keep your skin hydrated. This summer fruit can help in weight loss.

Guavas are great for diabetic patients as it helps keep the blood sugar and insulin levels balanced. Eating guavas can also help reduce menstrual cramps, improve metabolism, complexion, eyesight and mental health.

These round-shaped fruits are loaded with a variety of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. Plums contain vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, vitamin K, vitamin B1 and, minerals like magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, calcium, zinc, fluoride and potassium.

This fruit offer countless benefits. It can:

Published : May 25, 2020 5:03 pm | Updated:May 25, 2020 5:09 pm

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5 summer fruits to beat the heat and stay healthy this season - TheHealthSite

A common question asked by the general public, whether when talking to their doctor, dietitian or Doctor Google is: my stomach hurts/I have a stomach ache, what I should and should not eat to ensure I am taking care of my gut health?

Considering the close relationship between what you eat and gastrointestinal symptomsand that almost one third of the westernized population complain of some kind of gut-related symptomsthat is no surprise. Furthermore, most patients believe that specific foods are important triggers for their gastrointestinal symptoms.

Although digestive symptoms are not usually life threatening, they have a negative effect on an individuals quality of life. With these problems preying so clearly on peoples minds, we decided to ask five gut health dietitians what constitutes a healthy gut.

Before we move on, lets introduce them to you. Andrea Hardy is a registered dietitian from Calgary (Canada); Paula Crespo is a professor at the European University Miguel de Cervantes and dietitian at the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Hospital Campo Grande in Valladolid (Spain); Kate Scarlata is a Boston-based registered dietitian (USA) with a Masters in public health; Megan Rossi is a registered dietitian and nutritionist based in England with a PhD in gut health, founder of The Gut Health Clinic; and Mariana Camarena is a nutritionist in Mexico City and director and founder of Nutricin Activa.

Andrea Hardy: Gut health means optimizing the gut you were given. You can strive towards a healthy gut even if you have a functional or structural gut disorder. Rather than a specific definition or criteria, which we lack at this time, lets focus on taking care of your gut by feeding your gut microbes, managing any gastrointestinal symptoms if you have them, and helping facilitate normal digestion. All of those things contribute to a healthy gut!

Mariana Camarena: Gut health is a term increasingly used by doctors, health professionals and many people, while it is challenging to define because is difficult to be measured. It refers to a state of physical and mental well-being thanks to the absence of gastrointestinal complaints and many other symptoms that put the person in a state of discomfort that require the assistance of a health care professional.

Kate Scarlata: The top 3 indicators of a healthy gut include:

Paula Crespo: The 3 major criteria and common signs of an unhealthy gut are:

Megan Rossi: Good gut health has been linked to the health of just about every other organ in the body, including the heart, skin and brain. One of the main reasons gut health is so key is that 70% of the bodys immune cells lay along the digestive tract. So for fewer sick days, lower risk of allergies and autoimmune conditions, its likely that having good gut health will support this. Our bodies also contain trillions of microbesincluding bacteriawithin the digestive tract that are incredibly powerful and perform thousands of functions for looking after us on a daily basis.

Paula Crespo: It has been widely shown that having a huge variety of good bacteria in the gut can enhance immune system function. These bacteria may also improve symptoms of depression and reduce obesity after previous failed efforts with hypocaloric nutritional intervention, while also reducing the inflammation in some chronic diseases. Moreover, the microbiota is involved in energy harvesting and storage, as well as in a variety of metabolic functions such as fermenting and absorbing undigested carbohydrates, which is necessary for the body to function properly.

Good gut health has been linked to the health of just about every other organ in the body, including the heart, skin and brain. Megan Rossi

Andrea Hardy: We know now that by way of the gut microbiota, your digestive health influences your immune system, the development of chronic disease, and even mental and emotional health. The gut barrier plays a key role in this by acting as a gatekeeper and preventing any harmful molecules from getting through or interacting inappropriately with the immune system. In research, we often see that the gut barrier is compromised during chronic disease, leading to inflammation and inappropriate activation of the immune system. A perfect example would be celiac disease, where the gut barrier is compromised and patients experience inappropriate activation of the immune system and inflammation. By taking care of your gastrointestinal system, you can improve gut barrier function and benefit from its protective effects.

Mariana Camarena: Gut health is the door to the integrity of overall health. As Hippocrates said more than 2,000 years ago, Disease begins in the gut. Taking that as a premise, added to the amount of studies about the correlation of many metabolic conditions and gut inflammation, I rank gut health at the foundation of treating almost any condition in my work as a nutritionist. This is because gut health covers multiple aspects of the gastrointestinal tract, from digestion and absorption of nutrients to an effective immune system and more.

I rank gut health at the foundation of treating almost any condition in my work as a nutritionist. Mariana Camarena

The gut is home to trillions of bacteria that affect your health, either in a good or bad way. It all depends on the type and amount of bacteria the gut hosts, commonly called gut microbiota, which is unique in every person. That is why if we talk about gut health, we have to talk about gut microbiota and the way it responds to diet, stress, medication, and many other factors that can manipulate the metabolism. Thats why we have to personalize every diet, prioritizing gut health in the treatment route.

In summary, taking care of your gut health means taking care of the health of just about everything in your body, ranging from your intestine to your immune system and mood. Despite its relevance, there is no single criteria for defining a healthy gut. According to the gut health dietitians we interviewed, a healthy gut can be seen as a peaceful gut, free from active gastrointestinal disturbances, unknown food intolerances and with a balanced gut microbiome and strengthened gut barrier that help keep your digestive symptoms at bay.

Note: original answers may be edited for style and length.

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Why gut health comes up in conversation so often - - Gut Microbiota for Health