Compass Rose Nutrition & Wellness
Blog
With Gaylene Gomez
It might sound like a strange question... but really- do you know your body?
Do you know what makes you feel good? Do you know what makes you feel bad? Or do you just push on through your day or week and not really pay attention to what your body is trying to tell you?
Let's dive into this a bit more, because I think its REALLY important.
As you already know, drinking water is VERY important. But why and how much? We'll talk about it all today.
Water is essential for life. You can only survive a few days without it. And being hydrated is essential for health. I could argue that water is the most essential nutrient of them all.
Water is needed for every cell and function in your body.
Water is a huge part of your blood.
It cushions your joints
Aids digestion.
It helps stabilize your blood pressure and heart beat.
It helps to regulate your body temperature.
Helps maintain electrolyte (mineral) balance.
And that's just a few of its roles.
On the other hand, dehydration can cause a lot of problems.
You might be wondering why, on a Nutrition blog I am talking about exercise. But we have to remember, it's all connected. We have to include a healthy diet, regular exercise, good sleep and a healthy mindset for long term health. So, today, we are talking about exercise.
Here we go.
Exercise. It can improve your health on all levels. We’re not just talking about being fitter and stronger. We’re talking about overall health and longevity.
Regular exercise improves your heart health, brain health, muscle and bone health, diabetes, and arthritis. Beyond those, it also reduces stress, boosts moods, increases your energy, and can improve your sleep.
Leaky gut is also known as increased intestinal permeability. It's when the cells lining our intestines (gut) separate a bit from each other. They're supposed to be nice and tightly joined to the cell beside it; this is to allow certain things into our bodies (like nutrients), and keep other things out.
When the tight junctions between intestinal cells weaken it can cause the gut to be more permeable - leakier - than normal. When this happens, it allows things into our bodies that should not get in; things like large pieces of protein, toxins, or even bacteria and waste.
When substances that shouldn't be there, get into our bloodstream through the "leaks" in our gut, our immune system kicks in. These leaked bits mimic a food allergy, and our body reacts accordingly. It mounts a response to try to attack the invaders, and this causes inflammation.
Leaky gut is associated with a number of issues including food allergies, celiac disease, autoimmune diseases (e.g., Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Hashimoto's, asthma, type 1 diabetes, acne, eczema), joint pain, and neurological problems (e.g., multiple sclerosis). Some research shows that leaky gut might contribute to or worsen these conditions.
