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Be Good to Your Gut

gut-health-n4nn-2016-jpgDon’t miss the Microbiota Summit on Nov 7th! RD Lucia Weiler teams up with Chef Eric Deletroz to dish out healthy advice, one bite at a time!

Two out of three Canadians experience digestive health problems every year.  For some people it’s just uncomfortable for a while, but for others it’s a chronic, painful or even life threatening condition. Researchers are looking at ways to keep your gut healthy and are discovering the significant impact of microorganisms that call your gut home.

Did know your body is home to trillions of microorganisms? The human gut in fact has its own microorganism colonies made up of mainly bacteria that are living and working in your body to help keep you healthy. Gut microorganisms are an exciting leading area of research and we are seeing the emergence of a movement on how gut microorganisms impact lifelong health.

On Monday Nov 7th, 2017, the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation (CDHF) is hosting a special education summit on gut health in Toronto for professionals and consumers. Registered Dietitian Lucia Weiler will be teaming up with Chef Eric Deletroz at the event to showcase healthy eating and cooking tips to improve your gut health. Our session will help you discover what to eat for digestive health & how to feed the microorganism world within you. Join us to learn more!

To register for the Microbiota Summit:

  1. Health Care Professional Session: Discover the World Within – Understanding how the Human Microbiota Impacts lifelong health. 12:30-5:30 pm in Toronto. Design Exchange, Toronto, Ontario. http://cdhf.ca/en/events/microbiota-summit-for-health-care-professionals
  2.  Consumer directed education session “Healthy Gut Summit’ is also available to help Canadians attain – and maintain — a happy, healthy gut. The session is FREE, but registration is required. http://cdhf.ca/en/events/healthy-gut-summit  Mon. Nov 7. 2016 | 7 – 9pm | Design Exchange Centre | Toronto, Ontario

Canadian Digestive Health – November 5, 2013

We attended the annual Canadian Digestive Health Foundation Summit for health professionals to get the latest updates on this exiting area of research. There is so much to learn about the human microbiome which is the collection of microbes – bacteria, viruses, and single-cell eukaryotes – that inhabits the human body. Did you know that microbes in your body outnumber your human cells by a ratio of ten to one? Research is mounting on this newly recognized inner body ecosystem of microorganisms that appear to impact much more than just your digestive tract.

Bacteria establish themselves in the body early in life and once they’ve ‘moved in’ they tend to stay for the duration of a person’s life. You may wonder what these 8 million microbial genes are doing in our body. In a fascinating overview we heard researchers describe the diversity of microbial communities which inhabit the human gut and the unique ways in which they interact with our body and other bacteria. For example, our microbiomes have a role in energy metabolism, including fat, carbohydrate and protein breakdown. Bacteria influence gut health, help protect you from food-borne illnesses and play an important role in immune function. An exciting area of research is understanding the differing composition of gut bacteria in obese vs lean people and how microbes influence how much energy we burn and how much fat we store. Not only is a healthy and diverse bacterial flora linked to good gut health but now researchers are starting to understand the gut – brain interaction as well.??Keeping your gut flora healthy with a diverse ‘friendly ‘ bacteria may help keep out disease-causing microbes and make you less susceptible to gastrointestinal infections and bowel ailments such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Watch for more news on this topic as scientists work to understand the role or probiotics in the prevention and treatment of human diseases.

In the meantime, consider our top tips for optimizing your gut flora:

  • Choose foods that contain probiotics (live friendly bacteria) such as fermented dairy (yogurt, kefir) and fermented vegetables.
  • Include prebiotics that are a source of fibre such as whole grains, fruit, vegetables, beans and legumes.
  • Practice a healthy lifestyle and exercise regularly.