The human body has a natural ability to detoxify itself. In fact, the body has several systems in place for removing toxins. The excretory system plays the largest role in detoxification. The most obvious job of this system is…well you know. The main organs that compose the excretory system are the skin, liver, lungs, large intestine, and kidneys.
You may be surprised to learn that your skin is part of your excretory system, but it’s true - the skin aids in elimination through the sweat glands. I knew I loved skin and all of its multi-tasking amazingness when I started in my skin care career! But the excretory system is just a part of one of our most important systems – the digestive system, the gut and its good bacteria.
The entire body relies on these systems to live a healthy life. Your body is detoxifying itself all the time, around the clock, 24/7. Even your brain flushes out toxins while you sleep.
The key is…now this is a BIG one: We need to take care of these organs and allow them to do their job.
Unfortunately, our digestive system and our beneficial gut bacteria is not a big fan of many of the lifestyle factors that are synonymous with modern living. Stress, processed food, antibiotics, alcohol, cigarettes, sugar and pollution can all compromise good bacteria, feed the bad bacteria and leave our skin and entire body less than radiant.
Listen to your gut!
To achieve a healthy gut, we need to support good bacteria in our digestive system. Bacteria pretty much run the show! Studies show that our gut bacteria can also influence our mood, weight, blood sugar levels and our body's ability to fight infections.
So the goal is to strive for good gut health.
How? Check out the tips below:
People with a healthy digestive system have fewer cravings
Bad bacteria and yeast feed on sugars, processed carbs and saturated fats. If you have an unhealthy imbalance of bad bacteria and an overabundance of yeast that thrive off sugar, the bad bacteria/yeast are capable of manipulating our appetite in order to obtain more sugar. Scavengers! Because of this, bad gut bacteria can cause you to store extra fat as well. I don’t know if anything will get rid of my chocolate craving, but I sure as heck am going to try!
Candida Overgrowth is linked to poor gut health
When you have an abundance of yeast in your gut you may start to have problems in the elimination department. We could spend all day discussing this but I think you get it…Spending a lot of time in the bathroom is not healthy nor is it how you want to spend your time. This is a good enough reason for me.
Poor gut health increases inflammation
Not having enough good bacteria in the gut and allowing yeast to run rampant will trigger inflammation, which is the cause of so many health and skin issues. These issues include everything from aging and acne to asthma and arthritis. In fact, many researchers and professionals believe that inflammation is the root cause of all disease and aging. Beneficial bacteria lower inflammation and crowd out bad bacteria. The first step to healthy, radiant skin begins with balancing digestive health.
A healthy gut equals a healthy immune system
Did you know that about 75-80% of your immune tissue is located in the gut? It came as a surprise to me as well. You usually don’t think of the digestive area as the “hub” of your immune system but it most certainly is! When your gut bacteria are balanced, your immune system is also balanced. But when it’s out of balance, so is your immune system. Which can lead to not only problems within your digestive system but issues throughout your entire body.
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