Digestive Health and Immunity: The Vital Connection

Our bodies are like machines, and for them to function efficiently, every part must coordinate well. Digestion is one system of the body that must function properly for the whole body to be in tip-top condition.

Usually, our bodies signal if our digestion is improper, and time and again, we feel sick or lethargic. This is when you hear that your immunity is low and you must eat healthy food, stay fit, exercise, or stop stressing out.

Haven’t you experienced it?

Yes, always! And this is what it is: digestive health and immunity are closely interconnected, so much so that you must have a happy tummy to stay healthy.

However, if your stomach is weak or contaminated with hazardous bacteria, you may get recurring coughs, colds, and fevers. To put it simply, this means that your immunity is weak.

So here is the catch, keep your tummy free of harmful bacteria and stay healthy. Is that so easy?

Yes, it is, and here, in this post, we’ll explore the fascinating connection between digestive health and immunity and uncover how to maintain a strong and resilient body.

How Digestive Health Impacts the Immune System?

Our digestive health depends on the functioning of our gut microbiome, where billions and trillions of microorganisms reside and work tirelessly to create magic. And most importantly, the gut is also home to 70% of your immune system ^[1].

So this is how the interconnection between the two is. Digestive health and immunity influence your body’s defence mechanism in various ways.

Firstly, your gut microbiome is critical in training and educating your immune system. It helps teach your immune cells to distinguish between harmful invaders and harmless substances. The gut microbiota functions as a physical barrier to prevent pathogens from colonising the gut lining and perhaps causing diseases.

At the same time, good bacterias preserve a healthy balance and create a competitive environment to drive away harmful bacteria ^[2].

Moreover, the changes in the composition of the gut microbiome, such as an increase in harmful microbes, can harm immune function. Allergies, inflammatory bowel diseases, and even minor coughs, colds and fevers are due to imbalances in the gut microbial ecology ^[3].

As food is broken down during digestion, your gut absorbs nutrients necessary for various physical processes and eliminates toxins from your body. But an imbalance in your digestive system, like an overabundance of “bad” bacteria, could confuse your immune system and start attacking your healthy cells.

If this happens, it will be difficult for your body to recover from an ailment ^[4]_.

So, please give it a thought and start eating mindfully! Plan a balanced diet, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, spend time for a walk or exercise, and have a happy tummy and smooth digestion.

Aashirvaad Digestive Quotient

You could occasionally experience confusion over your digestive quotient. With Aashirvaad Digestive Quotient, things do, however, become easier. The digestion Quotient test, created by Aashirvaad Atta with Multigrains and a team of professional nutritionists, determines your digestion score on a scale of 100.

Take this two-minute test to determine your Digestive Quotient, then use your scorecard to plan your meals properly and determine whether your road to a Happy Tummy is going well.

Ways to Improve Digestive Health and Immune System

Well, it is apparent that to boost our immunity, we must keep those tiny microbiomes happy. But how do you keep those creatures satisfied?

Usually, a sensible diet will suffice. So to clear the air and make things easy, here’s a crash course on the ways to help boost your immunity.

1. Consume Multi-Millets and Multi Grains for Digestive Health

Yes, you heard it right. Eating variety will enhance your gut health by increasing your intake of fibre. Through multi-millet and multigrain meals, your body will get enough fibre giving bulk to your stools, thus helping you improve digestive health and boost your immunity levels.

You can try AASHIRVAAD Atta with Multigrains since it has six distinct grains in one package, including wheat, soya, channa, oat, maise, and psyllium husk. Three rotis made of this flour can give you the fibre of 6 carrots or four beetroots! The high fibre content of atta aids in maintaining healthy digestion.

Also, to experiment with taste without compromising health, you can also try Aashirvaad Multi Millet Mix. It has all the essential millet grains mixed in their natural goodness to ensure that you and your family have the most nutritious meals.

2. Eat a Lot of Prebiotics for Digestive Health

Think of prebiotics as special nutrients that fuel the good bacteria in your gut. These non-digestible fibres pass through your digestive system without being broken down by stomach acids or enzymes.

Instead, they reach the colon intact, becoming a feast for the beneficial bacteria. By nourishing these friendly microbes, prebiotics helps them thrive and multiply. As a result, prebiotics help maintain the balance between good and bad bacteria, creating an environment that supports optimal digestion.

Bananas, onions, apples, garlic, lentils, barley, and oats are all examples of prebiotics you can easily add in your daily diet.

3. Eat Fermented Foods for Digestive Health

The best part of fermentation is the creation of probiotics, which you can call “good bacteria” in layman’s language.

These good bacteria benefit the digestive system and help you with better immunity. So attempt to include fermented items such as yoghurt, pickles, idlis, kefir, kimchi, so on for a healthy tummy and better immunity.

You must be surprised to know that chocolate is also fermented. So, you can add that too, but cautiously because of high sugar content!

Parting Wisdom

So to cut a long story short, nourishing your gut with a diverse range of beneficial bacteria and adopting healthy lifestyle habits can promote a harmonious relationship between the gut microbiome and immunity, paving the way for a strong defence against illness and disease.

You can do this by making dietary and lifestyle changes. Start by making small changes, such as increasing your intake of fermented foods or keeping yourself hydrated.

The core idea is to promote healthy habits like getting enough sleep, exercising frequently, and eating well to build a strong gut and immune system.

So remember this the next time you eat some sauerkraut (finely cut raw cabbage, fermented by various lactic acid bacteria). Your immune system will be grateful to you!

Frequently Asked Questions