In addition to being vital to your overall well-being, the gut is also an important contributor to your general health. In fact, the gut is considered to be the second brain in your body, as it sends messages to your brain and vice versa. This communication between the two organs is achieved through nerves that travel from your brain to your GI tract and back again.
Because your intestines are so sensitive, it’s common for digestive issues, such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, and stomach pain, to impact your quality of life. If you struggle with digestive issues on a daily basis, it may be time to take a closer look at your diet.
Gut health is a growing topic of conversation in the health community — and rightfully so. The microbiome, the collection of trillions of bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms that inhabit the human digestive tract, plays an important role in immunity, metabolism, appetite, and, of course, digestion.
If you’ve been living with digestive issues for a while, you might be considering taking a probiotic supplement, but new research has revealed that eating garlic might be a better option. Garlic, the superfood that packs a punch when it comes to immune-boosting, heart-healthy and cancer-fighting benefits, is one food that is the focus of much research. And now scientists may have just discovered another reason to love the humble garlic clove. Garlic, which contains a compound called allicin, may help reduce levels of “bad” gut bacteria.
In recent years, garlic has gained some buzz as a prebiotic, a compound that feeds beneficial bacteria that live in the gut. Prebiotics, which are otherwise referred to as dietary fibers, are compounds that feed probiotics. Prebiotics and probiotics are the two main forms of beneficial bacteria that naturally live in the digestive tract. Together, they can exert a wide range of health benefits, both physical and cognitive.
