5 Signs of an Unhealthy Gut

Your gut is home to trillions of microorganisms called your gut microbiome. Various lifestyle factors can affect your gut microbiome, including nutrition, sleep, stress levels, illness, and medications.

When the microbes living in your gut are stable, the rest of your body is in harmony. However, when things go wrong, harmful bacteria can sometimes grow and multiply, leading to an unhealthy gut (also called intestinal dysbiosis), which can negatively affect the rest of your body.

stomach ailment

If your stomach is often upset and you experience nausea or abdominal pain after meals, it may indicate an imbalance in your gut bacteria. This imbalance in bacteria dysbiosis is called. An imbalance in gut bacteria can mean your body has more difficulty processing food and eliminating waste.

bloating​

Bloating is often defined as a feeling of fullness, tension or pain in the stomach, especially below the waist, associated with swelling. It’s completely normal to feel a little bloated after eating. It’s very common to feel bloated if you overeat or haven’t chewed your food. Another common cause of bloating is eating a high-fiber meal. When fiber is fermented by bacteria in your gut, gas is produced that can make you feel bloated. However, frequent painful bloating that lasts more than an hour after a meal may be an indication that your gut microbiome is not healthy. I have a bowel problem and bloating

diarrhea

Diarrhea is often defined as the passing of soft, liquid stools. Many people will experience diarrhea at some point in their life, but if this becomes a regular occurrence, you should consider the health of your gut. Diarrhea can be the result of an infection, so a microbe has disturbed your gut’s environment or it could be related to a food intolerance or allergy. Diarrhea can expel the good bacteria in your gut, worsening your gut health and contributing to even more gut dysbiosis. What about diarrhea?

constipation​

Constipation is something that many people will experience in the middle row at the same time. Constipation is very personal – for some it’s about how often they poop, for others it’s about straining their bowels or not emptying them completely. It can also be related to the consistency of the poop at the same time. As for how often you poop – 3 times a day to 3 times a week in some random place is considered normal. What is unusual though? Straining, difficulty in defecation, feeling that you have not fully evacuated when you open your bowels, or feeling the urge to go but not being able to. Constipation has many potential causes, but a common cause is a lack of dietary fiber, which can reduce the diversity of gut bacteria living in your large intestine. Other factors include low fluid intake, lack of systematic exercise, certain medications, and pregnancy.

Excessive Gas​

Passing gas is common because it is part of the digestive process that takes place in your large intestine. Gas is produced as a natural byproduct of this process when your gut bacteria “feed” on undigested food particles in the large intestine. In fact, the average person passes gas 10-20 times a day. However, if you find yourself passing gas more than 20 times a day and they are particularly smelly or cause discomfort, it may be a sign of poor bowel health.