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Understanding digestive health and the everyday habits that shape it
By Jenn
I never paid much attention to my gut until my body made me.
As a teenager, I was diagnosed with pancreatitis, and despite numerous tests, doctors never found a clear cause. Thankfully, it never returned.
Years later, I began experiencing occasional digestive discomfort. Certain types of milk and dairy-based foods would cause stomach discomfort, especially when I consumed larger amounts. Interestingly enough, not all dairy products affected me in the same way.
These experiences sparked my curiosity and eventually led me to complete a certification in gut health nutrition.
Like many people, I assumed the gut referred mainly to the stomach. But it's much more than that.
The gut, also known as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, extends from the mouth through the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine, ending at the anus. Together with supporting organs such as the liver, pancreas and gallbladder, it forms the digestive system.
Its main job is to break down the food you eat and absorb the nutrients your body needs to function.
One particularly interesting part of this is the gut microbiome: a community of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, that live in our gut.
Together, these microorganisms form an ecosystem that interacts with the food we eat and with with other systems in our body involved in immunity, metabolism and nervous system function.
A few things have shaped the way I think about caring for my gut.
The first is that variety matters more than perfection. Different microorganisms use different nutrients, which is one reason a varied diet containing fibre-rich plant foods can be beneficial.
These days even when shopping, I sometimes find myself pausing to consider what I'm buying and how it might contribute to my diet.
That doesn't mean every food choice is perfect, but I've become even more interested in the pattern of what I eat and how different foods nourish me.
The second is that stress and digestion are connected.
Our digestive and nervous systems are in constant communication through what researchers call the gut–brain axis.
This communication works in both directions. Stress can influence digestive processes, while signals from the gut can also interact with the nervous system.
It's one reason digestive discomfort isn't always a matter of what we've eaten. Prolonged stress for example, can also affect how our digestive system functions.
And then there's sleep.
We often think about sleep in relation to energy, concentration and mood, but research is also examining its relationship with the gut microbiome.
The gut is also affected by our circadian rhythm (the body’s internal clock), and research suggests that changes in sleep patterns may influence the microorganisms living in our gut.
The relationship is complex, but it provides another reason to consider rest as part of caring for our overall health.
One thing I've come to appreciate is that there isn't a single approach to eating that works equally well for everyone.
Our digestive responses can differ, influenced by factors such as our health, habits and the foods we consume.
My own experiences with dairy have made this clear as I've become more interested in noticing which foods cause discomfort, how much I've consumed, and whether there are any recurring patterns.
I've even considered keeping a simple food and symptom journal to help me observe these patterns more consistently.
Of course, paying attention doesn't mean diagnosing ourselves. Persistent or recurring digestive symptoms deserve proper medical assessment, and a journal can be a useful way to communicate observations to a healthcare professional.
For me, learning about gut health has been less about following a particular diet or finding a perfect routine, and more about understanding the relationship between what I eat, how I live and how my body responds.
There's still plenty I'm learning, but one thing has become clearer: caring for our digestive health involves more than responding when something feels wrong.
Perhaps it begins with something as ordinary as paying attention.