Signs of Bad Gut Health: 9 Symptoms of Poor Gut Health in 2022

How healthy is your gut? This question we’re quickly discovering is worth asking as more research is piled over the crucial role the gut health of our children contributes to our overall health and how a sluggish gut could result in a wide variety of health issues.

You may instantly imagine the feeling of bloating, food that repeats over us, and discomfort in digestion concerning gut health. These are some signs of bad gut health. However, new research suggests a connection between gut health, obesity and mental health issues and allergies to food, skin health, and energy levels!

When Hippocrates stated that “All disease began in the stomach’ more than 2000 years ago didn’t seem to be too far off from the truth.

“Gut health is an influencer of overall health, including mental health.”

So, how can we know if the condition of our gut is a problem for us?

Let’s read the signs of bad gut health.

Signs of Poor Gut Health

Excessive gut issues could manifest as IBS, irritable digestive syndrome (IBS), bloating, or gas. However, there are also lesser-known indicators to look out for. These are some of the signs you have experienced throughout your life and not even realize they are related to your stomach or that there are ways to manage and support the symptoms or even get free of them!

9 Signs of Bad Gut Health

1. Burping and Bloating
2. Bad Breath
3. Sugar Cravings
4. Constipation, Diarrhea, and Gas
5. Food Sensitivities or Intolerances
6. Mental Well-being and Mood Instability
7. Poor Immune Health
8. Skin Issues
9. Poor Sleep and Low Energy levels

Let’s look at these eight signs of bad gut health in greater depth.

#1. Bloating and Burping

Bloating and food are re-occurring on your tongue, and bad breath is the most obvious indication that something is wrong in our stomachs.

The first thing to note is that bloating and burping may occur for various reasons and are usually triggered by what we eat or drink. Bloating is an indication of gas that is accumulating within our digestive tract.

When we drink or eat and do not have sufficient digestive enzymes in our stomachs to break it down to aid digestion, food items will “repeat” on us to produce more digestive enzymes and then break it down again. It could also be linked to food intolerances, which we’ll explore in the next section!

#2. Bad Breath

Bad breath is partly due to the balance between bad and good bacteria within our gut. the harmful bacteria that cause it makes their home in our mouths. The term used to describe persistent bad breath is called Halitosis.

Most of the time, Halitosis originates from the odor-producing microbes between our gums, teeth, and tongue. It is also linked to gum disease. The presence of these “bad bacteria” in our mouths does not make for the most pleasant image for us. It’s also an incentive to get rid of these bacteria!

How to Control Burping, bloating, and bad breath?

Get your stomach’s acid levels a boost by taking the addition of digestive enzymes like apple cider vinegar or lemon water to break down your food and digest it. Keep an account of the foods that cause bloating, food repeated on you, and flatulence, and begin eliminating these. To love your gut, take probiotics to create a more healthy microbiome that will aid in digestion, healthy breath, and regular stool movements.

#3. Sugar Cravings

Researchers have discovered that gut bacteria produce proteins similar to hormones that regulate hunger: Leptin and Ghrelin. These proteins impact our appetite and mood.

Bacteria are clever and attempt to lure us into eating things on which they flourish. If you consume excessive amounts of sugar, it feeds bacteria that don’t help you. They enjoy it and release proteins that make you want to eat more sugar. This is pretty clever, but it’s not helpful for us.

How to Control Sugar Cravings?

Infusing good bacteria by taking a high-quality probiotic enriched with the “good guys” or other probiotics that love our gut will help eliminate the bacteria that trigger us to crave unhealthy foods. When we no longer crave them, we can stop eating them and lessen the problems when it comes to weight. You may try the Best Appetite Suppressants of 2022 to suppress appetite and sugar cravings.

#4. Constipation, Diarrhea and Gas

Our bowels may be “all gone,” or frequently feel constipated and clogged up’, or a combination of these, the irregularity of bowel movements is a sure sign of a weakened digestive system. If our gut health is good, the perfect poop is usually around 30 centimeters long per day. This is a perfect sausage-like soft and long shape.

This is vital since if food is passing fast in our stool, we are missing the opportunity to absorb vital nutrients from it, or if we’re constipated. Food remains in our stomachs for over a long time. It may cause toxicity to our bodies.

It is in part due to the health and diversity of our gut microbiome. Suppose the microbiome is not balanced, which means there are too many ‘bad bacteria’ and not enough good bacteria. In that case, we may experience frequent bowel movements, and unpleasant gas and diarrhea – the amount and diversity of bacteria that live in your gut can affect your overall health and wellbeing.

In the next paragraph, the food we’re eating may cause irregular bowel movements in those suffering from food sensitivities, allergies, or intolerances.

Gas particularly is a sign that food particles are fermenting in our digestive tract. It happens when inadequate stomach acid or an imbalance in the bacteria breaks down the food we consume.

How to Avoid Constipation, Diarrhea and Gas?

Many methods help us achieve the best bowel movements to improve our health and wellbeing. Stool,’ however, there are some easy wins. Keep a food journal and observe how certain foods can affect your bowels. Keep hydrated and drink lots of water. Consume probiotic-rich meals or take a good probiotic to maintain the health of your microbiome and better digestion, and then incorporate digestive enzymes like apple cider vinegar or an enzyme supplement to break down the food you eat.

#5. Food Intolerances and Sensitivities

Food sensitivities and food intolerances are usually felt within our digestive tract. When we consume certain food items, we may immediately feel constipated, or even our bowels might suffer.

Most commonly, food intolerances involve dairy, gluten, and nuts. They also include the nightshade family of food items. If you have food intolerances, leaky stomach syndrome is usually the result. This condition occurs as the result of a gut barrier that is affected, which isn’t the best thing, as the gut barrier acts as the gatekeeper who decides which foods are allowed in and from our digestive systems.

Anything that is put in the mouth and doesn’t get digested will go on the other side. In reality, this is one of the primary purposes of the gut, which is to stop foreign substances from getting into the bloodstream and the body.

The intestinal barrier is permeable (which occurs when the connective tissues of the gut split). It is known as a condition known as a leaky gut syndrome. Food protein molecules that are large could then leak into the bloodstream. Since these proteins aren’t part of the outside of the digestive tract, the body triggers an immune reaction and fights these proteins. This immune response manifests as food sensitivities and intolerances.

How to Control Food Intolerances and Sensitivities?

Specific food intolerances include dairy and gluten. They are an excellent place to identify and eliminate foods that can cause digestive symptoms, such as constipation or indigestion. By using the gut-friendly foods, you can naturally avoid food intolerance. You may read about the best foods for gut health and digestion here; Best Foods for Gut Health and Digestion: The Best Guide You Ever Need!

#6. Unstable Mood and Mental Wellbeing

One reason why nutrient deficiencies are linked to mental health problems is due to gut health issues. The gut-brain connection is now widely known, along with connections to anxiety, depression, and mood swings that can be linked to your gut’s health.

Even if someone with mental health problems could access the proper nutrients or micronutrient levels, a leaky gut, a lack of gut-friendly bacteria, or a skewed level of stomach acid may cause them to be unable to take in these vital nutrients.

A sluggish or unbalanced gut can affect the ability of our body to utilize serotonin and dopamine, our happy hormones. They also affect vitamin D inside our bodies.

Serotonin is the most abundant, and approximately 50% of our dopamine is created in our digestive. If we suffer from the gut leaking, the body will be unable to absorb a significant amount of serotonin and the dopamine it produces.

Therefore, we need to boost the levels of our happiness hormones and help to maintain an overall more peaceful mood. It is returned to our stomach acid levels and good bacteria levels in our gut.

In short, our digestive system’s inner functioning does not only aid digestion but also regulates and balances our hormones and emotions.

How to Control Unstable Mood and Mental Wellbeing?

It can appear like a repetition, but stay away from food items that harm your gut, such as alcohol or coffee, as well as sugar, and incorporate plenty of probiotic-rich. Gut-friendly foods, along with quality probiotics and digestive enzymes, are the best method to improve our gut health and mood. A good night’s sleep and drinking lots of fluids to allow our digestive system (and the body) to recuperate, replenish and detoxify can be highly beneficial to our gut health and mental wellbeing.

#8. Poor Immune Health

Did you know that 80 percent of our immunity is located in our guts? It’s because this is where we produce antibodies to fight off illness and because every time we take a meal, our immune and digestive systems determine if the food we consume is an entanglement.

If we consume foods that our bodies don’t agree with – whether due to allergies or sensitivities or due to them putting extra pressure on the digestive system (for instance, alcohol and sugar) our immunity is put on the back burner. An off-swing to address the more urgent issue with the food we consume. It’s not as well-prepared and ready to fight off viruses, bugs, and bacteria.

How to Improve Poor Immune Health?

The positive side is that when we nourish our gut, we boost our immunity and reverse. We know that fermented foods, such as Sauerkraut and kombucha are packed with beneficial bacteria for our gut. Also, we know that garlic, onions, and legumes are naturally occurring probiotics.

Therefore, you should consume many of them and try to stay clear of foods that can harm your gut, such as coffee, sugar, and alcohol, as well as any foods that can cause inflammation in your body. Incorporating high-quality probiotics and digestive enzymes along with immune-boosting nutrients is an effective way to improve your immune system and gut health.

#8. Skin Problems

Since the health of our skin is usually associated with inflammation, which typically begins within the gut, taking care of the health of our gut and eventually our beauty from within is an excellent place to begin for glowing and healthy skin.

One of the most common signs of food intolerances is eczema. This article about what causes your eczema focuses on the connection between your microbiome and eczema-related conditions and on common intolerances such as dairy and gluten.

The connection between the leaky gut and autoimmune disorders like eczema is crucial. When we mark any molecule as an invader, the immune system is activated and attacks it in an attempt to flush it from the body. To do this, invaders are sent through the lymphatic system, eliminating them from the body as toxic substances.

When the lymphatic system cannot obliterate these toxins, the system may attempt to eliminate them by the skin. Many common skin problems include acne, eczema, or psoriasis.

How to Prevent Skin Problems?

Improve the health of your gut lining by drinking plenty of gut-friendly bone broth or high-quality collagen supplements to help reduce intestinal leaky gut syndrome and permeability. Then, a dose of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats rich in DHA/EPA can help to heal and soothe the skin.

#9. Poor Sleep & Low Energy

A healthy and balanced gut is essential to a good night’s sleep. Having the best night’s sleep signifies an overall healthy gut. It is because we need an endocrine system that is healthy to ensure that our sleeping hormone, called melatonin, and the hormone that regulates our energy, cortisol, is flowing at the appropriate levels and timing.

Also, we require a healthy endocrine system to absorb the nutrients we consume daily. If we cannot absorb these nutrients, our bodies don’t have the proper energy source to provide the energy we require daily.

A bloated stomach can affect sleeping quality, as your sleeping pattern affects the trillions of tiny bugs within your microbiome. If you make improvements to one of them, you can increase both in the same way!

How to Improve Poor Sleep & Low Energy?

The first step toward achieving excellent gut health is maintaining a healthy microbiome. A high-quality probiotic daily will give us doses of good bacteria that can take on negative bacteria. “Bad” bacteria lead to a desire for food that is less nutritious and can make it difficult for the body to take in nutrients that fuel our bodies. Furthermore, including gut-friendly food items in our diets, Sauerkraut, and other fermented food items or probiotic foods such as bananas and yogurt – helps keep the good bacteria ratio high.

Concluding the Signs of Bad Gut Health

Naturally, we may notice these symptoms but not know they are connected to our stomach. For instance, craving sugar seems a regular aspect of life, but sometimes it can make us apprehensive about having an afternoon snack or a 3 pm slump. However, once we are aware of our gut’s role in our overall health and our diet, it is possible to improve our gut microbiome, increase stomach acid, repair our gut lining, improve our gut microbiome, and improve our gut lining overall health.

Much of what we’ve discussed in this article pertains to adults’ gut health. Some of it also applies to children. However, there are specific gut-related issues like colic, which infants and children suffer from, and many ways to boost and maintain your child’s digestive health.