Food Allergy Awareness Week (May 9–15)
You may be wondering why we are talking about food allergies . . . we are Physical Therapists not Nutritionists or Gastrointestinal Physicians or Allergists. Here's why: Food has a lot to do with injury recovery, healing, and tissue maintenance! Let's start with some definitions and physiology . . . The "Gut" means the gastrointestinal (GI) tract from the mouth to the large intestine. "Gut Health" refers to the health of the entire system ~ the function and balance of the bacteria that work in the GI tract. For our purposes we will focus on just the intestinal component. While the entirety of the gut plays important roles in turning food into nutrients, the small intestine is where the magic happens ~ digestion and absorption of fluid, nutrients, vitamins, etc. Good Bacteria, normally present in your gut, helps with nutrient absorption, controlling bad bacteria and can even make vitamins (altho we should NOT rely on them for our daily supplements!) ...