gut health & microbiome

Here you’ll find articles related to gut health and the microbiome. Your gut is at the core of your health (pun intended!), and so it should come as no surprise that many of our articles touch on the topic. The term microbiome refers to all of the microbes that reside within your body, while your gut refers to your entire digestive tract — all the way from your mouth down to the other end. 

Countless tiny microbes reside in your gut, and the delicate balance of these organisms is central to your body’s ability to function properly. When the balance of bacteria in your microbiome gets thrown off, your gut health suffers, and this has a cascade of effects on your health. Your gut health plays a pivotal role in not only digestion and nutrient absorption, but also immune function, metabolism, mental health, and many other areas.

Read these articles to learn more about the ways that your gut affects your overall well-being, as well as what you can do to support a healthy gut and microbiome.

Donna Jackson Nakazawa Explains Psycho Neuroimmunology: How Emotions and Trauma Affect Your Immunity and Disease Risk

Donna Jackson Nakazawa Explains Psycho Neuroimmunology: How Emotions and Trauma Affect Your Immunity and Disease Risk

Donna Jackson Nakazawa is the author of seven books about what she likes to call “gnarly problems” that span the intersection of science, emotion, and human life, most recently the book Girls on the Brink. One of the gnarly topics she’s done a deep dive on is something called psycho neuroimunology, which is the field that looks at the interplay between our mind and our immune system. As she learned in her research, the relationship between the two is strong — and it all starts in childhood. Read on to learn more about the emerging field of psycho neuroimmunology, what it has to do with adverse childhood experiences (ACE) research, how emotions affect the body physically by way of the brain, and more. 
Healthy Coffee Creamer Alternatives (+ the 4 Worst Things to Put in Your Coffee)

Healthy Coffee Creamer Alternatives (+ the 4 Worst Things to Put in Your Coffee)

We love coffee, and chances are, so do you. The taste, the energy boost, the comforting ritual — there are a lot of reasons that coffee is an important part of many people’s daily life. But here’s the catch: not all coffee is created equal. In fact, the way some coffee is grown and processed can be harmful to both the environment and your health, and what you put in your coffee can also do damage to your health. The good news is that with the right knowledge, you can make informed decisions that let you have your morning cup without compromising your health or the planet. Read on to learn about the various coffee benefits and side effects, why non-dairy coffee creamer is so bad (plus healthy coffee creamer alternatives), the importance of buying organic coffee beans, and much more.