Why Families Need to Have A Healthy Gut

by Alexa Villano
May 29, 2025

Dr. Vipada Sae-Lao, Nutrition Education and Training Lead for Asia Pacific, sheds light on the importance of a healthy gut

Health is wealth, and it includes taking care of the digestive system, sometimes referred to as gut health. Dr Vipada Sae-Lao, Nutrition Education and Training Lead of Asia Pacific, for Herbalife, recently spoke about it and why it’s important for everyone, including families, should know the importance of a healthy gut.

The Gut’s Influence

More than digesting food, the gut plays a crucial role in the body. It enhances moods, boosts energy, and supports the immune system. Prioritizing gut health sets a tone for the body to be balanced, energetic, and have a healthier life – both physically and mentally.

Its influence is so powerful that the mere thinking of eating releases digestive juice even before it reaches it. Dr. Sae-Lao attributes this to the brain’s connection to the gut, which is why it’s important to understand their connection. The brain acts as “the center’ of the body, while the gut is the “second brain” that influences the body.

As the environmental principle goes, everything is related to everything else, and this is seen in how the body reacts to how the brain works, in every part of the system.

The Gut’s Relationship with Every Part of the Body

The gut also helps with what is pumped into the heart and arteries. Whatever bacteria come in not only affects the heart but also every part of the body. These also help determine how it responds to stress, inflammation, and the heart’s metabolism.

The Importance of Diet in Gut Health

For a healthy gut, a proper nutritional diet is essential. A proper diet helps in maintaining a good digestive system, and this means adding more fiber, which is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.

Aside from fiber, probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, kefir, and fermented vegetables also help in having good bacteria that are essential for digestion and immune function.

By eating the right amount of food, sufficient water, and proper rest, the digestive system will work magic and produce good bacteria to keep the body healthy.

Remember that a good and healthy gut is essential for the body to work. And with the right wellness balance, it produces a healthier and better human.