Skip to main content
  • Individuals
    • Individuals
    • Business
    • Adviser
    • Financial Wellbeing
    • About us
    • Contact us
    • Claims
    • AIA Vitality Member Login
  • Search
  • AIA Australia
  • Health Insurance
    • Member Benefits
    • Member Login
    • Get a quote
    • Make a claim
  • Life Insurance
    • Life Cover
    • Total and Permanent Disablement
    • Crisis Recovery
    • Income Protection Core
    • Business Expenses
    • Make a claim
    • Medix
  • Retirement & Investment
    • Guaranteed Annuities
    • Investment Growth Bond
    • Unit Prices
  • AIA Vitality
    • Partners and Rewards
    • Already a member? Login
  • Content Hub
    • Move Well
    • Plan Well
    • Eat Well
    • Think Well
  • Help & Support
    • Making a Claim
    • Forms & Documents
    • Policyholder Information
    • Complaints process
    • Contact AIA
    • Customer feedback
    • COVID-19
AIA
  • Individuals
  • Business
  • Adviser
  • Financial Wellbeing
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Claims
  • AIA Vitality Member Login
  • Health Insurance

    Health Insurance

    Cover that protects and rewards.

    • Member Benefits

      Learn more about the range of benefits available to AIA Health Insurance members.

    • Member Login

      Existing members login here to your online account.

    • Get a quote

      Ready to get started?

    • Make a claim

      Get help with making a claim.

  • Life Insurance

    Life Insurance

    We’re here to help protect your family, your lifestyle and your future.

    For Individuals

    For Business

    • Life Cover

      Helps protect your loved ones if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness or pass away.

    • Total and Permanent Disablement

      A lump sum benefit if you can’t work due to injury or illness

    • Crisis Recovery

      Helps ease the financial burden should you suffer a traumatic event.

    • Income Protection Core

      Can provide you with a monthly income if you become disabled due to injury or illness.

    • Business Expenses

      May assist to pay expenses of your business if you cannot work due to injury or illness.

    • Make a claim

      Get help with making a claim.

    • Medix

      Personal Medical Case Management.

  • Retirement & Investment

    Retirement & Investment

    Plan for a more comfortable tomorrow.

    • Guaranteed Annuities

      Can provide you with a regular, guaranteed income stream throughout your retirement.

    • Investment Growth Bond

      Also known as an insurance bond, it offers a tax-effective way to invest for the future and is flexible enough to suit a wide range of needs.

    • Unit Prices

      Find unit prices for a range of superannuation and investment products.

  • AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality is a personalised, science-backed health and wellbeing program that supports you every day to make healthier lifestyle choices.

    • Partners and Rewards

      Learn more about our partners and rewards.

    • Already a member? Login

      Check your AIA Vitality Status and get access to the tools you need to help improve your health.

  • Content Hub

    Content Hub

    The AIA Vitality Content Hub is your go to for science-backed, health and wellbeing inspiration and advice.

    • Move Well

      Find your further when it comes to exercise and fitness.

    • Plan Well

      Tools and support for your future, because a good tomorrow starts today.

    • Eat Well

      Care for your body with food that makes you feel good.

    • Think Well

      Tools and information to help you cultivate a healthy frame of mind.

  • Help & Support

    Help & Support

    We strive to assist you for all your inquiries with high touch customer service.

    Contact AIA
    • Making a Claim

      Get help with making a claim.

    • Forms & Documents

      A selection of forms and other important product related documents.

    • Policyholder Information

      Useful information for policyholders.

    • Complaints process

      If you have a complaint, we'll do our best to resolve the situation.

    • Contact AIA

      How to get in contact with us.

    • Customer feedback

      Let us know how we're doing.

    • COVID-19

      How we are responding.

  • Search
  • Contact Us
    • Call Us

      Open: 8am to 6pm, AEST Mon - Fri

    • Find an adviser

Eat Well
Prev | Next
Back to Top
  • {{title}}

    {{label}}
  • Marika Day: How a Happy Gut Can Foster Better Health and Wellbeing

    Marika Day - 5 min read

    11 March 2021


    More evidence is emerging about the effect gut health has on our overall wellbeing. This Coeliac Awareness Week, Marika Day explains how to give your guts the love they deserve.

    Marika Day: How a Happy Gut Can Foster Better Health and Wellbeing

    Just over 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with coeliac disease. I didn’t have the typical symptoms of poor gut health; instead, I had extreme fatigue and severe iron deficiency. I went to the doctor to work out why I was tired all the time, and the results came back with coeliacs. This prompted a massive change in my diet – and my overall health.

    The impact on my mental and physical health within a month of starting treatment was profound. Before my diagnosis I was so fatigued that I felt like I had a cloud over my head, which only lifted once I changed my diet.

    At the time, I was studying real estate. But after seeing the benefits these changes made to my health, I wanted to learn more about it. I decided to combine this with my love of food and build a career on it. If diet could have such a big effect on my life, I wanted to be able to share that with others.

    The gut and health

    Optimal gut health is important for everyone. If you’re healthy, you probably don’t need to worry about changing your habits; just care for your gut through a balanced diet. The research around gut health is still in its infancy, but the way that it intersects with so many facets of holistic health is fascinating.

    The gut-brain axis

    There are many studies investigating the bidirectional communication between the brain and the gut; some research shows that the gut may have a much larger role to play in conditions like depression and anxiety than we anticipated. For example, up to 95% of serotonin – the happiness hormone – is found in your gut.

    Your gut is also essential to your immunity, and may affect appetite and obesity as well as the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The more we investigate, the more important the gut seems to be to our overall health.

    Introducing the microbiota

    Our digestive tract is a vast ecosystem of bacteria. A lot of those bacteria are good, and are essential to functions across the body. One of the major things that they do is break down and ferment fibre; during this process they also produce beneficial by-products in the form of short-chain fatty acids.

    Recognising poor gut health

    If you’re concerned about your gut health, be aware of any changes to the frequency or consistency of your stool. Going to the bathroom more than three times a day, or less than three times a week, isn’t a great sign.

    Severe bloating, excessive wind, pain, and cramping are also associated with poor gut health. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, the first step would be to rule out serious problems like coeliacs or Crohn’s disease. Coeliac Australia have a great online assessment you can take here.

    Then, build up a healthy and diverse microbiome by including a range of fibre-rich foods in your diet – I recommend eating 30 different plants per week. This is because each bacteria variety in your in gut has a preference for certain types of fibre. If you’re only eating broccoli and potatoes, you’ll have an overrepresentation of the bacteria that feed on those fibres – and you’ll miss out on a host of other bacteria. 

    Gut health and lifestyle

    A big factor in gut health is stress, but it’s important to address what might be causing your symptoms before trying to heal it with supplements or pills. If you don’t deal with the underlying root of stress or anxiety, it can be hard to see an improvement.

    Extreme exercise (like ultramarathons) can also cause issues, and certain antibiotic medications can impact your gut microbiota, too. They’re designed to kill harmful bacteria, but they can often wipe out good bacteria as well.

    Prebiotics versus Probiotics

    The role of probiotics and prebiotics comes up when you’re discussing gut health. Probiotics contain the live bacteria that live within your gut – they’re normally marketed as supplementary capsules. Prebiotics contain the food that those bacteria feed on – the fibre. Both are extremely beneficial to the gut.

    Supplementation isn’t usually necessary if you’re eating an adequate amount of both. Achieve this by incorporating lots of fibre-rich foods in your diet, like onion, garlic and leeks (prebiotics), and cultured yoghurt and kefir (probiotics).

    To find out if you’re at risk of coeliac disease, take the online assessment through Coeliac Australia now.

    And if you’re keen to learn more about gut health, download Marika Day's four-part Love your Gut Month series now.


    Marika Day

    Marika Day is a nutritionist and Accredited Practising Dietitian who knows what the body needs to function at its best. With more than five years’ experience in the health and fitness industry, Marika's holistic approach to diet and exercise is tried and true. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.

    Disclaimer: This is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a financial adviser, or medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances

    Sign Up to Our Newsletter

    Sign up to receive a monthly email with links to all our latest articles on health and wellness information for a healthier, happier and longer life. 

    Health and Wellbeing Inspiration

    This inspirational content is brought to you by AIA Vitality

    AIA Vitality is a science-backed program that helps you learn more about your health, offers ways to improve it and motivates you with rewards along the way.

    Contact AIA

    Choose your preferred way to receive information and support

    Contact AIA

    Choose your preferred way to receive information and support

    Help and support

    Make a claim

    Frequently asked questions

    Customer feedback

    Complaints process

    Whistleblower disclosure

    Forms and documents library

    Target Market Determinations

    Explore AIA

    AIA Vitality

    Health insurance

    Life insurance

    OneLife

    About AIA

    Careers

    Our people

    Our commitments

    Media centre

    Our awards

    FSC commitment

    Help and support

    Make a claim

    Frequently asked questions

    Customer feedback

    Complaints process

    Whistleblower disclosure

    Forms and documents library

    Target Market Determinations

    explore Aia

    AIA Vitality

    Health insurance

    Life insurance

    Retirement & investment

    Content Hub

    about AIA

    Careers

    Our people

    Our commitments

    Media centre

    Our awards

    FSC commitment


    Copyright © 2021. AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries or affiliates. All rights reserved. Priority Protection and Priority Protection for Platform Investors products are issued by AIA Australia Limited (ABN 79 004 837 861, AFSL 230043). AIA Vitality, a personalised, science-backed program that supports members every day to make healthier choices, is available with eligible products issued by AIA Australia. AIA Health with AIA Vitality is issued by AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd ABN 32 611 323 034, a registered private health insurer governed by the Private Health Insurance Act 2007, Private Health Insurance Rules 2007 and the AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd Fund Rules. The information on this website is current as at 1 April 2021 and may be subject to change. It is general information only and is not intended in any way to be financial, legal, tax, health, medical, nutritional or other advice. You should consider your own personal circumstances and needs and view the relevant product documents, fact sheets, fund rules and terms and conditions before making a decision to acquire such products. If necessary you should obtain professional advice from a financial, tax, medical or health professional. Unless expressly stated, any views or expressions of opinion (including any video content) do not represent the opinion of AIA.
    Terms of Use | Privacy