Many specialists define our large intestine as "the second brain" because of the importance it has for our general well-being and health. The intestine is responsible for eliminating toxins from our body, absorbing nutrients and, therefore, ensuring the proper functioning of our immune system.

After the brain, the intestine is the organ in our body that contains the most neurons. But not only that, but it is also inhabited by more than 400 bacteria that are diverse and good; essential for the general vitality of our body. The bad health of this crucial organ generates diseases such as diabetes, chronic fatigue, depression, bad mood and acne; among other.

The intestinal flora is a diverse universe of microbes, the intestinal microbiota or microbiome, whose health is entirely related to our comprehensive health and fundamentally, to our mental health. The intestine plays a much more decisive role for our mental well-being than we can imagine. Our intestine and brain are physically connected by the vagus nerve and chemically by hormones that send and receive messages between them.

Our microbiota can be populated by good, neutral and bad bacteria. So, if we want to ensure good intestinal function, we must give our intestines these good bacteria. Thus, we will ensure excellent communication between our two brains.

Here are three tips for maintaining good intestinal health:

• Food. Of course, this is one of the fundamental keys for our intestine to function properly. Our society has years of eating full of preservatives, ultra-processed foods, high in sugar and flour. Bad bacteria are addicted to this type of food. On the other hand, if we want to increase the health of our intestines, we must incorporate abundant raw foods such as fruits and vegetables, a diet rich in fiber incorporating whole grains and nuts. Another good tip to improve our intestinal health is to reduce the consumption of animal protein since it is difficult to digest. Instead, always favor live food.

• Cleaning. It is very important to purge the intestine to encourage it to work better. Small daily rituals such as drinking warm water with lemon every morning on an empty stomach or incorporating green juices in our diet will greatly help improve digestive health. From time to time, we can choose to give the intestine a break by eating only fruit for 24 hours. The fruit is very easy to digest, so if for one day we eliminate the rest of the food, which requires more digestive work, we will be allowing our entire system to take a break; recovering energy that will be available for our daily activities.

• Probiotics. To populate our intestines with good bacteria, these are essential. We can choose simple and easy to make drinks (as well as cheap) such as Kefir or Kombucha, yogurt also contains probiotics or, help us with a food supplement that contains them.

We are not only what we eat, we are also what we digest. Recovering good intestinal health has benefits that go beyond the digestive system, transcend the physical body and reach emotional levels. This is why it is so important to follow these steps, which will bring benefits to our mind, emotions and body.