Within our gut resides a vast ecosystem that guides countless facets of health and performance. Now, the most obvious function of the gut is breaking down food and extracting nutrients, which of course is super important. But its influence appears to extend far beyond that. Emerging research shows that your gut microbiota may impact many different and seemingly unrelated aspects of health and bodily function, including appetite and body weight regulation , lifespan , mood , cognition , and even athletic performance . We also know that the gut plays a role in the immune system. In fact, it is thought that over 70% of the body’s immune cells reside in the gut . This might sound kind of weird at first, but it actually shouldn’t be too surprising. Think about it: The gastrointestinal system is the primary route of contact with all the gnarly things that surround us in the external environment. Every day, it is bombarded with loads of stimuli from the outside world. Some of these