A healthy gut benefits the entire body. It improves brain health, the immune system, digestion, mood, energy, and helps prevent disease. Developing a healthy gut means developing a healthy gut microbiome. This is achieved through diet and lifestyle changes and can be done naturally.
A plastic model of the internal organs of the human body, showing the gut and intestines.
Dietary changes involve increasing specific foods while eliminating or decreasing others. I will focus on diet and nutrition, but regular exercise and getting enough sleep are also vital.
A picture of fiber-rich foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and whole grains.
First and foremost, adding more plants to your diet is crucial. Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes enrich your diet with vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, prebiotics*, and polyphenols. Emphasis on these foods reduces inflammation, helps to control blood sugar, and can decrease cancer risk. Eating whole natural foods improves the diversity of the gut microbiome, favoring the growth of more desirable bacteria.
*Prebiotic foods are fiber foods that provide food for the microbiome. Some examples are apples, artichokes, asparagus, bananas, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, garlic, legumes, onions, and oats.
Eat fermented foods to get probiotics. Probiotic foods contain microorganisms beneficial to the gut. Foods such as plain yogurt with active cultures, flaxseeds, kefir, kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut, sourdough bread, and tempeh are loaded with healthy bacteria.
Pictured below are a variety of fermented foods such as yogurt, pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, cheeses, and kombucha, which provide probiotics to the gut.
Reduce sugar intake from all sources, including refined grains (made from white flour) and beverages. Sugar is inflammatory and enhances the growth of undesirable gut bacteria.
Decrease intake of artificial sweeteners. These may also increase the growth of unhealthy bacteria, and some (aspartame) are bad for the brain.
Reduce intake of processed foods loaded with sugars and saturated fats, both inflammatory.
Hydrate well with water - 6 - 8 cups daily.
Increase omega-3 fat intake from oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, trout), nuts (especially walnuts), chia seeds, flaxseeds, omega-3-enriched eggs, grass-fed meats, and green leafy vegetables.
Consume polyphenol-rich foods like green tea, cocoa, olive oil, and whole grains. These increase healthy gut bacteria.
Eat foods with tryptophan: turkey, cheese, eggs, soy, milk, quinoa, and seeds. Tryptophan is converted to serotonin, which is good for the brain.
Be cautious using antibiotics, and take them only when necessary. Antibiotics can kill both good and bad gut bacteria, causing an imbalance. Consider increasing probiotic foods or taking a probiotic when taking an antibiotic.
If you breastfeed, make your goal at least six months if possible. Breastfeeding improves an infant’s microbiome. Focus on the above diet recommendations while breastfeeding.
Shop the perimeter of the grocery store, where you find healthier foods like fresh and frozen produce, dairy, lean meats, fish, and whole grains.
These are a dozen steps you can take starting today to improve gut health for the future. I wish you healthy eating and a healthy gut!
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