Diet to Improve Gut Health

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Research is increasingly pointing to the big role that the gut plays in health and well-being. In addition to helping the GI tract, the good bacteria in the gut help keep you healthy by producing vitamins, improving the immune system, and getting rid of harmful microbes.

Research is increasingly pointing to the big role that the gut plays in health and well-being. In addition to helping the GI tract, the good bacteria in the gut help keep you healthy by producing vitamins, improving the immune system, and getting rid of harmful microbes. In reality, more than 70% of the immune system is present in your gut.

Many people can improve their gut health naturally by eating a proper diet. Below are the types of food that boast the most vital gut health advantages. The article also stresses on the intake of variety of food items in diet and with the need of remaining hydrated. 

High-Fiber Foods 

Fiber is a carbohydrate category found in plant-based food items, and it’s differentiated as soluble or insoluble.

Soluble fiber absorbs water and forms a gel eaten by gut microbes. Insoluble fiber gets passed out through the GI tract, mostly intact, and provides bulk to the stool. This enables food to pass through speedily from the digestive tract, helping in regular bowel movements.

Both categories of fiber help in gut health by helping with digestion and preventing constipation. Eating high-fiber foods also protects from obesity and chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Excellent sources of fiber include:

• Dried peas, beans, and lentils
• Bran (wheat and oat)
• Dried fruits, such as raisins and prunes
• Foods made using whole grains, for example, whole-grain bread, whole-grain cereal, and whole-grain pasta
• Whole grains, such as quinoa, barley, brown rice and bulgur
• Fresh fruits, like apples with skin, pears with skin, blackberries and strawberries, oranges, blueberries, raspberries,
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Vegetables, such as sweet potatoes with skin, artichokes, broccoli, green peas, winter squash, and white potatoes 

Probiotic Foods

Probiotic foods (like Kombucha, Kimchi, and Kefir) comprise living microorganisms called the health-promoting microbes found in the gut. 

Eating probiotic foods can boost beneficial bacteria.

Common bacteria groups found in probiotic foods are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Probiotic foods are prepared by adding microbes to food or by allowing fermentation.

Examples of probiotic foods include:

• Fermented soy foods, such as miso, tempeh and natto
• Kefir (fermented milk)
• Kimchi (fermented vegetables)
• Kombucha (a fermented tea drink)
• Yogurt (dairy and non-dairy)
• Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage)

When selecting probiotic foods, check labels for active, live cultures, which show that the bacteria in the foods are still alive. Living microbes are helpful as they join the living microbes already in your gut.

Probiotics are sold as over-the-counter dietary supplements. But there’s mixed evidence of their benefits.

Prebiotic Foods

It’s insufficient to intake large quantities of probiotic-rich foods—you also need to intake foods that keep your health-promoting bacteria alive.

Certain types of soluble fiber are called prebiotics. They are nutrient-dense foods for healthy gut bacteria. When you eat prebiotic foods, you effectively promote the good bacteria that help enable gut balance.

Prebiotic foods comprise foods like fructooligosaccharides, inulin and galactooligosaccharides. They are types of soluble dietary fiber. Prebiotics act as enablers for specific microorganisms in the gut, thus having the strength to multiply the good bacteria.

Good prebiotic foods include:

• Asparagus
• Bananas
• Chicory
• Garlic
• Jerusalem artichokes
• Leeks
• Oats
• Onions
• Soybeans

Synbiotic Foods

Synbiotic foods combine prebiotics and probiotics into a single meal that is healthy for the gut of the individual consuming it. These food items help provide the usefulness of prebiotics and probiotics simultaneously. They support living bacteria in the gut and also provide extra living microbes. 

Some examples of synbiotic foods include:

• A banana smoothie prepared using kefir or yogurt
• Stir-fry prepared using tempeh, garlic, leeks, and asparagus
• Yogurt prepared using blueberries

To prepare these food items even better for the gut, add high-fiber ingredients, like seeds, whole grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, or legumes.

Anti-Inflammatory Foods 

Inflammation occurs when the body emits white blood cells and other chemicals to protect the body from infection. This reaction is advantageous to you when you have an infection. But at times, your body enters into a type of inflammatory overdrive even at the time when, in reality, no infection exists, thus dispersing inflammatory chemicals, such as cytokines. These cytokines in that case are thus dispersed when you don't even need them. This process can result in or worsen GI tract conditions, for example, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.

Anti-inflammatory supplements for the oral route contain nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids. These can enable cooling down inflammation. They exercise their role in the human body's anti-inflammatory pathways and natural antioxidants. This can also help in gut health.  

Helpful anti-inflammatory food items include:

• Fatty fish, for example, sardines, salmon, and anchovies
• Flax seeds
• Fruits, for example, grapes and berries
• Vegetables, such as peppers, broccoli, and tomatoes
• Walnuts

A Varied Diet Helps Enhance Gut Health Naturally

Including various foods in your daily diet is one of the best ways to boost the gut microbiome and mental and physical health. When an abundance of nutrients from a large variety of foods is taken in the body, it acts as a key to positively impacting the gut. The more variety of diets, the more the gut improves with various beneficial nutrients.

We should also remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Water helps fiber do its work correctly in the gut. It also promotes the healthy status of your digestive system—and the rest of your body—running efficiently. Sufficient fluid intake is crucial for all organ systems' health, including your gut's health.

10 important pointers for a healthy gut

To improve your gut health, you should follow these tips. This will improve your overall health and well-being holistically. 

1. Exercise regularly
2. Take a healthy meal
3. Intake of smaller, more frequent food items
4. Chew your food completely
5. Cope up with stress 
6. Take probiotics
7. Eat more fiber
8. Drink a sufficient amount of water
9. Limit alcohol as well as caffeine
10. Talk to your physician

Let’s take health seriously as we commit to a well-functioning gut!

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