Listen to Your Gut - 5 Foods That Improve Gut Health

Gut health is more important than most people think. The gut microbiota or gut microbiome contains ten times more bacterial cells than human cells in the body.

These microorganisms confer several benefits to humans. If your gut bacteria are out of balance, it can contribute to many poor health conditions.

So, how can you keep your gut microbes happy? A number of factors influence your gut microbiota, and your diet is one of them. Eating specific foods can feed the good bacteria in your gut and starve the potentially harmful ones.

Here are some of the best foods you can consume to improve your gut health.

High Fibre Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, both soluble and insoluble. Our digestive system is not able to absorb all of this fiber, but this is where our gut bacteria help us out. These microorganisms within our digestive system break down the fiber from the fruits and vegetables that we eat. This enhances our digestion and can help to regulate metabolism.

Soluble fiber is found in the soft areas of fruits and vegetables but usually not in fruit skins. Insoluble fiber is contained within the cell walls of plants such as whole grains and vegetables.

By providing your gut bacteria with insoluble fiber to digest, you can stimulate their growth. The more your ‘good’ bacteria grow, the better your digestion and the more nutrition you can absorb from your food.

Some particularly high fiber fruits and vegetables include

• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Artichokes
• Broccoli
• Chickpeas
• Kidney, pinto, and white beans

Fermented Foods

The bacteria in your gut convert the sugars in the food you eat into organic acids or alcohol. Fermented foods help to improve the composition of your gut microbiota.

Fermented foods include kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, yoghurt, and tempeh. These foods are rich in lactobacilli, a beneficial bacteria found within your gut. High levels of this bacterial species are associated with a reduced risk of disease.

Many fermented foods contain prebiotics, which are fibrous sugars that cannot be digested by humans but are digested by gut microbes and used for energy.

Almonds

Almonds feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut. They also contain vitamin E, which acts as an antioxidant to reduce oxidative damage within your cells. Vitamin E has been shown to reduce inflammation in the body. A lower level of inflammation is linked to better health prospects.

Almonds have also been shown to increase butyrate levels. Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid that can be used by the beneficial bacteria in your gut, contributing to improved gut microbiome composition and improved digestion and metabolism.

Whole Grains

Whole grains contain a lot of fiber. As with fruits and vegetables, this fiber can be easily digested by the gut microbiota. Whole grains enhance the growth of the ‘good’ bacteria such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli and inhibit the growth of the potentially harmful bacteria such as Clostridium in your gut.

Eating whole grains has also been shown to reduce inflammation, which is linked to better gut health.

Cocoa and Dark Chocolate

Cocoa and dark chocolate contain polyphenols, which are plant compounds that humans do not easily digest. However, when they enter the colon, your gut microbes can break them down into absorbable components and enter our bloodstream through the intestinal wall. Polyphenols have been shown to increase the ‘good’ bacteria and decrease the ‘bad’ bacteria in your gut.

Cocoa also contains antioxidants, which reduce oxidative stress and inflammation within the body.

Keeping a healthy gut is incredibly important for your overall physical and mental wellbeing. Make sure to include some, if not all, of the foods above to keep your gut microbes happy.