4 Simple Ways To Improve Your Gut Health (Beyond Probiotics)
Believe it or not, about 70% of your immune system is housed in your gut, and the billions of bacteria in your digestive tract (known as your microbiome) play a role in your overall health. Not only do they help digest your food, but they also synthesize certain vitamins (B and K), help protect your body from foreign antigens, contribute to inflammatory processes, and help coordinate nerve signaling with your brain—which means they can influence your emotions, stress response, cognitive function, and more.
In the simplest of terms, the bacteria in your gut can have a positive or negative impact on your health, depending on the exact makeup of the bacterial strains found there. What (and how) you eat plays a key role in shaping the composition of your unique bacterial community. How cool is that?!
Adding prebiotic and probiotic rich foods to your diet can help keep your gut healthy (see my recent message on food and moods here for more specifics on this). But I want to highlight several other simple things you can do to promote a healthy, happy gut:
Diversify your diet. Do you find yourself eating the same foods over and over again? It’s time to switch it up! Eating a wide variety of healthful foods has been shown to promote a diverse community of beneficial gut bacteria!
Pro-Tip: challenge yourself to try a new, healthful food each time you go grocery shopping. Not only will it benefit your gut, but it’s fun to try new foods!
Bring on the fiber. Fiber-rich foods get broken down into metabolites within our GI tract that actually feed and promote the spread of beneficial bacteria. High fiber foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Pro-Tip: Women under 50 should aim for 25 grams of fiber per day (21 grams if you’re over 50). Adding lots of fiber too quickly can cause digestive distress, so remember to increase your fiber intake slowly.
Drink plenty of water. Water and fiber go hand-in-hand when it comes to promoting gut health. Water helps you digest your food and makes your stool soft, which helps to reduce constipation push waste through your colon.
Pro-Tip: Try flavoring your water with lemon, ginger, fruit, and herbs to make it more interesting. I also recommending leaving a glass of water by your toothbrush in the evening as a reminder to drink it when you wake up in the a.m.
Chew, chew, chew. Chewing is literally the first step when it comes to digestion. Not only are you mechanically breaking food down when you chew but you’re also releasing important enzymes in your saliva that aid in digestion. Chewing your food thoroughly will help increase digestion and absorption and cut down on bloating, gas, and discomfort in your gut.
Of course, there are many other ways to promote and support good gut health, but these are some very straightforward and simple ways to get started. I’ve also posted a super yummy, gut-friendly snack (or breakfast) idea in the recipe section — be sure to check it out! It’s Peanut Butter Yogurt With Chopped Apples.
Cheers to a healthy gut!