Everyone knows that gut health is important to the digestive system and nutrition, but recent studies now show that it is integral to many other aspects of overall health.
A healthy gut microbiome affects the immune system and the heart and even plays an important part in brain function. Fortunately, there are some very simple ways to ensure that your gut is functioning at its best.
Probiotics
You may be conditioned to think of bacteria as a bad thing, but there are many types of good bacteria that your body needs to maintain your health. Consuming probiotics helps support the number of good bacteria in your gut. Good gut bacteria can help eradicate unhealthy bacteria, support your immune system, help digest food effectively and keep intestinal lining healthy.
Certain foods are rich in probiotics and can be consumed regularly. Fermented foods like yogurt, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi and kefir are all delicious ways to give your body more good bacteria. Yogurt is widely available, but if you struggle to find these other options, making fermented foods is fairly simple. If you don’t enjoy fermented foods, you can get the same benefits by taking a high-quality probiotic supplement.
Fiber
Telling patients to eat more fiber is a piece of advice doctors give on an almost daily basis. You may know that fiber helps with common complaints like constipation, but it has more to offer than that. Fiber is the favorite food for good bacteria in the gut and intestines. At mayoclinic.org, they say that fiber helps regulate blood sugar and benefits heart health. Most people are only getting about half of the daily fiber they need, so doctors are right to keep telling patients to increase their fiber intake.
Getting more fiber in your diet is simple and tasty. Try including more of these powerful duos in your meals:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Nuts and seeds
- Beans and Legumes
When eaten in sufficient amounts, these humble foods supply all the soluble and insoluble fiber your body needs.
Food Diversity
You’ve just learned that your gut needs good bacteria and that bacteria love to eat fiber. It’s also important to know that not all bacteria thrive on the same kind of fiber. The best way to make sure that you are feeding all the essential bacteria in your gut is to eat a wide variety of plant-based foods.
Getting into a rut with your meal plans isn’t just boring, it can have a negative impact on your health. The National Library of Medicine states that food diversity leads directly to the diversity of bacteria in the gut microbiome and that increasing diversity can support well-being.
Stress Reduction
The final key to good gut health has nothing to do with food. Science has discovered a strong connection between neurological function and the gut. They call it the gut-brain axis. Harvard Health tells us that the brain and the gut microbiome have a symbiotic relationship, with each system having a direct and powerful effect on the other.
If occasional stress is an issue for you, there are effective techniques you can adopt to help mitigate it. One ancient technique that has been validated by science to help with occasional stress is mindfulness meditation. This is a practice that you can start and develop on your own. Other common sense approaches are getting enough sleep and, of course, eating a healthy diet.
Growing evidence of the powerful connection between gut health and overall well-being proves the importance of taking good care of the gut microbiome. It is surprisingly simple to do this. Eat a healthy diet that is rich in plant foods, probiotics and fiber, and take steps to lessen stress. These easy life changes could have a profound effect on how you feel, both physically and mentally.