Love Your Gut and It Will Love You Back – Tips for better Gut Health
Better gut health can be achieved by eliminating the culprits you have identified. If you are not sure, follow these basic tips to show your gut some love:
✅ Diet
Like the Father of Medicine Hippocrates once said “Let Food be thy Medicine.” Diet is the cornerstone of health and a fundamental tool for maintaining a healthy gut flora and overall good health. Ideally it should include:
- Whole plant-based foods like fresh veggies, fruit, legumes, nuts, seeds, grains, herbal teas, and fermented foods; all of which boost the richness and diversity of your gut flora.
- Dietary fibre which are contained within many of the whole foods mentioned, but also in fibre supplements. Many fibres have prebiotics effects, meaning they ferment and feed the good bacteria in our gut, allowing them to multiply and therefore support overall gut health.
- Fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, miso, pickles and kimchi are particularly effective in supplying beneficial live microorganisms and support microbial diversity in the gut.
- Berries, green tea, and dark chocolate as they provide so-called polyphenols which promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
✅Supplements
Using prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics also greatly help to re-balance your gut flora.
- Prebiotic fibres such as Inulin, apple pectin, Kiwi Fibre and partially hydrolysed guar gum (PHGG) boost the growth of beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. These in turn produce SCFAs and other beneficial substances to support gut health and general health & wellbeing.
- Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria commonly found in fermented foods and specialised supplements that contain Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria and others. Probiotics are helpful in re-balancing your gut flora and help to ease symptoms associated with dysbiosis.
- Postbiotics are produced when probiotics are broken down during digestion. They can also be taken as supplements.
✅Lifestyle
Our personal lifestyle choices have a significant influence on gut health, as well as overall general health and well-being. Here are some helpful tips to improve both:
- Exercise – moderate exercise and regular physical activity improve microbial diversity and supports SCFA producers.
- Sleep – sleep disruption can decrease the number of beneficial bacteria in your gut, while good sleep hygiene (healthy sleep habits) can support a healthy gut flora and alleviate dysbiosis. Healthy habits include going to bed and getting up at regular times and relaxing before bed time. You can find more tips on healthy sleep habits here and here.
- Stress – having a lot of stress in your life can impinges on good gut health, while regularly practising mindfulness, yoga, or meditation can manage stress and therefore support gut health.
- Smoking & alcohol – Drinking excessive alcohol and smoking can harm not only your gut, but also your overall health. Alcohol reduces microbial diversity and composition and can harm the gut barrier, while smoking can promote dysbiosis. Avoiding smoking and reducing alcohol intake in turn supports a healthy gut microbiome.
About the Author | 📑
Hi, my name is Sandra. I am a naturopath, nutritionist and herbalist from the Sunshine Coast and am a Senior Consultant at Natural Product Centre.
I graduated 30 years ago and have worked in the health and wellness industry ever since. On a professional basis, I love being involved in the development of natural supplements, research and health writing and hope to make a positive difference to the wellbeing of all the consumers and readers I reach, directly and indirectly.
My hobbies include travelling, exploring new places and art galleries and creating my own art. I also love nothing more than spend time in nature and be surrounded by the beautiful local flora and fauna of the coast.
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