7 Foods That Can Improve Your Gut Health, According To Science
One of the least understood keys to our health may be the gut microbiome, that complicated mix of bacteria that lives in your digestive system. Researchers know now that it can impact a lot of illnesses, including mental health disorders, thanks to its connection to the brain and other organs. Luckily, thereâs an easy way to influence your gut health: your diet. What we eat every day directly impacts and shapes our gut health, and there are certain foods that help boost its functioning. Research around probiotics is always changing, but right now science says itâs a good idea to maintain your microbiome with food, and eating these foods can improve your gut health.
âYour gut bacteria are extremely important for many aspects of health,â notes Healthline. âThe best way to maintain a healthy microbiota is to eat a range of fresh, whole foods, mainly from plant sources like fruits, veggies, legumes, beans and whole grains.âADVERTISING
When it comes to a healthy gut, diversity in the microbiome is important; a 2018 study found that people who ate around 30 different plant types per week had more diverse biomes than people who ate around ten. Diversity means more species of bacteria and fungi happily living and making your gut work. And remember that scientists are still figuring out precisely what a âhealthy gutâ is in different people. If you eat a certain âgut-boostingâ food and donât feel well or react badly, listen to what your gutâs telling you and quit eating them for a while.
Here are seven foods that can improve your gutâs health and feed that microbiome all kinds of tasty treats.
1Walnutsi
A study in 2018 found that walnuts can improve your gut health. âWhen you consume walnuts, it increases microbes that produce butyrate, a beneficial metabolite for colonic health. So the interaction of walnuts with the microbiome is helping to produce some of those health effects,â lead author Dr. Hannah Holscher said in a press release. Other kinds of nuts are also part of a healthy gut, but walnuts in particular seem to show benefits.
2Cranberries

Cranberries canât actually help out with your UTIs, but they appear to be great for your gut, according to research published in 2017. It turns out that a particular kind of gut bacterium âutilizes cranberry xyloglucans as a sole energy and carbon source,â explains the study. Xyloglucans are a type of substance found in cell walls, and it turns out that the variety in cranberries is very tasty for a healthy variety of gut bacteria.
3Probiotic Foods

If thereâs one substance that definitely has a good rep for helping gut health, itâs probiotic substances â but that label covers more than you might think. There are a lot of different probiotic foods and drinks, and scientists still discovering how they can help us, from yogurts to fermented kefir.
You can consume probiotics in several ways: probiotic yogurts often have cultured strains of bacteria added, while other foods like naturally fermented kimchi grow healthy strains of bacteria as they age. These strains, when digested, help the bacteria already in the gut to function properly. âProbiotic administration seems to have a great potential in terms of health that justifies more research,â said a review of the science in 2014. Studies in 2018 found that some people respond better to probiotic substances than others, so stay tuned for more science about refining your probiotic intake.
4Leafy Greens

You definitely have to eat your greens. A 2016 study published in Nature found that the leafy variety, including kale and spinach, contain a substance that enriches your gut bacteria: sugar sulfoquinovose. âEvery time we eat leafy green vegetables we consume significant amounts of SQ sugars, which are used as an energy source by good gut bacteria,â lead author Ethan Goddard-Borger explained in a press release.SQ sugars provide the fuel for gut bacteria to grow, and help them live healthy existences in our digestive system.
5Broccoli

Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, like the much-maligned Brussels sprout, are the source of an important substance for gut health, according to research from Penn State in 2017. They provide a crucial ingredient for a chemical that protects the barriers of the stomach and other organs in the digestive system, protecting againstâleaky gut,â where toxins can easily pass into the system. Professor Gary Perdew, lead author, noted in a press release, âIf you have problems, like a leaky gut, and start to suffer inflammation, that may then lead to other conditions, like arthritis and heart disease.â
6Insects

Crickets may not be on your menu right now, but food experts think theyâre one of the foods of the future. And research now indicates that they may also improve gut health. According to a study in Nature in 2018, consuming ground crickets is tied to the growth of healthy gut bacteria. âCricket powder supported growth of the probiotic bacterium, Bifidobacterium animalis,â the study explained. One day you might be recommended powdered insects to help your gut microbiome.
7Fibrous Veggies

Youâve probably heard that fiber is essential to good bowel movements, but itâs also necessary for a healthy microbiome and digestion. âHigh-fiber foods such as legumes, beans, peas, oats, bananas, berries, asparagus, and leeks have shown a positive impact on gut health in numerous studies,â explains Healthline. Those prebiotics youâre always hearing about? Thatâs just a fancy word for dietary fiber. A study in 2018 found that fiber in the gut has a huge positive effect on the microbes living there, and that boosting fiber is a good idea to help the microbiomeâs ecology.
Want a healthy gut? Introduce more leafy greens, walnuts, and probiotic yogurts into your diet if you want to increase your gut health â and get all those benefits that go along with it.
1 comment
I have trouble with reflux , I am going to try these fruits, nuts, and vegetables and see if this will help.
Estelle Herrin
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