Gut Talk: Eating the Right Foods to Feel Your Best

Stay in tune with your gut health, looking out for any signs that it’s not completely happy. These signs could include bloating, constipation or diarrhea, feeling constantly fatigued, and even irritated skin. Eating a diet that’s very high in sugar could make some of these symptoms worse, so see if reducing your intake has an impact.

9 Essential Elements for a Happy Gut

1. Eat more fibre: Fibre feeds your gut microbiome — the trillions of microorganisms that live in your gut. Boosting your gut bacteria with fibre helps explain some of the health benefits of a fibre-rich diet. It is generally recommended that adult women consume about 25 g of fibre per day, and adult men should aim for about 35 g per day.

There are two main categories of fibre: soluble and insoluble. Both are important to include in your diet.

Soluble fibre dissolves in water, turning into a gel-like substance in your gut. This helps slow digestion, which can help you feel fuller for longer and reduces the risk of spikes in blood sugar. Soluble fibre is present in oats, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, and some fruits and vegetables.

Insoluble fibre doesn’t dissolve in water. This fibre helps food move through your body and promote regularity which helps you not to get constipated. Insoluble fibre is present in whole grains — such as brown rice, wheat bran, and quinoa — leafy greens, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and the skin of fruits.

Fibre can further be categorized as fermentable or nonfermentable. Fermentable fibre includes those that feed the bacteria in your gut – often referred to as ‘prebiotics’. Non-fermentable fibre passes through your intestines and can help promote regular bowel movements.

Vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, seeds, and nuts are generally good sources of fibre. To help build a diverse, healthy gut microbiome, eat a range of different fibres from various sources.

2. Eat fermented foods: Fermented foods contain live bacteria. They may help increase the diversity of your gut bacteria. Although research in humans is limited, there is some evidence that consuming these foods might encourage the growth of good bacteria and benefit overall health. Probiotic fermented foods include natural yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles, miso, tempeh, kimchi, cheeses that have been aged but not pasteurised.

3. Stay hydrated: drinking plenty of water is just as important for keeping your gut healthy as eating the right foods. This might surprise you, but coffee counts. Some new research has shown that people who drink coffee may have more diverse microbiomes.

4. Exercise regularly: Exercising is one of the best strategies for a healthier gut and may increase microbiome diversity. Regular movement is important and also gets your gut moving! If you find it hard to make time for regular exercise, try to incorporate as much movement as possible into your daily routines. For example, choose stairs over elevators, get a desk you can stand on, hop off the tube at a station early to get in some extra steps.

5. Get more sleep: Scientists have shown that the gut microbiome can influence sleep and vice versa. And some studies have shown that better sleep is linked to increased gut bacteria diversity. Although this link between gut bacteria and sleep in humans hasn’t been fully explored, getting a good night’s rest will undoubtedly benefit your overall health.

6. Lower your stress levels: Because your gut health is so closely linked with your brain, heightened emotions can affect your digestive system. Keep stress at bay by incorporating yoga, relaxation or breathing exercises into your exercise routine, or learn some mindfulness exercises to help keep your stress levels in check

7. Check if you have a food intolerance: if the health of your gut is getting in the way of your day-to-day life, it’s a good idea to find out if there’s something else going on with your digestive system. You may have noticed how your gut reacts to certain foods. It’s important to consult your health care practitioner before cutting out certain foods from your diet. Getting a good variety of foods is important for your microbiome diversity.

8. Food variety is key: If there is one thing that you should do to improve your gut health, it's eating a wide variety of plant foods. Try to “eat the rainbow” by mixing and matching plant foods with different colors. These foods are rich in fibre and polyphenols, which “good” gut microbes love. Polyphenols are not easily absorbed through your intestines, so they move along your gut into the large intestine, where most of your gut bacteria live. Here, microbes feed on polyphenols and convert them into a variety of bioactive compounds that have benefits for your overall health. Nuts and seeds are another excellent source of fibre and polyphenols. They also contain healthy fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids. A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids is linked to a more diverse gut microbiome.

9. Try a microbiome supplement:Microbiome supplements contain live friendly bacteria. We offer a wide range of microbiome supplements with different potencies, targeting various demographics, and needs. Our Microbiome Once Daily Women’s provides a high level of friendly bacteria with their unique formula designed with women in mind. We also have products designed for men, such us our Microbiome Once Daily Men’s or, if you need a basic solution “for everyone”, we have our Microbiome Once Daily.