Eat Your Way to A Better Gut health
Want to learn about the gut microbiome and how to identify the signs of an unhealthy gut? Keep reading, and you’ll also learn what to eat and do to restore your gut naturally.
What is gut health and why is it important?
Your gut is your gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which comprises digestive organs, including the mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, and colon.
A healthy gut works to efficiently process and absorb food nutrients, produce much-needed energy, and support overall health. It also has a significantly positive impact on hormone production and function, fat storage, heart and brain function, mood, and mental health.
Greek physician Hippocrates said nearly 2,500 years ago, “All diseases begin in the gut.” We have reason to believe he was on to something. A healthy gut is important for a healthy immune system.
Recent studies show that 70 to 80% of your body's immune system is in your intestines, where your gut microbiome is most rich and diverse. “What’s present in the gut determines what education immune cells get,” says Jonathan Jacobs, MD, Ph.D., a professor of digestive diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Consequently, the foods you consume have profound short- and long-term impacts on your gut health, influencing the behavior of a powerful trio—gut microbiome, immune cells, and the selectively permeable intestinal wall—that form a defense line against toxins and disease-causing pathogens.
When gut health is compromised, it can lead to toxins bypassing the defense line and leaking into the bloodstream. This condition is particularly evident in people with leaky gut syndrome.
What is the gut microbiome?
The human digestive system is a habitat for roughly 100 trillion microorganisms—primarily bacteria—representing approximately 300 to 500 different species. According to research, these microbes outnumber all the cells in your body by a factor of 10, and even their encoded genes outnumber yours by more than 100 times.
The gut microbiome (also called the gut flora or gut microbiota) refers to the diverse communities of microbes in your digestive system.
Mary Beth Albright, food and mental health reporter, tells The Washington Post, "The digestive system is like a factory for turning food into fuel, and the microbes are its workers.” Thankfully, the microbes do much more than just digest food. They also help maintain optimal health by performing vital functions, ranging from immune regulation and lowering the risk of chronic diseases to synthesizing some vitamins and neurotransmitters.
Unfortunately, not all microorganisms in your gut microbiome are good. There are the opportunistic ones (called pathogens) who seek to steal control away from the good guys (called commensals) to cause chronic inflammation, compromise your immune system, trigger infections or autoimmune diseases, and accelerate aging.
There is a balance between the commensals (beneficial bacteria) and pathogens (harmful bacteria). Disruption of this delicate balance leads to dysbiosis, a condition associated with health issues such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), obesity, and type 2 diabetes. And so, of all the essential functions performed by beneficial gut bacteria, preventing a pathogenic invasion is the most important. They achieve this in many different ways, including:
Compete for nutrients and space to limit the growth and spread of harmful bacteria.
Produce antimicrobial compounds to create an unwelcoming environment for pathogens.
Interact with the immune system to educate and modulate its response to potential threats.
Stimulate the production of mucus, a protective layer that coats the intestinal lining, by goblet cells.
However, certain factors can harm the composition and activity of the beneficial bacteria in your gut, disrupting the balance and leading to a takeover by the pathogens. These factors may include:
Use of antibiotics. Antibiotics can’t differentiate between good and bad bacteria, so they kill everything in sight.
Chronic stress.
Poor sleep quality.
Physical inactivity.
A diet high in refined, ultra-processed, and artificially sweetened foods and drinks.
A diet low in fiber-rich and fermented foods.
Rigid and unvaried diets.
Excess alcohol consumption.
Smoking.
Signs of an unhealthy gut
You may wonder: “How can I tell if I have an unhealthy gut?” Here are some tell-tale signs of an unhealthy gut:
Stomach trouble, which presents symptoms such as flatulence (gas), bloating, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or acid reflux.
Skin problems, including dry skin, rashes, premature aging, and inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, acne, and psoriasis.
Autoimmune problems.
Food intolerance.
Constant fatigue.
Migraines.
Hormonal imbalance.
Heightened sugar cravings.
Sleep problems.
Unexplained weight changes.
Poor mental health.
How to reset your gut naturally
Eat fermented foods
Fermented foods are rich in live microorganisms, particularly the lactic acid bacteria strain Lactobacillus acidophilus, which has been proven to aid digestion, lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases, prevent cancer and yeast infections, support healthy immune function, and improve lactose intolerance, among many other benefits. These live microbes are known as probiotics (also called beneficial or good bacteria).
Examples of probiotic-rich fermented foods include:
Yogurt.
Kefir
Some cheeses (e.g., feta, cheddar, gouda, cottage cheese, mozzarella, and Gruyère)
Tempeh
Apple cider vinegar
Sauerkraut
Nattō (fermented soybean)
Kimchi
Kombucha
Pickled vegetables
Eat a fiber-rich diet
Fiber is needed by beneficial gut bacteria to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which serve as an energy source for the cells that line and protect the walls of the intestines. In addition, non-digestible fibers (known as prebiotics) serve as a rich food source for good bacteria in the gut microbiome.
You can always find fiber in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains. Prebiotics, on the other hand, can be only obtained from whole grains (e.g., barley, oats, rye bread), garlic, leek, onion, artichokes, chickpeas, lentils, beans, bananas, apples, nuts (e.g., cashews, almonds, pistachios).
Eat foods rich in polyphenols
Polyphenols are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds found in plant-based foods. With over 8,000 polyphenols discovered, research found that the body doesn’t absorb many, so they remain in the gut, where bacteria slowly digest them.
Polyphenols have been proven to help support the growth and diversity of beneficial gut bacteria.
Foods rich in polyphenols include:
Green and black tea
Coffee
Dark chocolate
Red wine
Cocoa powder
Fruits and vegetables, including
Berries (e.g., grape, pomegranate, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, cranberry, and strawberry).
Drupes (e.g., cherry, apricot, peach, nectarine, plum, and olives).
Pomes (e.g., apple and pear).
Citrus fruits (e.g., orange, grapefruit, and lemon).
Shallots, onions, garlic, and leeks.
Broccoli, asparagus, spinach, artichokes, and red lettuce.
Nuts and seeds (e.g., almonds, flaxseed, walnuts, pecan, chia seeds, and hazelnuts)
Legumes (e.g., black and white beans, soybeans, tofu, and tempeh)
Herbs and spices
One study found that a six-week consumption of wild blueberry significantly increased the species Bifidobacteria, which works to prevent infection, aid digestion, improve mood, and synthesize neurotransmitters, among other functions.
Eat slowly
Chewing slowly and thoroughly will make it easier for your gut microbiome to digest food, reducing the likelihood of experiencing uncomfortable symptoms such as gas, heartburn, bloating, and cramps.
An added benefit of eating slowly is that you get to savor and appreciate the flavors of your meals, which, in turn, will cause you to be more intentional with how you incorporate delicious, highly nutritious, yet often overlooked ingredients such as herbs, spices, seeds, and nuts.
Beyond eating a healthy and varied diet, additional factors, such as lifestyle habits and environmental conditions, can contribute significantly to the richness and diversity of your gut microbiome. With this in mind, here are some extra tips for resetting your gut naturally:
Spend time in nature.
Drink lots of water.
Exercise regularly.
Quit smoking.
Manage your stress daily with self-care practices.
Get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep daily.
Clean out the worst foods for gut health from your fridge and pantry.
Use pre- and probiotic supplements when taking medications, particularly antibiotics.
Written by Chelsea Okonkwo
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