4 Foods that are Great for a Healthy Gut

Gut health is the health of our gastrointestinal tract, which includes our stomach and intestines.

Gut health is important because it acts as the largest immune system in our body. Having healthy gut bacteria is crucial for a healthy gut. Healthy gut bacteria help our bodies to break down food, produce vitamins and enzymes, and protect against harmful bacteria that can make us sick.

Many things can affect our gut health, including diet, stress levels, sleep patterns, and exercise habits. Today we’re going to look at four foods that are great for the gut! 

Let's go! 

1. Fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables contain fibre that helps keep the stomach healthy. So trying to eat a good variety of fruits and vegetables each day is a great way to support a healthy gut. If you’re not a big fan of fruit and vegetables, that’s okay. There are ways we can try to add more fruits and vegetables by stealth. When you next shop, grab a few extra zucchinis and carrots. For example, these veggies work well grated in pasta sauces and other meals for a veggie boost. 

2. Yoghurt

Yoghurt contains lactobacillus bacteria, which is what gives it its probiotic qualities. These bacteria help maintain a healthy balance of good and bad bacteria in our intestines. This prevents harmful bacteria from growing and causing digestive problems such as diarrhoea or constipation.

The interesting thing about probiotics that we either take as supplements or in our foods is that they are ‘transient’. Transient means they visit for a while in our gut and then leave. So it's good to eat foods rich in probiotics regularly.

3. Wholegrains

Wholegrains are a delicious way to keep your gut healthy. They are rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

Some of the most popular whole grains include oats, brown rice, quinoa, barley and millet. The great thing about whole grains is that they are nice and cheap to buy at the supermarket. 

Add some brown rice as a side dish, or add some barley to your favourite soup for some extra wholegrains.

4. Other fermented foods

Fermented foods are foods that have been allowed to ferment, either with the help of bacteria or yeast. Foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, miso soup, and kombucha are fermented foods, which means they have good bacteria in them that help with digestion, much like yoghurt does. 

Introduce changes gradually

Like anything, if you'd like to try some of these foods to work on improving your gut health, start off gradually by trying a couple of things at a time— a yoghurt in the morning, a side of whole grain rice with dinner etc. 

There are a couple of reasons for this. Working within your routine and budget is much less stressful than trying to make sweeping changes to your eating habits. A good part of keeping our gut healthy is reducing stress. The other is if we go all out on these foods, especially if introducing more fibre in your diet, they can wreak havoc on our bowels and become counterproductive, so slow and steady wins the race here [wink].

See how it works for you and if you ever have questions, chat with your health provider or pop a comment down below.