I’ve dedicated my time to working with clients from all walks of life throughout the past ten years. Recreational gymgoers, high-performance athletes, and everyone in between. Whatever their goal, they’ve always wanted to improve their general health and, at the same time, are looking to me to find ways to help.
Throughout my Masters in Health and Nutrition and my Personal Trainer course following it, the main focus was food groups for performance, muscle growth, and weight loss. Gut health and the impact of different foods were far less mentioned or even covered.
After spending years building my personal and professional experience while expanding my knowledge base, optimal gut health and the ways in which to achieve it is now something that’s firmly at the top of my priority list.
As research continues to develop, results are showing us that our gut microbiome can affect just about every organ in our body. Our gut breaks down the foods we eat and absorbs the nutrients for our bodies to use.
As our understanding continues to expand, so does my interest and passion for the meaning of good gut health and the amazing things it can do for our body. With this, I want to share some of my knowledge about the power that the foods we eat can have and how we can improve this.
The best foods for optimal gut health
Simply put, our gut health refers to the overall health and function of the many different species of microorganisms in our gut. Our immune system and intestinal barrier play leading roles in this. Approximately 70% of our immune system is located within our gut.
With this, the health of our gut plays a central role in autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular health, gastrointestinal disorders, and mental health. The crazy thing is that we’re only just starting to scratch the surface.
The foods we consume are some of the most powerful modulators of our gut function and composition. These are the best and worst foods you should or shouldn’t be eating for optimal gut health. I’ve given fermented foods their own category simply because they deserve it.
Fiber-Containing Foods
Fibers are dietary carbohydrates that our bodies can’t digest in the small intestine. This means that they need to be broken down by our gut microbiota, which is one of the reasons why fiber is beneficial for gut health. This process provides fuel for the microbiota, expanding the gut microbiome and improving gut function.
Consuming a diet rich in high fiber foods is linked with a reduced risk of many chronic health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. It also helps to improve your satiety (feeling of fullness) and improve digestion.
Good sources of fiber include:
- Whole grains (brown rice, oats, grain pasta, barley, buckwheat)
- Nuts and seeds
- Fruits and vegetables
- Beans (kidney, pinto, navy, white)
- Legumes
- Lentils
How to get more fiber into your diet.
Fiber is present in many common foods making it easy to increase your fiber intake with the right approach. Eating whole-food carbohydrate sources, adding vegetables to meals, and snacking on fruit are great ways.
Did you know? The recommended daily amount of fiber is approximately 30 grams per day.
Plant-Based Foods
Plant-based diets continue to increase in popularity due to their health and environmental benefits. These contain foods that come from plants without any animal-based products or ingredients.
Plant-based foods and diets may improve gut health by increasing the amount of beneficial bacteria while reducing the amount of pathogenic bacteria. This is due to the high amounts of dietary fiber, phytochemicals, vegetable proteins, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Several studies have also shown links between plant-based foods and reductions in cardiovascular disease and obesity.
How to get more plant-based foods into your diet.
Focus on eating a varied diet that contains a wide variety of plant-based sources. Try adding new fruits and vegetables to your diet or including them as snacks or after your main meals. Experiment with plant-based alternatives instead of eating just animal proteins.
High-Quality Seafood
Seafood can be defined as any food type that comes from the sea. This includes freshwater and saltwater fish, shellfish, and crustaceans.
Alongside being an essential part of many diets around the world, eating seafood offers a variety of health benefits. These include better heart health and reduced inflammation.
Seafood tends to be high in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals such as zinc and vitamin B12. However, when it comes to gut health, the beneficial effects of seafood stem from its rich omega-3 content, specifically its links with an increased gut microbial diversity. This may reduce the chances of common gut conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and colon cancer.
Good sources of omega-3 include:
- Salmon
- Mackerel
- Herring
- Oysters
- Cod liver oil
How to get more seafood into your diet.
Aim to eat approximately two servings of fatty fish per week. Include a daily omega-3 supplement to bolster your intake. Look for locally sourced fatty fish and add it to a curry, soup, or stew.
Did you know? The recommended daily intake from the National Institute of Health is 1.1-1.6 grams.
Fermented foods and the gut
Fermented foods have been part of our diet for nearly 10,000 years. Even if you don’t know what they are, you’ll most likely have consumed them as part of your dietary routine.
We can define them as foods that have been processed using probiotics such as yeast and bacteria to break down their sugars. This gives them their unique texture and appearance.
Once ingested, the nutrients and microorganisms used in the fermentation process interact with our gut microbiome, increasing microbial diversity and strengthening our intestinal wall.
Because of this, the health effects of fermented foods have now been extensively researched which has led to their popular adoption throughout today’s society. Here are some of the specific fermented foods to be aware of and the reasons why you should consume more of them.
Tempeh
Tempeh is a fermented food made from soybeans that originates from Indonesia. In the modern day, it’s widely adopted throughout many cultures and countries as a healthy plant-based protein alternative. However, what most people don’t know is that it offers several beneficial effects on gut health.
Once the soybeans are cooked, they’re fermented together to form a firm block. This gives it a texture that absorbs flavor and makes it a great option for several popular dishes. Because of the fermentation process, tempeh is a great source of probiotics.
Alongside this, it's rich in essential nutrients such as protein and antioxidants. Just 100 grams of tempeh contains almost 20 grams of plant-based protein!
Did you know that tempeh has a complete amino acid profile? This means that it contains all nine essential amino acids needed from the diet!
How to get more tempeh into your diet.
The texture of tempeh makes it a versatile food that works great as part of a salad, stir fry, or curry. Swap one of your normal protein sources for tempeh and enjoy some of the plant-based benefits it offers.
Kombucha
Kombucha has been around for almost 2000 years. However, it’s exploded in popularity over the past decade with worldwide sales soaring into the billions. This is partly because people are only just now starting to realize its powerful health benefits.
It’s a fermented drink made from tea, sugar, health bacteria, and yeast. Once made, it sits for weeks or even months before being sold or consumed. The end product is a carbonated drink with a slightly tangy flavor.
Because of the manufacturing process, kombucha is packed full of probiotics. These are healthy microbes that improve our gut health. Therefore, drinking kombucha can help to increase the healthy gut bacteria and reduce the bad stuff.
Alongside this, it's packed full of antioxidants and polyphenols, two nutrients that work to reduce chronic inflammation which can lead to issues such as heart disease and cancer. Remember, some inflammation is good but prolonged, chronic inflammation is most certainly bad.
How to get more kombucha into your diet.
Start by drinking a small amount of kombucha and see how your body reacts. Different flavored kombucha drinks are widely available in many commercial and popular health stores across the world. You may even find some in your local cafe.
If you’re feeling adventurous, try making your own at home by following some of the readily available online recipes!
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut translates to “sour cabbage” which is exactly what it is — a naturally fermented vegetable. It originated in China almost 2000 years ago before becoming widely adopted in German food culture.
It’s made via a pickling process where cabbage is fidelity shredded before being salted and left to ferment. Because of this, it’s a rich source of probiotics and vitamins which can help to improve gut health, aid digestion, and boost immunity.
Once made, it has a strong odor and sour flavor which means you’ll most likely either love it or hate it.
How to get more sauerkraut into your diet.
While sauerkraut isn’t for everyone, its versatility means that it can be added to your breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Foods such as avocados, cheeses, and smoothies tend to complement its strong taste and smell. You could also add it to your favorite salad or layer it into a sandwich.
Other Fermented Options
With so many amazing fermented foods to choose from, we would be doing you a disservice by not including them. Here are some of the other ones to incorporate into your diet:
- Sourdough bread
- Miso (made from fermented soybeans)
- Yogurt (with live active cultures)
- Kimchi (made with fermented vegetables)
- Kefir (fermented milk)
- Fermented vegetables
- Pickles in salt
- Aged cheeses (made with live and active cultures)
- Probiotic drinks (apple cider and beet kvass)
How to get more of these into your diet.
Take note of the list and look to include at least one of them in your daily dietary routine. These may be included as an accompanying dish or part of a stand-alone recipe. For example, sourdough can be included as part of any meal and mixed with aged cheese for a delicious snack or starter. Yogurt can form part of a dessert, curry, or even on its own.
The opportunities are endless when you know which ones to focus on!
The worst foods for optimal gut health
Before I start this section, when I mention foods in this list, I don’t mean to say that you should avoid them. I’m a big believer in a moderate, sustainable approach whether that's with your health and fitness or general life routine.
Balance can help with many things. In terms of your dietary approach, it can make it more enjoyable and sustainable over the long term. Often, this can lead to better results.
If you want optimal gut health, you should avoid eating too much of the foods below, not cut them out completely.
Processed Foods
Most of the foods and drinks we consume have been processed in some way. Processed foods are foods and drinks that have been changed from their natural state.
Minimally processed foods may have been washed, cut, heated, frozen, dried, or packaged. Ultra-processed foods often have unnatural ingredients added to them meaning they’re further processed.
The main reason for processing foods is to make them safer to consume and easier to store. Most ultra-processed foods have little or no nutrition and contain ingredients that make you want to keep eating them.
Common examples include:
- Cereals
- Bread
- Pastries
- Cookies
- Chips
- Fast food
- Candy
- Frozen food
The main idea of processing food is to make it more easily digestible. Because of this, most processed foods contain large amounts of saturated fat, sugar, salt, and food additives with minimal nutrients and fiber.
Consuming these in large amounts can negatively affect the gut microbiome, alter gut permeability, and cause intestinal inflammation. Not good for your gut health!
Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes commonly consumed as a healthy alternative to sugar. They are usually added to tea or coffee instead of sugar to reduce caloric intake and improve health. Examples include sucralose, aspartame, mannitol, and sorbitol.
As research develops, recent studies suggest that prolonged consumption of artificial sweeteners may negatively alter the composition and function of the gut microbiome. More specifically, this study showed an increase in negative biofilm formation which could potentially make it more difficult for the immune system to target and eliminate harmful bacteria.
Alongside this, another study found that excessive consumption of artificial sweeteners was highly likely to increase glucose intolerance and inflammation levels, both big risk factors for chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
Factory Farmed Meats
Factory farming, also known as intensive farming, refers to the concentrated or confined rearing of animals. Common ones include cows, pigs, and chickens.
Unfortunately, these have the ability to mass-produce quantities to meet large consumer demands at cheap prices. Because of this, they’re readily available in most grocery stores and outlets.
Because of the confined and often crowded conditions, many factory farms administer antibiotics to treat common diseases that may reduce production and therefore profits.
This may increase drug-resistance bacteria in the animals that when eaten, may spread to our microbiome and reduce its diversity.
For more articles on gut health, read:
- Benefits of Fiber
- Gut Health 101
- Red Light Therapy and Gut Health
- The Link Between Grounding and Gut Health
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