Your digestive system does more than just break down food. Your gut microbiota may actually control something from your immunity to your psychological well-being, according to new findings. According to Jessica Hutchinson, RDN, a certified dietitian from Henry Ford Health, “there is a significant connection between the way we think and our gut.” When one is struggling, the other usually follows suit. In actuality, gastrointestinal disorders are frequently associated with elevated anxiety, insomnia, and melancholy. Know best foods to heal your gut.
Tips To Support A Healthier Microbiome
Everything from your genetics to your daily diet can impact gut health—and it turns out, there are a variety of things you can do to improve the health of your microbiome:
- Eat probiotics. While probiotic supplements get a lot of media attention, Hutchinson says it’s best to eat probiotic-rich foods rather than pop a pill. Good options include yogurt (opt for plain over flavored varieties, which are often loaded with sugar), kimchi, kefir and sauerkraut. “There’s actually research to suggest that taking probiotics in pill form could be harmful,” Hutchinson says. “Too much bacteria in the small intestine, good or bad, could lead to small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), for example.”There are some best foods to heal your gut.
- Take steps to reduce stress. When we’re stressed, our brain sounds an alarm that prompts our bodies to prepare for battle. And since there’s a strong connection between the brain and the gut, you might suffer from a “nervous stomach” during times of stress. To minimize the hit, try meditation, exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy and other stress-reduction strategies.Know best foods to heal your gut.
- Pay attention to medications. Medications like antibiotics, antidepressants and narcotics can be tough on your gut. If you take prescription or over-the-counter medications, talk to your doctor about the effects of the drug on your microbiome, and how you can best support your gut during treatment.Know best foods to heal your gut.
- Eat a variety of food. In general, the more types of bacteria you have in your gut, the healthier your microflora. Eating a wide variety of foods, including a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins, can help populate your gut with multiple strains of beneficial bacteria.Know best foods to heal your gut.
When Should You See A Doctor About Gut Concerns
Your body needs a balance of bacteria in the gut to digest and absorb nutrients. Unfortunately, when gut bacteria are imbalanced, it can lead to all sorts of woes ranging from diarrhea and gas to anxiety and depression.Know best foods to heal your gut.
Any changes in bowel habits that last more than a few weeks should get checked out, says Hutchinson. Among the symptoms that require further investigation:
Bathroom trips that are interfering with daily life
Diarrhea
- Gas or bloating
- Loss of appetite
- Pain with bowel movements
- Unexplained fatigue
- Unintentional weight loss
Remember, too, that there’s a direct line of communication between your gut and your brain. So in addition to gastrointestinal symptoms, an imbalance in gut bacteria can cause symptoms like irritability, depression and brain fog.Know best foods to heal your gut.
Poor gut health can sometimes be worsened by over-the-counter products and supplements. It’s best to ask your provider before taking anything to avoid covering up gut problems that may need medical attention.
“If you feel like your gastrointestinal health is compromised, and it’s impacting your life, reach out to your primary care provider,” Hutchinson says.
Why Gut is important
From the moment you put food in your mouth, your digestive system is hard at work. Think of it as a choreographed ballet in which your body performs the many steps needed to break down the foods you eat and unlock the vitamins, minerals, calories, fats, carbs, and proteins you need. It then efficiently cleansweeps what’s left and sends it out of the body.Know best foods to heal your gut.
You likely don’t think about such complex mechanisms until something goes wrong. Fortunately, you can take steps to avoid issues like cramping, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. One of the easiest digestive health tips is to fuel up with foods that are good for digestion.
The best way to do that is to have a well-rounded diet, having adequate fiber from a diverse source of fruits and vegetables of different colors that feed different bacteria in the microbiome,” says Suzie Finkel, RD, a dietitian at New York Gastroenterology Associates in New York City. The gut microbiome is where trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi live in the digestive tract.Know best foods to heal your gut.
“When thinking of digestion, it’s good to look at avoiding foods that cause inflammation,” says Finkel. She suggests following an anti-inflammatory diet, which is beneficial to overall health, as well as digestion.
What to eat for gut health
Speed Digestion With Sauerkraut
You may think of sauerkraut as just something to pile on a hot dog, but chomping on the popular condiment actually helps digestion. That’s because sauerkraut and other fermented foods contain beneficial bacteria called probiotics that make them easier to digest.Know best foods to heal your gut.
Many probiotic foods like sauerkraut also contain prebiotics, which feed the helpful probiotic gut bugs living in your colon. Other fermented fare you may want to try are kefir (made from fermented milk) and kimchi (Korean pickled cabbage).Know best foods to heal your gut.
“Fermented foods eaten as an appetizer are a staple of different traditional cultures because of how they prepare the GI tract for digestion,” says Finkel.
Get Loads of Fiber From Beans
Fiber — it’s essential for digestion. It can help you prevent constipation and stay at a healthy weight, as well as reduce your risk of health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.[3] Beans, such as navy, kidney, and black beans, are an easy way to hit that daily target. Navy beans have a whopping 19 grams of fiber per cup. Know best foods to heal your gut.
Kiwi a Day Keeps Constipation Away
The fuzzy fruit packed with vitamin C is making waves in the gastrointestinal community since recent research found that people who ate two kiwis a day were relieved of their constipation better than patients who consumed prunes or psyllium. The group assigned kiwis also had fewer negative side-effects and enjoyed their high-fiber food most.Know best foods to heal your gut.
“We really want people to use whole foods to help their digestion, and kiwis are a great way to help yourself out,” says Finkel. “They’re tasty, enjoyable, and easy to eat.”
Reap the Gut-Friendly Benefits of Yogurt
Our digestive tract is full of bacteria, fungi, and even viruses. As mentioned, the collection of these microorganisms live in delicate balance in the gut microbiome, which is why what you feed your microbiome can make a difference. Foods like yogurt contain probiotics, which help support your microbiome.Know best foods to heal your gut.
“We encourage probiotics,” says the gastroenterologist Peter L. Moses, MD, a professor in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington.
If you’re not a yogurt fan, don’t fret: Dr. Moses says that some supplements contain better strains of probiotics, but he adds a disclaimer. “The evidence for a therapeutic effect of probiotics alone is lacking. Like any nonscientific therapeutic, probiotics are encouraged when they are part of a program that patients find clearly helpful for symptoms. Such a program may include prebiotic fiber and other proven recommendations.”Know best foods to heal your gut.
Lower Inflammation With Fish Rich in Omega-3s
Fish containing omega-3 fatty acids can benefit not only your heart, but your digestive tract as well because the omega-3 fatty acids help tamp down inflammation. To start, you can try to move toward an anti-inflammatory Mediterranean diet and add fatty fish like salmon, tuna, herring, sardines, and mackerel to your diet.Know best foods to heal your gut.
Soothe Your Tummy With Turmeric
Turmeric, a spice with an earthy flavor that’s loaded with curcumin, has anti-inflammatory properties shown to help in a range of conditions triggered by inflammation, including heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and even depression. Research also notes that curcumin helps regulate the gut microbiota, bring relief to people with IBD, and reduce inflammation that could likely lead to colon cancer.Know best foods to heal your gut.
“Curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory that can help soothe the digestive tract when you are suffering from an inflammation-related issue,” says Finkel.
If you’d like to incorporate turmeric into your diet, try adding the spice to vegetable dishes, soups, stews, or chilis.
Eat Some Ginger to Improve Digestion
A traditional Asian remedy for tummy aches and nausea and a favorite condiment used in Asian cuisine, ginger is also a powerful anti-inflammatory, making it another good food for digestion and a natural digestive aid.Know best foods to heal your gut.
And there’s research to back up ginger’s benefits: Ginger is a food that helps digestion by speeding up the process that moves food from the stomach into the upper small intestine. Research notes that several studies found ginger was associated with improved digestive functioning. It also pointed to studies that found ginger reduced nausea, motion sickness, and the risk of colon cancer.
Ease Indigestion With Stomach-Soothing Peppermint
Soothing, aromatic peppermint may help ease indigestion as well as some symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, making it a go-to natural treatment for gastroenterologists. “It’s inexpensive, nonaddictive with little to no side-effects, and it’s highly effective,” says Brian Lacy, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.Know best foods to heal your gut.
Peppermint oil can be included in many recipes or even tea, but more often is taken as a coated supplement, which allows it to pass into the digestive tract without causing heartburn.
Digestion tip: Taking peppermint oil (in small intestinal release form) for at least four weeks has been shown to significantly reduce IBS symptoms. It appears to work as an antispasmodic, smoothing out and relaxing the bowels.
Conclusion
Stay hydrated. If you’re not getting enough fluid, your body has to work a lot harder to move food through the intestines. So one of the best things you can do to support your gut is to ensure you’re drinking enough water each day (aim to drink about half your body weight in ounces). A bonus: Drinking water helps keep your tissues and organs healthy and lubricated.Know best foods to heal your gut.
Load up on fiber. Fiber-rich foods not only help keep things moving through your intestinal tract, but they’re also good sources of prebiotics, which help feed the good bacteria (probiotics) in your gut. To get your daily fiber quota (35 milligrams for men; 25 milligrams for women), eat foods like beans, cruciferous vegetables, pears and berries.
Avoid ultra-processed foods. You already know that processed foods aren’t good for your health, but “ultra-processed foods” that boast huge amounts of added sugars and sodium can seriously compromise your gut health. “There’s research to suggest that diets high in added sugars, like the kind we get from soda, can feed bacteria and potentially send signals to our brain to crave more of those types of foods,” Hutchinson says.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What are the best foods to heal your gut naturally?
Fermented foods, bone broth, garlic, ginger, bananas, and leafy greens are some of the best foods to heal your gut.
2. How do the best foods to heal your gut improve digestion?
They boost good bacteria, reduce inflammation, and support digestive enzymes.
3. Can the best foods to heal your gut help with bloating and gas?
Yes, they aid digestion and reduce gas by balancing gut flora.
4. Are the best foods to heal your gut suitable for IBS or leaky gut?
Yes, many are gentle and beneficial for IBS and leaky gut conditions.
5. How often should I eat the best foods to heal your gut for lasting benefits?
Daily consumption gives the best and most consistent results.
6. Do the best foods to heal your gut support immunity as well?
Yes, a healthy gut improves overall immune function.
7. What are some simple recipes using the best foods to heal your gut?
Try kefir smoothies, bone broth soups, or kimchi rice bowls.
