By Gut health is one of the most important strategies leading toward a healthy, disease-free life.
The state and functioning of our gut health are among the most important- yet vastly underrated aspects of attaining better health and longevity.
Digesting and assimilating our food gives our body the energy it needs for daily functioning and any added activity.
How our gut operates is key to how many chronic diseases and ailments we may suffer from now or in the future.
Occurrences such as metabolic disease, gastrointestinal disorders and cancers can occur. Even our daily brain functions are part and parcel of gut health.
When you think about it, everything we eat and drink is broken down in the gut, and from there, the delivery of nutrients is transferred throughout the body.
Trillions of bacteria make up our gut microbiome, and the foods we eat either help feed these guys or transfer them into health-hindering critters.
Although taking supplements like probiotics is a great idea, it goes far deeper than just one angle. It’s important to constantly eat gut-enhancing foods daily to feed your gut what it needs to thrive.
To give you an idea, foods such as bananas, sauerkraut and fermented foods love our guts. These alternatives support good bacteria and boost natural antibodies to help fight infection.
Soluble fibre is also wonderful for our gut.
When you think about it, the gut needs its special diet to thrive.
Thankfully, it takes only a few certain kinds of food to help it. These foods should be available all year round, and most are cost-effective.
Let’s get into the nitty gritty now, so you can start adding some gut-friendly foods to help enhance the quality of your health.
One: Bananas
Bananas are my favourite gut-healthy foods, especially when green rather than ripe.
Bananas contain inulin, a prebiotic that helps feed the good guys in your gut.
If there are times when you suffer from diarrhoea, or constipation, adding in some bananas can help to relieve these symptoms and improve your stool consistency and bowel function.
But don’t dismiss those ripe bananas anytime soon, as you can make some wonderful desserts, including banana bread or oat banana cookies.
They are even used as a substitution for eggs in pancakes.
Two: Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is a staple in all of my meals. It contains fermented cabbage, which contains many probiotics supporting better gut health.
It works so well because when the fermentation occurs, the cabbage’s microorganisms begin to digest its natural sugars and convert them to carbon dioxide and organic acids.
This help breaks down food’s nutrients and makes them easier to digest.
For a better combination of gut-friendly foods, mix sauerkraut with miso.
Of course, you can always make your sauerkraut, as store-bought varieties tend to be expensive, and you will make better use of your cabbage instead of throwing it out when it starts to wilt.
Three: Ginger
Ginger has many wonderful benefits, such as helping stimulate digestion and mild stomach upsets.
I love adding large wedges of ginger into my smoothies in the morning to kick-start my digestion and cleanse my pallet.
Another wonderful combination is using ginger and lemon slices as a cleansing tea in hot water.
Tea bags are great, but they do have added chemicals alongside them.
So, add ginger and lemon to hot water every morning and start your day with an antioxidant and cleansing boost.
Four: Berries
All berries benefit your health and gut health, for that matter. Berries are the best fruits you can eat and contain disease-fighting properties like antioxidants that help to reduce inflammation.
In addition, berries have been known to alleviate inflammation directly in the gut -which is great news for those with super sensitive guts.
Try this on for size; Have a berry-rich smoothie in the morning with greens, protein powder and your collagen. Then, add ginger and cayenne pepper for a kick.
This is one of the best ways to begin your day right; filled with antioxidants and a great post-workout meal that infuses your body with vitamins, minerals and, of course, good-quality carbs for those hungry muscles.
Five: Oats
Oats are another wonderful way to start your day.
They contain beta-glucans, which, again, is a form of soluble fibre that helps move substances a lot more slowly in the digestive tract.
When this occurs, the energy release is slower and more constant, so you won’t experience energy slumps and keep you full.
The soluble fibre in oats greatly affects the gut and stabilises blood sugar. When your gut is imbalanced, then that can affect your blood sugar.
Foods containing beta-glucans help regulate blood sugar and lower your risk of insulin resistance.
Oats are a great alternative for those with type two diabetes — and should be exercised cautiously by your doctor or health professional.
But, if you were to have a carb source, this would be the most beneficial one.
Six: Lentils
These guys are key to vegan nutrition — but should also form part of everyone’s diet due to their high level of gut-boosting-resistant starch.
Resistant starch is a carb that ferments in the large intestine and acts like a prebiotic to feed our good guys.
Eating lentils helps to support a healthy gut microbiome, keeping you full for longer periods, improving your toilet habits and supporting your health in many ways.
Lentils contain protein and good-quality carbs, making them a complete meal, which can be enjoyed in a salad, soup or blended to make a plant-based mince.
Key takeaways
Adding gut-friendly foods into your diet daily is more important than anything you can do now.
Instances of colorectal cancers are on the rise in young people — possibly because of a lack of good quality foods eaten from a young age.
So adding fibre-rich foods that feed our good gut bacteria is important for all age brackets.
These foods above are available in all parts of the world, aren’t too expensive and can be an added staple in anyone’s diet.
How many gut-friendly foods do you eat daily, and what is your favourite?
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