The best foods to eat for gut health

Introduction

A healthy gut can help you digest food, regulate your immune system, and even keep you at a proper weight. Many of us know what foods are bad for our gut health — foods containing copious amounts of sugar or trans fats, and antibiotics. But it's also essential to know which foods you should be eating to protect the quality of the bacteria in your microbiome. Here are some key nutrients to add to your diet — or at least consider adding — if you want to improve your overall gut health

Fermented foods

A wide variety of foods can be fermented to make them easier to digest. Still, the most common ones are yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and kombucha.

Fermented foods are full of probiotics—beneficial bacteria that help keep your gut healthy by crowding out harmful bacteria and keeping your digestive system running smoothly. They also help you absorb nutrients from other foods you eat.

Prebiotic foods

Prebiotics are food ingredients that promote the growth of good bacteria in your gut. You can find them in your favorite foods, like onions and garlic, bananas, asparagus, artichokes, and leeks.

Resistant starch

Resistant starch is a type of carbohydrate that resists digestion. As it passes through your digestive tract, some of it makes its way into your large intestine. There, it feeds good bacteria and stimulates their growth.

Resistant starch can be found in raw or cooked potatoes, rice, and legumes (beans). You can increase the amount in your diet by eating these foods cool (instead of hot) or adding them to soups or casseroles instead of cooking them separately.

The benefits? It helps with gut health and weight control by encouraging the growth of healthy bacteria in your colon—which may help reduce inflammation—and keeping you fuller longer because it takes longer for resistant starch to digest than other types of carbs. It also helps lower cholesterol levels and improves blood sugar control; studies have shown that people who consume more resistant starches have lower body fat levels than those who don't get enough resistant starches in their diets.

Proteins with collagen

Collagen is a protein found in bone, cartilage, skin, and connective tissue. It's one of the major structural proteins in the body—collagen makes up about 25 percent of your body's total protein content.

In addition to being essential for strong bones and good skin, collagen has been shown to help with joint mobility as well as keeping bones strong. Collagen is broken down into amino acids and made into other proteins, such as elastin and keratin, necessary for skin health. Bone broth is a fantastic source of collagen, and it's easy to make at home.

Healthy fats

Healthy fats are necessary for brain health, hormone health, and heart health. Healthy fats are also great for satiety. When you eat them, you feel fuller longer, so you don't have to snack throughout the day.

Good healthy fat sources are fish, nuts (especially walnuts), seeds (like chia or flax), avocados, olive oil, and other vegetable oils like coconut or canola oil.

Eating these foods will help improve your gut health.

Eating these foods will help improve your gut health.

Benefits of eating these foods include:

• Better digestion
• Increased energy and stamina
• Greater resistance to infection and illness
• Improved mental clarity, focus, and mood

Conclusion

Improving your gut health is a great way to enhance your physical and mental health. And while there are plenty of ways to do this—like taking probiotic supplements, reducing stress in your life, and getting enough exercise—eating a balanced diet is one of the most effective.

Even with the insane prices oaf groceries in New Zealand, most of these foods are not out of reach, and you can make quite a few things, like bone broth, at home at a very reasonable cost. What better investment there than your health, anyway?