Cultivating gut health ensures that your body can properly absorb and assimilate nutrients from food. You may often hear about fiber but it takes more than that.
Your intestines, also known as the gastrointestinal (GI) system, help digest food and extract essential nutrients to use as fuel for your body.
When your digestive system is functioning optimally, you will have stable energy levels and regular bowel movements. Food is also digested more efficiently with minimal gas and bloating. However, digestion becomes slow and sometimes painful when you have harmful gut bacteria. You may notice more discomfort and irregularities with your bowel movements.
Whether or not you have a healthy gut microbiome comes down to the diversity of bacteria that populate your digestive system. In other words, the more diverse your microbiome, the healthier your GI system will be.
Tens of trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, reside in our digestive system. Most of these microbes live in the large intestine, while only about 10,000 inhabit the small intestine. Humans have similar bacteria in about a third of their gut microbiome. The remaining microbes differ from person to person based on genetics and environmental factors.
We inherit most of our gut bacteria from our parents. However, the remaining 10% of our gut microbiome depends on our diet and lifestyle factors such as smoking and physical activity levels. While we can only alter a small percentage of our microbiome, it’s encouraging to know that we can positively influence our gut health.
How gut health affects overall well-being
So how does our microbiome affect our health? Believe it or not, our gut health plays a role in almost every function in the body. In addition to digesting and assimilating nutrients from our food, the intestine houses 70% of our entire immune system.
Microbes communicate with immune cells and influence the body’s response to threats such as infections. So if we want to improve our health, it all starts in the gut.
Gut health shapes our physical and psychological health in many ways. Our microbiome controls these aspects of health, among many others:
- Weight control. The studies show that having an imbalance of healthy and unhealthy gut microbes, or gut dysbiosis, can cause weight gain.
- brain health. The investigation Emerging researchers have found a link between gut health and the central nervous system, which affects brain function. Most of our neurotransmitters, like serotonin and dopamine, reside in the gut rather than the brain. As millions of nerves connect these two vital organs, it’s easy to see how gut health influences mental well-being. In fact, many studies found that people with psychological disorders have different gut bacteria compared to healthy people.
- Heart health. The gut microbiome promotes optimal levels of HDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Harmful bacteria convert nutrients found in red meat and other animal products into TMAO, a chemical that contributes to clogged arteries. This molecule can cause potentially life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks or strokes. However, other healthy species found in probiotics, such as lactobacilli, may lower LDL cholesterol.
Gut health can seem complicated, but anyone can improve their digestive system by following the fundamental pillars of health. For example, nutrient-rich foods and positive habits can naturally add beneficial bacteria to your microbiome.
How to Improve Gut Health with Just Thirty Minutes a Day
Here are some simple tips on how to restore your gut bacteria quickly.
1. Eat a diverse, fiber-balanced diet.
The microbiome thrives on a variety of fresh, fiber-rich foods. Fiber-rich foods like sweet potatoes, legumes, beans, whole grains, fruits and vegetables promote the growth of good gut bacteria like bifidobacteria.
2. Include fermented foods and probiotics in your diet.
Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, kombucha and yogurt have a large number of healthy bacteria, especially lactobacilli. This bacteria can alleviate gastrointestinal conditions such as diarrhea, constipation and inflammatory bowel disease.
3. Minimize sugar and artificial sweeteners.
Some evidence suggests that artificial sweeteners like aspartame cause high blood sugar levels. They trigger the growth of harmful bacteria like Enterobacteriaceae in the microbiome, resulting in elevated insulin levels. Regular sugar also creates an imbalance between good and bad gut bacteria. A to study in mice found that a high-sugar diet made them more vulnerable to obesity and other metabolic diseases.
4. Eat more prebiotics to support gut health.
Probiotics refer to bacteria, while prebiotics are the indigestible carbohydrates you eat. Foods high in prebiotics are also high in fiber and include artichokes, onions, whole grains, apples, bananas and asparagus.
5. Eat lots of whole grains.
Whole grains have tons of fiber and can improve gut health by increasing bifidobacteria, a species essential for reducing inflammation. Whole grains also contain beneficial carbohydrates called beta-glucan, which aid weight loss and reduce your overall risk of disease.
6. Consider following a vegan or vegetarian diet.
One study found that vegetarian diets can help reduce levels of harmful bacteria such as E. coli, inflammation and cholesterol.
7. Eat more foods with polyphenols.
Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants in foods and beverages such as green tea, coffee, dark chocolate, whole grains and olive oil. They promote gut health because beneficial bacteria break them down, encouraging the growth of more gut-friendly organisms.
8. Take antibiotics in moderation to maintain good gut health.
While antibiotics have their place in modern medicine, they can also wreak havoc on gut health. Unfortunately, they kill both good and bad microbes, and healthy bacteria may not re-emerge for years. Because antibiotics cause gut dysbiosis, they can also contribute to weight gain and immune suppression. Therefore, only take antibiotics when necessary.
9. Limit alcohol consumption.
While moderate consumption of red wine may improve gut health due to its polyphenol content, most alcohol negatively affects digestion. Excessive alcohol consumption can cause gastritis, heartburn, ulcers, bacterial infections and other unpleasant conditions. The investigation it also shows that alcohol can contribute to gut inflammation, which disrupts the microbiome.
10. Exercise regularly.
Any activity can protect your health, even if you only have time to walk around the neighborhood. A 2014 study found that athletes had a significantly more diverse gut microbiota than sedentary adults. Aim to get 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a week, including at least two days of weight training.
Final thoughts on ways to boost beneficial gut health
Scientists are just beginning to understand the complexity and function of the microbiome. Research shows that gut health impacts every facet of wellness, from heart health to blood sugar control.
While genetics mostly determine our gut bacteria, we can change our microbiome by following the pillars of health. Eating lots of fresh, whole foods and fiber, exercising regularly, and limiting alcohol intake can improve digestive health.
