Your daily diet has an important impact on your health. Read on to find 10 of the best foods that are good for your gut health.
Many people have different degrees of gastrointestinal discomfort, habitual constipation or diarrhea.
Are you one of them?
If so, your gut may not be as healthy as you think.
The food you eat is ultimately broken down into a more simple form in the gut, so it can enter your bloodstream and be delivered as nutrients throughout your body.
In addition, your gut is the internal ecosystem of your body.
Therefore, besides digestion and absorption，your gut health also affects your mental health, weight, blood sugar and liver.
Normally, your gut relies on the proper balance of various bacteria to digest food and prevent infection and inflammation.
However, an unhealthy diet can disrupt the micro ecological balance in your gut, reducing the number of digestive enzymes and beneficial bacteria.
As a result, this may cause chronic inflammation, leading to many diseases including diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer.
Fortunately, there are many healthy foods you can eat to improve your gut health, promote digestion and absorption and reduce inflammation in your body.
Here are the 10 best foods for your gut health.
1. Whole Grains
While some studies have linked whole-grains to a reduced risk of developing diabetes, they may also be good for your gut.
Whole grains including oats, barley, quinoa, rye, brown rice or corn can increase stool volume, promote defecation and shorten the contact time of carcinogens with the colorectal. [*]
According to a study published in the British Medical Journal in 2011, a daily intake of 10 grams of grain fiber can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by 10%.
When increasing the intake of whole grains to 90 grams, the risk of colorectal cancer reduced by 20%.
2. Fermented Foods
Fermentation is a method of preserving foods with bacteria and yeast.
Foods like pickles, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut and yogurt are a great source of probiotics (live and active microbes).
Some research has shown that taking probiotics or eating foods rich in probiotics can support a healthy gut microbiome. It may also prevent gut inflammation and other intestinal problems.
3. Legumes
legumes have many health benefits, including reducing bad cholesterol, lowering blood sugar levels and increasing healthy gut bacteria.
Black beans, peas, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, navy beans and other legumes are a rich source of many fiber types.
Eating whole foods with high natural dietary fiber content can help build and maintain a more diverse intestinal flora.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar helps you digest and break down food by stimulating the secretion of digestive juices and increasing stomach acid.
Its antibacterial and antiviral effects can reduce harmful bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract and maintain micro ecological balance.
There are many other benefits of apple cider vinegar, including regulating blood sugar levels and helping to lose weight.
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5. Brightly Colored Fruits or Vegetables
Various brightly colored fruits or vegetables, such as pomegranates, strawberries, cranberries, blueberries or carrots are the main sources of anthocyanins. [*]
Anthocyanins are a strong antioxidant and have many health benefits, especially in protecting cardiovascular health.
However, your body cannot completely absorb anthocyanins in the digestive tract.
Fortunately, the beneficial bacteria in your gut also like these nutrients.
Therefore, the remaining and unabsorbed anthocyanins are used to nourish and multiply the beneficial bacteria to make your gut healthier.
6. Avocado
Avocado is a superfood that is rich in fiber and essential nutrients (such as potassium), which helps promote healthy digestion. It is also a low-fructose food, so it is unlikely to produce gas.
The researchers found that people who ate avocado every day as part of a meal had a greater abundance of gut microbes that break down fiber and produce metabolites that support gut health.
They also had greater microbial diversity compared to people who did not receive the avocado meals in the study.
In addition, avocado can also increase butyrate in the digestive system.
Butyrate is a healthy fatty acid that has anti-inflammatory and immune regulatory functions. This makes avocado a great food that can help improve your gut and overall health.
7. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are packed with soluble fiber which bulks up stool, feeds friendly bacteria in your gut and helps slow digestion to make you feel satisfied.
In addition, chia seeds have the same effect as prebiotics, which can help the beneficial bacteria in the intestine grow and multiply.
Consuming the right amount of chia seeds can prevent constipation.
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8. Bone Soup
You probably know that drinking bone soup can replenish calcium.
What you may not realize is that bone soup also has a more important role: protecting the lining of your intestinal tract, enhancing immune system function and resisting inflammation.
Bone soup contains a lot of collagen, gelatin, amino acids, proline, glutamine and arginine, as well as many other minerals. All of these are helpful for preventing chronic inflammation and improving immunity.
9. Garlic
Garlic is also a high-quality source of prebiotics. It is rich in inulin, which can increase the beneficial bacteria in your gut to fight harmful bacteria.
Garlic is high in a variety of nutrients including manganese, vitamin B-6, vitamin C and selenium.
In addition, garlic contains many active compounds, such as allicin.
Allicin is an anti-inflammatory substance, even more so when the garlic is crushed.
Therefore, in order to make better use of the health functions of garlic, it is best to eat your Garlic raw and chopped.
10. Asparagus
Asparagus works as a prebiotic. It is high in indigestible fiber inulin which can feed the helpful bacteria that live in your gut, such as bifidobacteria and lactobacilli.
Asparagus is also rich in B vitamins and anti-inflammatory antioxidants, which are key components for fighting inflammation in your body.
Summary:
The food you eat directly affects the makeup of bacteria in your gut. This in turn can have a big impact on your overall health.
Consuming more foods that are good for your gut health not only improves the digestion and absorption of nutrients but also helps prevent chronic inflammation and diseases caused by chronic inflammation.
