Whether you’re dealing with bloating, food sensitivities, skin issues, hormone disruption, or brain fog, your gut might be calling out for a little bit of support. The good news is, small, sustainable changes on our daily activities, such as how you eat and live can have a massive impact on your digestion and overall wellbeing.
The Role of the Gut Microbiome
Your gut is home to a bustling community of microbes which help with:
- The breakdown and absorption of nutrients
- Protect against harmful pathogens which can cause illness and disease
- Regulation of inflammation
- Regulation of immune system and its responses
- Influence mood through the gut-brain axis>
To function well, our microbes need the right kind of nourishment—a diverse, fibre-rich diet (think resistant starch), regular movement, good sleep, and low exposure to gut disruptors like stressors and toxins.
What’s The Best Diet for a Healthy Gut?
There’s no one diet for any health condition (no one size-fits all), but the most research-backed way to support gut health is to increase diversity and fibrein your diet.
Fibre Feeds our Good Guys
Plant fibres: especially prebiotics found in foods like garlic, onions, leeks, bananas, oats, and legumes, all feed our beneficial gut bacteria. These bacteria ferment the fibre and produce substances called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as butyrate, acetate and propionate, which reduce inflammation and protect our gut lining.
Eat the Rainbow
A diet rich in a variety of different coloured fruits and vegetables contain different polyphenols—plant compounds that act like antioxidants and also feed our gut microbes. Top tip – Aim for 30+ plant foods per week for optimal microbial diversity.
Fermented Foods Add Friendly Bacteria
Foods like sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, and miso naturally contain live bacteria that can help repopulate our microbiome and support the digestive system. Start slowly and build up to avoid overwhelming a sensitive system. I like to refer to it as our bacteria having a party and feeding on all the good food.
What Harms our Gut Through Diet?
Our modern Western diet, unfortunately, works against gut health in many, many ways:
- Highly processed foods lack fibre and nutrients, while additives like emulsifiers can damage the gut lining and our microbiome.
- Excess sugar and alcohol feed opportunistic (unhelpful) bacteria and yeast, leading to dysbiotic microbiome causing an array of symptoms.
- Low variety diets starve beneficial microbes and reduce our microbial diversity which can cause picking eating, mood disturbances and hormone disgreulation.
- Overuse of caffeine and skipping meals can disrupt our gut motility and stomach acid production, leading to a decrease in nutrient absorption and lack of energy.