These days, we hear a lot about gut health and how it can contribute to our overall health. That’s because over the years, researchers have found that your gut and and brain work together. “Our brain and gut are connected by an extensive network of neurons and a highway of chemicals and hormones that constantly provide feedback about how hungry we are, whether or not we’re experiencing stress, or if we’ve ingested a disease-causing microbe.”¹ Your gut also passes messages back to your brain, which can influence your choices with food, mood and even behaviors.  This is why it is important to have a healthy balanced gut. There are a variety of things that can affect your gut microbiome and create an imbalance in the bacteria. Some common irritants include eating a Western Diet, which typically contains lot of processed foods heavy on carbs and sugar-laden foods. Using a lot of antibiotics, birth control and taking drugs that lower stomach acid can contribute to the problem as well. In addition, being overweight and living a sedentary life-style can play a part in an unhealthy gut. The good news is that there a number of ways to keep your gut healthy. In this blog, I wanted to share 6 Ways to build a healthy gut.

6 Ways To Build A Healthy Gut

balanced diet

  1. Eliminate foods with added sugar—It’s a proven fact that sugar changes the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut and those who consume more sugar, have a higher level of bad bacteria. When out grocery shopping, make sure you read the food labels and avoid those with a high sugar content or added sugar. Eating a diet rich in whole foods, especially vegetables is a healthy way to keep your gut balanced.
  2. Limit fruit intake—While it is important to include more fruit and vegetables in your diet, it is important not to eat too much fruit. Fruit contains a variety of nutrients and antioxidants, yet also contains natural sugars, that can have an affect on your microbiome. If you enjoy eating fruit, it is best to limit your fruit consumption to 2 servings per day. You can also choose those fruits that have a lower sugar content. For example, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries have a lower sugar content then a mango or pineapple.
  3. Add more fermented foods to your diet—Fermented food are rich in probiotics, which help keep your gut healthy and bacteria in check. Probiotic foods such as sauerkraut, pickles, kifer, yogurt and tempeh work to balance the gut. Try including more fermented foods to your meals or snacks to reap their benefits.
  4. Cut back or eliminate alcohol consumption—Alcohol is another culprit that can affect your microbiome. While it may be fun to have a few drinks now and again, overuse of alcohol, especially overtime can make your health decline and may contribute to various disease.
  5. Watch the caffeine—While caffeine is often considered a pick me up and may give you a boost of energy, it can also bring you down and leave you feeling ill, if you consume too much. Coffee and other caffeine drinks are acidic and cause stomach irritability and promote bad bacteria overgrowth. In turn,  over consumption, along with other unhealthy eating habits may contribute to leaky gut, auto immune disease and other illnesses.

Thanks for reading!

Barb

Source:

¹ Sonnenburg, Justin Sonnenburg Erica. “Gut Feelings–the ‘Second Brain’ in Our Gastrointestinal Systems [Excerpt].” Scientific American, 1 May 2015, www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-feelings-the-second-brain-in-our-gastrointestinal-systems-excerpt/.