Everything you need to know about gut health Everything you need to know about gut health
Centr Team
03 Apr 2019
A healthy gut leads to a happy body and mind. More and more research indicates that the health of our digestive system is intrinsically linked to various aspects of both physical and mental health and well-being.
In particular, benefits are observed for digestive health and the immune system, which then relates to a range of other health benefits.
Although our gut bacteria may be largely determined during our early childhood years, there are nutrition strategies that can improve that balance over time.
What does it mean to have good gut health?
The fiber freeway
Fiber not only fills us up, but keeps everything moving along smoothly. Inadequate fiber slows down gut transit, which can lead to a number of digestive system problems. A combination of different types of soluble and insoluble fibers is helpful.
Keep things fluid
In a similar way to fiber, staying well hydrated keeps your digestive system active. You can have plenty of fiber, but if there is not enough fluid, things can still slow down, leading to constipation.
Bacteria and your body
Prebiotics and probiotics work together to create a healthy gut environment. Probiotics add good bacteria to the gut and prebiotics help feed the bacteria to help them grow and be active and useful. For good gut health, both prebiotics and probiotics are important. A healthy gut bacteria ecosystem = a healthy body.
- Prebiotics are certain types of fiber that help to stimulate growth and activity of good bacteria in the large intestine. A wide range of foods that provide prebiotics include garlic, onions, asparagus, beetroot, nectarines, peaches, watermelon, legumes, cashews, barley and rye bread.
- Probiotics are live bacteria that are added to the gut to help improve bacteria balance and promote a healthy digestive and immune system. Probiotic foods include fermented milk drinks, yogurt, fermented vegetables, kefir and probiotic supplements.
The probiotics in Darren Robertson's Fennel Cabbage Sauerkraut can help balance the bacteria in your gut.
Not all probiotics are created equal – different strains of probiotics may be better for different situations and different individuals. The future of probiotics is likely to be individualized bacteria strains prescribed at an individual level, but this is still a long way off. Including a range of different probiotic foods over a week is potentially the best way to go for now.
How do I improve my gut health?
Go natural
Highly processed foods can often be high in sugar, fat and salt, which replace more nutritious options in the diet. Go for more whole fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, nuts and seeds to keep your digestive system healthy. Take care with artificial sweeteners and alcohol, which can both have an impact on digestive symptoms.
Beware of bloating
Some of the foods that are best for your gut health are unfortunately also foods which can cause bloating for some people. It’s normal to get a little bit of gut distension when you follow a high fiber diet – but if you experience ongoing pain and discomfort you could have an intolerance to certain foods or ingredients.
If this sounds like you, it’s worth a medical assessment to determine exactly which foods might be causing a problem and how to manage this if you have a true food intolerance.
The gluten factor
For some people, gluten can be a cause of gut-related symptoms. If you have diagnosed celiac disease, an allergy to gluten, then you need to avoid gluten completely. Some people have a gluten sensitivity, where gluten may need to be reduced, but small amounts may be tolerated well. If you do not have celiac disease or an obvious intolerance to gluten, there is no need to omit gluten from your diet.
Individuals with specific gastrointestinal conditions, eg. IBS or fructose malabsorption, will need to modify some of these general strategies for gut health to meet individual needs. Be sure to talk to your dietitian or doctor.
