Food and Your Gut Health

Which food helps gut health?

Tons of research have shown that gut health significantly impacts your entire health. The bacteria in your gut, called intestinal flora, are essential in many ways. They help fight against bacteria, improve the immune system and also help in producing essential vitamins. More than 70 percent of your immune response is from the gut; therefore, the better the gut, the healthier you become.

Most people can improve their health standards simply by eating healthy foods that benefit intestinal flora. Some of the healthiest foods for your intestinal flora are as follows:

Consume prebiotics

Prebiotics are substances found in foods that help develop good gut bacteria. They are mainly fibers or complex carbohydrates which the cells of humans cannot process. As a result, some particular types of gut bacteria digest and burn them as fuel.

Prebiotics are found in vegetables, fruit, and whole grains but

may also exist independently. Resistant starches are also prebiotics. The microorganisms in the large bowel crumble this form of starch since it is not absorbed in the small bowel.

According to numerous studies, prebiotics can stimulate the growth of a variety of good bacteria, especially Bifidobacteria.

Prebiotics help prevents diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease because they have been shown to decrease the level of cholesterol, insulin, and also triglyceride in overweight individuals.

Consume whole grains.

Whole grains are rich in fiber and beta-glucan, which are all complex carbohydrates. These carbohydrates move to the big bowel instead of being

digested in the small bowel to promote healthy gut bacteria growth.

According to studies, humans lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria, and

Bacteroidetes can thrive more readily when they consume whole grains. In these studies, healthy grains also improved satiety and decreased cardiovascular disease risks and inflammation.

Nevertheless, some studies indicate that gluten-containing cereals, like

barely, wheat, and rye, may potentially have a detrimental effect on gut flora

in certain people by raising intestinal inflammation and permeability.

More investigation is required to discover whether eating grains

containing gluten may also change the gut flora in healthy persons who do not have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

Consume plant-based diet

Animal-based diets encourage the growth of several species of gut bacteria more than plant-based diets.

Plant foods may boost the gut flora, according to various studies, possibly due to their high fiber content.

For instance, a 2013 study discovered that a vegetarian diet decreased

disease-causing bacteria counts in obese individuals and inflammation, body

weight, and cholesterol levels.

According to a review published in 2019, vegetarian diets are a good source of certain substances that can boost levels of good bacteria and decrease the harmful strains to support gut health.

However, it is unclear if a reduction in consumption causes the benefits of a plant-based diet on the gut flora of meat or if other factors may also be at play.

Conclusion

For many elements of human health, gut microbes are crucial. According to various research, a disturbed microbiome has been linked to several chronic diseases.

Eating fresh, whole foods, primarily from natural sources, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans, and whole grains, is the greatest method to keep a healthy microflora.