Gut health is getting a lot of attention these days in the world of medicine and nutrition.
Every day, new foods and supplements are being discovered that claim to improve gut health.
There’s strong evidence showing that a healthy gut is essential for overall health and can help with many medical conditions.
Your gut is more important than you might think. Did you know it contains about 500 million neurons, while your brain has about 100 billion?
This connection between a healthy gut and a healthy brain is well-known, and many people are now eating probiotic foods to boost their mental health.
Public health and microbiome researcher Tim Spector, MD, recently shared some advice on the “mindbodygreen” podcast. According to him, eating several portions of fermented foods daily improves gut health.
“Go for a variety of fermented foods because then you get the diversity of different microbes in them. We’re talking about the 4 Ks: kimchi, kefir, kombucha and kraut ... not just cheese and yoghurt”, he said.
Chronic stress can seriously mess with your gut. It can cause changes in how your gut moves, increase something called "leaky gut", and alter the balance of bacteria in your gut.
These changes can lead to problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
The connection between stress, gut health, and gut problems is well-known and becoming even more recognised.
Stress can trigger or worsen conditions like IBS and IBD, which shows just how important it is to manage stress in your daily life.
Dr Balachundhar Subramaniam, director of the Sadhguru Centre for a Conscious Planet at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Professor of Anaesthesiology at Harvard Medical School, explained how stress impacts gut health.
According to Subramaniam, chronic stress can wreak havoc on gastrointestinal function and the wider brain-gut axis.
This can lead to alterations in gut motility, increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut), and changes in the gut microbiota.
This has been shown to lead to the development of gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Managing stress effectively is key to keeping your gut healthy. Practices like Isha Yoga meditations, yoga, mindfulness meditation, and cognitive-behavioural therapy have been shown to lower stress levels and improve gut health.
Making these practices a part of your life can help prevent or ease gut-related health issues.
Top 4 foods you should eat for gut health
When it comes to gut health, nutrition experts have some strong recommendations.
Incorporating these research-backed fermented foods into your diet can make a real difference.
Many of these foods are also high in fibre, which further supports a healthy microbiome.
Kimchi
Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish made from salted and fermented vegetables, usually Chinese cabbage and radishes, but it can also include carrots, apples, pears and various seasonings.
The fermentation process happens naturally due to the micro-organisms on the cabbage, though sometimes starter cultures are used.
Kombucha
Kombucha is a fermented tea that originated in China. It's made with sugar and a Scoby, which is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.
A review of 15 studies found that drinking kombucha can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, improve liver detoxification, and help balance the gut's bacterial composition.
Yoghurt
Yoghurt contains beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, which can positively impact the gut microbiome.
A recent study found that eating yoghurt temporarily increased the levels of multiple bacterial species in the gut.
Besides gut health, yoghurt has been linked to a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes, possibly due to its probiotic bacteria or its effects on gut microbiota.
Sourdough bread
Sourdough bread is made using a starter that's produced by fermenting flour with lactic acid bacteria and yeasts. This process takes about seven days. For those with sensitive stomachs, sourdough may be easier to digest than other bread.
A small study found that people who ate sourdough croissants experienced less abdominal discomfort, bloating, and nausea compared to those who ate croissants made with brewer's yeast.
Incorporating these fermented foods into your diet can support a healthy gut and overall well-being, thanks to their beneficial bacteria and high fibre content.