When it comes to fostering the ultimate microbiome, little else comes close to the power of a great diet.
Whether you’re in your teens or your senior years, your diet has a lot of control over how well your gut performs and how effectively your digestive system operates. With a substantial focus on a gut-friendly diet, you’re effectively giving your gut bacteria the chance to diversify and grow, leading you to a generally happier and more stable intestinal tract.
Let’s look below at the fifteen best foods for a healthy gut.
1. Sauerkraut
As a fermented food, sauerkraut is one of the best foods out there to encourage stomach bacteria growth and get your gut up to speed with the rest of your body. However, when purchasing sauerkraut, remember that salted and natural sauerkraut are the best option – you should veer away from sweetened and vinegar-based versions.
2. Yoghurt
Just like sauerkraut, yoghurt is a fermented food which means you’re giving your gut the bacteria and the nutrients it needs to build a healthy gut bacteria population. However, be sure to avoid processed yoghurts and sugary versions here too. Unsweetened and plant-based yogurts are most beneficial for your health.
Yoghurt is also a fantastic food to eat when it comes to restoring your gut flora and may be very beneficial to incorporate into your diet after something like a colonoscopy. It’s able to create that ideal base for gut bacteria, and adds live cultures into the mix too.
3. Kefir
An obvious recommendation after yoghurt is kefir. It’s a fermented yoghurt — though in the form of a drink. These are a little easier to integrate into your diet and can be added to smoothies and soups quite easily.
4. Kimchi
In a similar vein to sauerkraut, kimchi is an Asian variant of the German and Polish food, and is essentially fermented cabbage and other vegetables. As we mentioned, these fermented foods create an excellent base for your gut bacteria, and so incorporating kimchi as a side, or on its own is a great meal idea.
5. Miso
When it comes to getting your fill of enzymes and powerful gut bacteria foods, the soy-based miso is something to keep in mind. You can get your fill of miso by using it as a dip, a sauce or just on its own and you’ll be keeping on top of your gut health with ease.
6. Olive Oils
Olive oil is very healthy and offers up a tonne of helpful and beneficial polyphenols and fatty acids that our gut bacteria thrive on. Getting your fill of olive oil is effortless too, in that you can just add a splash here and there when you’re cooking!
7. Sourdough
One of the more easily digestible loaves of bread out there may already be in your diet, and for a good reason. It’s delicious. However, sourdough is also a fermented food. It is a fermented dough, making it an excellent food source for our stomach bacteria.
8. Almonds
Another good food to be on the lookout for are almonds. High in fibre, this delicious snack feed our stomach bacteria effectively and keep our intestinal tracts nice and nourished, making for a happier and more stable digestive system.
9. Kombucha
Kombucha drinks are a trendy food at the moment and in our opinion deserve all the hype they are receiving! They are essentially packed to the lid with active bacteria, a lot of which your stomach will capture and hold on to. Kombucha is essentially a fermented tea filled with millions of healthy stomach bacteria.
10. Peas
Another ultra-fibrous food is peas. They make for a great healthy gut, and you’ll definitely want to add these to your diet. They’re easy to digest, promote healthy bowel movements, and feed your stomach bacteria with their high fibre content.
11. Brussel Sprouts
Although not everyone’s favourite veggie, brussel sprouts also offer a tonne of fibre for a healthy gut. These little vegetables can be fried, baked or steamed and are relatively easy to integrate into anyone’s diet.
12. Bananas
Hitting our list of healthy gut foods are bananas – again, for their high fibre content. Getting a few bananas into your diet each week will up your fibre intake and offer up a good food source for your gut bacteria.
13. Garlic
You probably didn’t expect to see garlic on this list but garlic is actually an antibacterial food! This means it’s going to be helpful when it comes to ‘killing off’ the harmful bacteria in your stomach! Add garlic to foods as a flavour enhancer, and you’re all set.
14. Roquefort or French Cheese
Everyone one loves cheese, so why not try some Roquefort? Roquefort is another excellent food for a healthy gut given that it’s offering up active gut bacteria cultures. These will find their way into your digestive system and provide you with a lot of benefit. However, be sure to eat this food in moderation, as it’s a little fatty.
15. Ginger
To end our list, ginger is our final best food for a healthy gut. It’s a stomach acid promotor and is a healthy way to get your gut to produce a little more acid – this essentially keeps everything moving.