Home » How to Eat for Great Gut Health

How to Eat for Great Gut Health

Gut health plays a vital role in overall health and disease prevention. This guide breaks it all down. Learn about the microbiome and how to improve it with a personalized diet.

how to eat for great gut health

Scientists estimate that there are ten times as many microbial cells in our bodies than human cells. And while they only account for 3% of our total body mass, these tiny critters play a significant role in how well our bodies work. Essentially, our gut microbiome is essential: it plays a vital role in digestion and metabolism and even helps regulate immune function. So, to maintain a healthy gut, you must first understand your microbiome!

This post is all about the microbiome and steps you can take to improve gut health.

the key to health

Gut-Friendly Feasts: Eat for Great Gut Health Simplified

Recently, the gut microbiome and its effect on chronic diseases have been a primary research focus. Dysbiosis in the gut undeniably affects disease, although the mechanisms are not yet fully understood.

Researchers have published thousands of studies over the last five years, and these data revealed new information on the mechanisms between the gut microbiome and disease. 

Moreover, a disturbance on any level causes dysfunction (or dysbiosis) in the biochemical pathways of the microorganisms within the gut. 

Some of these disturbances can be avoided by excluding foods that trigger inflammation from one’s diet and incorporating fiber-rich, nutrient-dense, and anti-inflammatory foods.

how to eat for great gut health

What is a Microbiome?

Your microbiome comprises trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. These microorganisms live in your gut and skin and help regulate your immune system.

While we used to think that each of us has our unique microbiome, research shows that microbiomes are remarkably similar from person to person—your diet, environment, genetics, and lifestyle all impact what lives in your gut.

In spite of the research, is there good news? You can make changes to cultivate better gut health through everything from diet changes to changing your workout routine.

gut health, diet, hygiene, life style, health care, family history, exercise, stress handing relationships, sleep

Symptoms of an Unbalanced Gut Microbiome

Believe it or not, your gut is home to trillions of gut flora or gut microbiota—that are crucial to keeping you healthy. When your microbiota is balanced, it means more efficient digestion and absorption of nutrients and vitamins.

In other words, there’s no faster way to get what you need from food than when your gut works its best when it’s not balanced, though—for example, when there are too many harmful bacteria in your system—it could lead to gastrointestinal problems such as bloating or constipation and diarrhea. 

pendulum probiotics

Is Your Microbiome in Trouble?

Warning Signs of an Unbalanced Microbiome

  • Gas
  • Bloating
  • Abdominal Pain
  • Food Sensitivities
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Skin issues (acne, dermatitis, eczema)
  • Vaginitis
  • Candida Infections
  • Dandruff
how can i improve my gut health

How Can I Improve My Gut Health?

Your gut can significantly affect your digestion, immune system, and overall health. It’s an essential part of your body and worth taking care of. Read on to learn how you can start improving your gut health today.

To keep our gut microbiome healthy, there are two necessary steps we can take:

1) avoid unnecessary antibiotics

2) eat foods that are high in prebiotics.

A probiotic is a live microorganism (similar to those in our gut microbiome) that may improve digestion and other health issues when eaten regularly. According to one study, diversity is essential to a healthy microbiome.

Prebiotics, however, provide food for beneficial bacteria already living inside us. Common prebiotic foods include flax seeds, onions, garlic, leeks, bananas, and oats.

problematic foods for the gut

Problematic Foods for the Gut

The standard Western diet, rich in salt, sugars, saturated fats, and low fiber, has a profound negative impact. (1)

A good diet can transform the gut microbiota in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and reduce the need for drugs that suppress the immune system. Moreover, there are over 100 documented autoimmune disorders, and that number keeps going up. Diet has an outstanding effect on autoimmunity.

Those results express how drastically diet can improve the well-being of patients with chronic autoimmune conditions. The promotion of health starts with a personalized diet. (2)

One study reported findings that gluten and iodine increase the production of autoantibodies, leading to inflammation and worsening autoimmune symptoms. (3)

For example, several studies have noted the prevalence of gluten-related antibodies in patients with multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes, and autoimmune thyroid diseases. (4)

pendulum probiotics are effective for gut health
I have had measurable results with this probiotic by Pendulum. These clinical probiotics treat specific conditions such as insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.

Avoid These Foods For Gut Health- Buy Organic

This list of foods is heavily sprayed and (I cannot stress this enough) needs to be organically grown. Avoiding these conventionally grown foods will limit your intake of pesticides and herbicides, which could disrupt your microbiome.

  • Grains and cereals
  • Corn and corn products
  • Beans and legumes (peanuts)
  • Soybean products
  • Potatoes and sweet potatoes
  • Peaches
  • Strawberries
  • Apples
  • Grapes 
  • Cherries
  • Nectarines
  • Pears
  • Raspberries
  • Tomatoes
  • Bell peppers
  • Celery
  • Spinach
  • Lettuces
  • Dairy products
  • Meat and meat products

Until our food systems improve and pesticides are no longer a health threat, always opt for organic for the foods above.

pendulum probiotics empower your gut health

10 Additional Foods To Avoid for a Healthy Microbiome

  • Processed foods
  • Processed meats (bacon, ham, sausage)
  • Artificial sweeteners
  • Red meat
  • Soft drinks
  • Sugary foods
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Fried foods
  • Bread, pasta, and other processed foods made with gluten (Sourdough tends to have less gluten if appropriately made)
  • Foods high in salt
water kefir scoby nutrition for a healthy gut

Nutrition for a Healthy Gut Microbiome

Balancing out your microbiome should be at the top of your priority list if you want a healthy gut, strong immunity, and a disease-free life . . . so what should you do?

According to new research, diet contributes over 50% of the structural variations in the gut microbiome. Evidence revealed that short-term diet interventions quickly alter gut microbiota diversity in humans. (5)

Although multiple environmental factors influence the gut microbiome, this study revealed that diet has a substantial effect. Incorporating foods of high nutritional quality and reducing problematic foods is a simple way to reduce symptoms and change the course of illness. 

Fact: Plant-based Diets Promote a Healthy Microbiome

Fiber, probiotics, and prebiotics are all important to gut health. Your gut bacteria need food, too—food that comes from dietary fiber and other nutrients.

Fiber is a carbohydrate your body can’t digest; it passes through your small intestine completely intact, so it can add bulk to stool and help keep waste moving along in your colon.

The two types of fiber are soluble (so it dissolves into water) and insoluble (so it doesn’t dissolve). Each has its role in gut health: Soluble fiber attracts water, which helps food move through your digestive tract quickly. This means you eliminate more often and reduce constipation or irregularity.

Therefore, eating plenty of fiber will help keep things moving smoothly inside you by feeding you good bacteria and removing toxins from your body.

Foods like carrots, bananas, artichokes, beans, whole grains, nuts, lentils, apples, watermelon, berries, broccoli, and cauliflower are all packed with fiber—add them to every meal to optimize your digestive health.

A healthy diet is an essential element of maintaining a healthy gut because it affects your overall microbiome (the population of good and bad microbes that inhabit your gastrointestinal tract).

There are two main factors you should focus on fiber from plant-based gut-healthy food and stress management.

 what to eat for a healthy gut

What to Eat for a Healthy Gut

  • Organic fruits and vegetables (Aim for three servings with every meal)
  • Organic beans (soaked overnight and boiled) 
  • Fermented Foods (yogurt, kimchi, kefir, kombucha, and sauerkraut)
  • Resistant starches (cassava or yucca root, organic oats, cooked and cooled rice, cooked and cooled potatoes)
  • Probiotic supplements (variety- diversity is vital to a healthy microbiome)

Replacing foods high in animal fats, refined sugar, salt, gluten and grains, dairy, alcohol, and additives with nutritionally dense organic fruits and vegetables, wild game, and fish is the key to preventing autoimmune disorders and improving the quality of life.

Nourish Your Gut with a Personalized Diet

In conclusion, your diet can disturb or nourish the gut microbiota, which controls the immune response systems. In other words, every meal is an opportunity for proper nourishment. You can increase your immunity effectively, promote health within your body, and prevent chronic diseases and autoimmune dysfunction. This post was all about how a personalized diet can balance your microbiome for perfect gut health.

pendulum GI repair improves gut health

References and Reading about Gut Health

Hills, R., Pontefract, B., Mishcon, H., Black, C., Sutton, S., & Theberge, C. (2019). Gut Microbiome: Profound Implications for Diet and Disease. Nutrients, 11(7), 1613. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11071613 (2)

Leeming, E. R., Johnson, A. J., Spector, T. D., & le Roy, C. I. (2019). Effect of Diet on the Gut Microbiota: Rethinking Intervention Duration. Nutrients, 11(12), 2862. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11122862 (5)

Martinez, K. B., Leone, V., & Chang, E. B. (2017). Western diets, gut dysbiosis, and metabolic diseases: Are they linked? Gut Microbes, 8(2), 130–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2016.1270811 (1)

Passali, M., Josefsen, K., Frederiksen, J. L., & Antvorskov, J. C. (2020). Current Evidence on the Efficacy of Gluten-Free Diets in Multiple Sclerosis, Psoriasis, Type 1 Diabetes and Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases. Nutrients, 12(8), 2316. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082316 (4)

Petta, I., Fraussen, J., Somers, V., & Kleinewietfeld, M. (2018). Interrelation of Diet, Gut Microbiome, and Autoantibody Production. Frontiers in Immunology, 9, 1–2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2018.00439 (3, 6)

Recommended Reading:

The Wahls Protocol

The Whole Body Microbiome


Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to content