The Best Foods for Gut Health

It’s no secret that “gut health” has become a major buzz word.

When you think about the “gut” or “gut health” what comes to mind? Maybe probiotics? Digestive issues? The microbiome? Regardless, it’s clear that this is a trending topic worth talking about!

In today’s blog post l’m going to dive into what the “gut” really is, review common digestive disorders, and lay out my top tips for promoting gut health.

Grab a coffee or tea and let’s get into it!

What is the gut?

When we think about the word “gut” most people will picture the stomach. While the stomach is indeed a part of our “gut”, the word gut actually refers to our entire gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This is a fancy term used to describe an area beginning at our mouths and extending all the way to the anus. This includes the esophagus, stomach, as well as our small and large intestines.

Digestion actually first begins in our mouths. Food is broken down both mechanically (by chewing), and enzymatically (by our saliva). From here, food enters our esophagus (the tube that connects to the stomach), followed by our stomachs, our small and large intestines, and eventually exits through the anus. Each of the areas along this digestive tract play an important role in breaking down our food and absorbing nutrients.

Research has shown that there are trillions of bacteria living along our digestive tract. This has formally been named our “microbiome”. The balance of these bacteria have proven to play a number of important roles for our health and wellbeing (e.g. digestion and absorption of nutrients, hormone balance, and immunity).

Types of digestive disorders

It’s important to note that digestive issues can range anywhere from mild symptoms to a severe disorder impacting quality of life. The type of intervention required really depends on the type of digestive disorder.

Typically, we can classify GI disorders into two main types, functional or structural. Functional disorders are characterized by GI symptoms that are caused by the GI tract not functioning properly. Structural disorders cause symptoms that are brought on my tumors, masses, or other biochemical issues.

Common functional disorders include:

• Irritable bowel syndrome (cramps, gas, diarrhea, constipation)

• GERD, reflux, or heartburn

• Gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying)

• Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)

• Dyspepsia (indigestion)

Common structural disorders include:

• Irritable bowel disease (Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis)

• Diverticultiis

• Cancers of the bowel

Should you be concerned about your gut health?

Research has clearly demonstrated a multitude of benefits when we have optimal gut health. However, as we’ve discussed “gut health” really is a broad topic. While having optimal gut health is great, it’s not the only body system that is important to our health and well-being.

So, just be weary of anyone who is promoting gut health as a fix all solution. There are many ways that we can promote optimal health, and having a healthy gut is just one of them.

Improving your gut health

While I am going to provide some general tips for promoting gut health, please keep in mind that “gut health” can mean many things. The best way to figure out how you can support your gut health is by working one on one with a dietitian. This ensures your suggestions are personalized to your individual medical history, symptoms, relationship with food, and lifestyle.

In general here are some great ways you can optimize a your gut health:

1. Eat a variety of fibrous foods with an emphasis on plant-based foods

Fibre is a great way to include prebiotics in your diet. Prebiotics act as a source of food for various bacteria in our gut. The best way to make sure that these bacteria are healthy and diverse is by eating a variety of fibre rich foods, especially from plant-based sources (e.g. from legumes, nuts, fruits and vegetables).

2. Include more probiotic rich foods

Probiotics are also important to promoting our gut health. Probiotics are sources of live bacteria cultures that when ingested, increase the balance of beneficial or “good” bacteria in guts. Examples of probiotic foods are fermented things like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, pickles, and tempeh.

3. Focus on whole grains

Consuming more whole grains vs. refined grains helps boost fibre content, which can positively influence gut health. Research has demonstrated even a small amount of whole grains (as little as 8g) helps to increase both the numbers and diversity of bacteria as well as their metabolites (the end products after bacteria eat). These metabolites are important for health promotion and disease prevention.

4. Stress management

Newer research has shown stress hormones and inflammation can have a poor impact on the composition of bacteria in our guts. Finding ways to help manage our stress such as getting enough sleep, exercising, and other positive stress outlets can help protect the balance and health of beneficial bacteria.

5. Practice mindfulness when eating

It may sound silly, but in todays high paced world it can make a really big difference when we intentionally slow down and be present at meal times. I have an entire blog post on this topic, but when we aren’t being fully present we tend not to chew food as well, eat more quickly, and eat greater amounts than we otherwise would.

Key takeaway

Research has clearly shown the benefits of having a “healthy gut”, though this can mean very different things for different people. Gut disorders range from mild to severe and it’s best to seek guidance from a medical practitioner and/or registered dietitian.

While you can focus on several things from a nutrition standpoint to help optimize your gut health, it’s important to remember that our guts are only part of a larger system of organs, and it’s best to focus on our overall health and well-being vs. any particular part.

P.S. If you want to learn more about gut health, be sure to check out one of my blog post on prebiotic sodas here.