Five Foods to Improve Your Gut Health

There are millions of bacteria and other microbes called microbiomes present in your gut better known as the gastrointestinal (GI) system which can be both good and bad and it’s very important to balance the ratio of good to bad bacteria. The gut plays a very important role in your health and the good bacteria help to keep your gut healthy by producing vitamins and fending off the bad bacteria. You can improve your gut health naturally by taking food items that are good for your gut.

Your gut breaks down food to provide important nutrients throughout your body, along with getting rid of infectious agents from your body which is important for a healthy immune system, endocrine system, and cardiovascular system. The health of your gut also affects your mental health and promotes mental wellness. Your diet directly affects the makeup of bacteria in your gut. These five foods can be quite helpful to improve your gut health.

Oats

There are many benefits of oats and improving your gut health is one of them. Oats are quite rich in beta-glucans, a kind of soluble fibre that produces a gel-like substance that moves slowly through your gut and helps to keep energy levels stable. An unhealthy or imbalanced gut can impact the blood sugars of your body and the fibre present in oats helps to stabilise your blood sugar levels along with lowering the risk of insulin resistance. Having oats regularly can improve your gut health a lot.

Probiotic Foods

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria and fermented foods such as sauerkraut, miso, kimchi, and yoghurt are good sources of probiotics. Having foods that are naturally rich in probiotics increases the amount of good bacteria in your gut. The most common types of good bacteria are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, and each of them has its specific strains. Along with balancing your gut bacteria, probiotic foods also prevent chronic disease, improve your immunity, can help if you are suffering from diarrhoea, and helps to keep your skin and heart healthy.

Bananas

Bananas are considered one of the best foods for digestion and are a cheap way to improve your gut health. Bananas are rich in a type of soluble fibre known as inulin, a prebiotic that helps to feed the good bacteria in the gut, thus improving the health of your gut. If you suffer from gastrointestinal issues such as constipation or diarrhoea, then having bananas can help to ease these symptoms as it improves stool consistency and overall bowel function. Also, you can have bananas any time of the day, making them very apt to improve your gut health.

Lentils

Lentils are plant-based nutritional powerhouses and are quite rich in folate, iron, B vitamins, and gut-boosting resistant starches. If you are wondering what gut-boosting resistant starches are, then it’s a type of carbohydrate that ferments in your large intestines and acts like a prebiotic which feeds the good bacteria in your gut.  Including them in your regular diet will improve your gut health and it has many other benefits also such as keeping you full for a long time, boosting your bowel regularity, and also improving the health of your heart.

Ginger

Ginger has many health benefits and you must know that it’s quite helpful in providing relief when you have an upset stomach and other digestion problems like nausea. Ginger stimulates the digestive tract because it contains gingerol, a natural substance rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, thus is very good for your gut health. You can have ginger in many ways but the best is a good cup of ginger tea. Ginger is also added while preparing many dishes and you can have it raw to improve your gut health.