Gut health is just as important for overall well-being as is exercise and eating healthy. Here’s a quick guide on how to maintain it.
by Troop Atomic Mommy
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The gut is an incredible thing, and in just the last few years, scientists have discovered that it’s even more important than they previously thought. It houses trillions of bacteria called the microbiome, which are critical for digestion and overall health.
The gut microbiome is made up of both good and bad bacteria—and you can tell how healthy your gut is by looking at what kind of balance there is between them. If too many bad guys hang out in your intestines (often due to poor diet), those pathogens can cause inflammation throughout the rest of your body.
But if you’re eating foods that feed the good guys, perhaps supplementing with the right dietary supplements to support healthy digestion (click here) they’ll be able to keep everything in check while keeping some room for themselves as well. You’ll feel better overall with fewer health issues like bloating or constipation and may even see healthy weight loss! So if you’re keen to find out how to improve your gut health, here are several ways to do so.
Eat Plenty of Fiber
Eating enough fiber can help improve your gut health in several ways. First, fiber is essential for regular bowel movements and helps to maintain a healthy gut microbiome. In addition, it can help reduce the risk of developing certain diseases and conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.
Eating a diet high in fiber also helps keep you fuller longer than other foods and therefore reduces your overall calorie intake. This can help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
Finally, fiber helps to lower cholesterol levels by binding with bile acids and removing them from the body through digestion. This process reduces the amount of cholesterol absorbed into your bloodstream and lowers your risk of developing heart disease.
Incorporate Foods that Feed the Good Bacteria in Your Gut
The human body is made up of trillions of cells, each one a tiny little ecosystem that is home to trillions more microorganisms. Most of these microbes are beneficial, and some are downright necessary for our survival.
The gut microbiome is a vital part of our digestive health. It’s a community of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that live in our intestines. They help break down food, produce important nutrients like vitamins K and B12, and protect the lining of your intestines from disease-causing germs.
But there’s another type of bacteria that are commonly found in foods – probiotics! Probiotics are live microorganisms that benefit your health by boosting your immune system or improving digestion. They’re often found in yogurt or fermented foods like kimchi or sauerkraut or milk kefir grains.
Exercise for at Least 30 Minutes a Day
A healthy gut is essential to overall health. It’s the first line of defense against harmful bacteria, viruses, and other microbes that can get into your body.
But what if you’re not getting enough exercise? A new study found that those who exercised for at least 30 minutes a day had better gut health than those who didn’t exercise. Researchers found that exercise increased “good” bacteria in the gut while decreasing the number of “bad” bacteria. Exercise also helps reduce inflammation in the intestines, leading to digestive issues like celiac disease or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
The researchers concluded that aerobic exercise was most effective for improving gut health. But any exercise—cardio, strength training, yoga—can help your overall health!
Drink Plenty of Water Throughout the Day, But Not Too Much With Meals
Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is a great way to ensure you’re staying hydrated, and it can also help to keep your gut health in check. On the other hand, drinking too much with meals can actually cause problems for your digestive tract.
When you drink water at mealtimes, it can dilute stomach acid and impair digestion. This means that the food you eat may not be broken down properly and absorbed into your bloodstream as nutrients—instead, some of it will remain in your stomach, where it will start to rot and ferment. Eventually, this can lead to complications such as bloating and acid reflux.
On top of that, when we eat food without enough liquid (either because we’re not drinking enough or eating something dry), the food doesn’t get completely chewed before it hits our stomachs—so there’s more surface area exposed for bacteria to grow on. When this happens over time, it can lead to inflammation in our gut lining and contribute even more strongly toward an overgrowth of harmful bacteria like H. pylori (which causes ulcers).
Avoid Processed Foods and Eat a Variety of Whole Foods
Avoiding processed foods and eating a variety of whole foods can help your gut health because processed foods are often high in sugar, salt, and artificial ingredients. These chemicals make it difficult for the body to digest food properly, which can cause inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract.
Issues with processed foods could lead to problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, and heart disease later on down the line.
Whole foods are easier for your body to break down than processed foods. The vitamins and minerals found in whole foods also help promote good digestion, and healthy digestion may help prevent disease or illness from occurring due to poor absorption of nutrients into your bloodstream from food.
Add Probiotic-Rich Food Sources to Your Diet
In order to maintain a healthy gut, you need to keep the good bacteria in your body balanced. As stated before, good bacteria can be found in fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut. If you’re not a fan of these foods, it may be easier for you to take probiotic supplements as pills or in powder form.
The Takeaway
The gut is one of the most important aspects of maintaining good health. It’s not just your stomach but also the small intestine and large intestine, as well as your appendix and colon. The bacteria found in these organs are essential to digestion and can sometimes be influenced by dietary choices.
The beauty of a healthy gut lies within its diversity: there are thousands of different species that interact with each other to help us digest food efficiently while also protecting us from illness or disease. If you ever feel like something doesn’t seem right with how you feel after eating, consider changing up what goes into your mouth next time around.
