Our sleeping habits, how we plate up our meals and even how we chew can have an impact on our gut health…
With our gut-friendly, prebiotic drinks, we talk a lot about how to boost your gut microbiome and the amazing benefits that can bring.
Related Read | The Amazing Functions of Our Gut Microbiome
But for optimum health, we really need to look after the whole digestive system.
Our eating habits and lifestyle can have a BIG impact on our gut health — which can then have a cascading effect on everything else in our body.
What causes an ‘unhealthy’ gut?
So why might we need to improve and support our gut?
Over the last half a century, our lifestyles and diets have experienced a big shift.
Processed foods, high stress, lack of sleep, and inactivity among many other factors are affecting the ‘weather’ in our gut. Lowering the diversity of our gut microbiome, causing inflammation and also affecting the efficiency and function of our entire digestive system.
With our gut health closely linked to immunity, mental health, and more, it's the first place we should begin when we're looking to improve our health.
Here’s how to support your gut health, naturally…
From simple dietary swaps to mindful eating habits, use these tips to help you rebalance your gut health and also re-wild your gut microbiome!
1. Hydration
Water helps to keep things moving! On average, women need 2.7 litres and men need 3.7 litres every day. So make sure you’re drinking enough to support digestion.
Meeting your daily water target can help your gut by…
- Helping to prevent constipation
- Keeping food moving comfortably through our intestines
2. Meet your daily fibre target!
Only 9% of us in the UK are meeting our fibre target — and our health is suffering as a result. We need 30g of fibre every day to support our gut health.
Fibre helps our gut in two incredibly important ways…
It creates bulk which helps our intestines push waste through our gut. This keeps us regular and reduces the risk of constipation (as long as we’re hydrated!).
Prebiotic fibre nourishes our gut microbiome which strengthens our immune system, improves nutrient absorption and even boosts our mood.
Try to sneak more dietary fibre into your life to reach that 30g total.
You May Want to Read | Why Is Prebiotic Fibre So Good For You?
3. Eat whole foods
Whole foods are very minimally or completely unprocessed. They will contain a higher amount of nutrients (like fibre!) and are a much better option for maintaining good gut health.
Processed foods high in fat and sugar can be harder to digest and process. Plus, some of their artificial ingredients can cause inflammation in the gut which can weaken our gut wall.
For many of us, cooking a wholesome meal with fresh ingredients happens less often than we'd like.
And with the typical Western food scene favouring convenience (and ultimately… profit!) — it’s up to us to be aware of what we’re inviting into our gut.
Related Read | How Excess Sugar Affects Your Gut Microbiome
4. Keep an eye on portion sizes
Apart from causing a lot of discomfort... eating too much in one go can affect our hunger patterns and disrupt our hormones. Over time this can even begin to stop us from feeling full!
By keeping an eye on portion sizes, and eating more slowly, you can help to rebalance these hunger hormones and stop putting too much pressure on your digestive system.
5. Managing stress
During stressful periods, our brain ‘borrows’ energy away from our gut. This is why we often experience gut-related issues during anxious flares or stressful situations. Bloating, appetite loss, slowed digestion (constipation) or speeded-up digestion (diarrhoea) are all common symptoms.
However when our body experiences chronic stress, it can cause inflammation in our gut which can lead to stomach ulcers and even leaky gut syndrome.
But thankfully, looking after your gut health (and boosting your gut microbiome!) can actually help to reduce stress.
Related Read | The Gut-Brain Axis: The Gut Microbiome And Wellbeing
6. Eat mindfully
Eating quickly and gulping down drinks causes us to take down more air which can cause bloating and discomfort in our gut.
Chewing more slowly stops us from taking in excess air and will also help to break down food and make it easier to digest.
7. Fermented foods
Fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, miso and more can be a great way to introduce friendly bacteria (probiotics) into your gut microbiome.
Just remember that if you’re introducing probiotics, it’s important to ensure you’re meeting your prebiotic fibre target so they have something to feed on! Otherwise, they won’t hang around long enough for you to benefit from their presence.
8. Get enough sleep
When we sleep digestion slows down, however it's a critical time for cell repair and healing. Not getting enough sleep can slow down these critical repair processes — including in our gut.
A lack of sleep can also cause an increase in stress hormones (cortisol), leading to inflammation and even hormonal imbalances that affect our cravings.
9. Dental hygiene
Our gut begins at our mouth! Not looking after our teeth and gums or eating too much sugar can increase the bad bacteria in our mouths.
Scientists have discovered that these bad bacteria can migrate into our gut, possibly causing inflammation and disrupting our gut microbiome which can affect our immunity.
So, looking after your mouth's microbiome can help to support your gut health!
Related Read | What’s All The Fuss About Sugar?
10. Head outdoors...
Regular exercise improves our circulation, which helps to supply every muscle and organ in our body with more oxygen and nutrients — including our gut! Good circulation helps to reduce inflammation and allows the body to repair itself more quickly.
Many scientists consider the gut a ‘second brain’, so a healthy blood flow is crucial for it to be working away on all the complex functions it’s involved with (like immunity!).
