Experts emphasize the significance of maintaining a happy and balanced gut microbiome as our understanding of the significance of gut health grows.
But how can we improve the health of our gut? A well-balanced, healthy diet is a key factor in supporting gut health, and experts offer a few specific suggestions to help.
“The general response is very straightforward…. Dr. Aditya Sreenivasan, a gastroenterologist at Lenox Hill Hospital, explains that “it’s just a matter of quote-unquote “being healthier” and eating a quote-unquote “healthy” diet.” However
How exactly does this eating style appear?
Dr. Shilpa Ravella, a transplant gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University, advises eating whole plant foods.
According to Ravella, “whole plant foods are incredibly important for gut health because they provide fiber for our gut microbes.
Only about 5% of Americans consume the recommended daily amount of fiber, despite how important it is to our diets.
She asserts, “Unfortunately, we have a fiber deficiency in this country.” For optimal gut health, we need to consume more than the recommended daily amount.”
In general, Sreenivasan recommends consuming more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and fewer processed carbohydrates like sugary beverages and processed and red meat. People with particular conditions, such as celiac disease, may require a more tailored diet, so recommendations may differ.
He elaborates, “These are all pretty simple concepts, but if you can do those things, you’re improving your overall health, which includes gut health as well.”
A bonus is eating a variety of plants.
Ravella provides the following advice: “When we think of different ways to eat plant-based foods, you could be eating potato chips and french fries, which are technically still plants. However, we need to be eating a great variety of produce in the supermarket, a variety of whole grains, legumes, and healthy fats as well, like nuts, seeds, and avocados.”
The fact that increasing the variety of plants consumed is linked to lower levels of bodily inflammation underscores the significance of variety.
She continues, “One study, for example, shows that the diversity of the gut microbiome can actually be improved simply by increasing the diversity of plants up to around 30 plants in a week.”
The final aspect that is frequently neglected is food preparation.
According to Ravella, “it’s not something we focus on as much, but preparation techniques are actually quite important for that health.” This is because there is a difference between eating something that has been heavily fried and eating something that has been lightly sauteed.
Preparation methods like fermentation, which includes things like kimchi and sauerkraut, can also be more beneficial to your gut. She explains that this is because it is both a prebiotic and a probiotic—that is, it not only feeds the healthy microbes in your gut but also helps them grow.
Despite the fact that the term “probiotic” is frequently associated with the commercially produced mixtures that can be found on store shelves, these are actually copies of bacteria that are naturally present in our gut. Prebiotics are specialized plant fibers that feed the gut microbiome and can be found in fruits and vegetables.
Sreenivasan doesn’t think fermented foods are a magic bullet, despite the fact that they are an important component of a healthy diet.
