When you know the best foods for gut health, you know exactly what to pick up at the grocery store to improve the strength of your gut. That’s how you equip yourself to maintain a healthy gut, which is essential to your overall health and well-being.
The gut is responsible for digesting food and absorbing nutrients, and it also plays a crucial role in the immune system and helps regulate mood and cognitive function. Eating a balanced, whole foods diet that is easy to digest and rich in nutrients helps support a healthy gut.
There are some foods in particular that provide significant support to your digestive system. Keep reading to discover what those foods are and how they support your gut health.
Gut Healthy Foods You Should Stock Up On
As a unique individual, your own tastes may not completely coincide with this list. That said, feel free to take what works for you and ignore what doesn’t. You don’t need to include all of these foods to have a healthy digestive system, but generally focusing on nutrient-dense whole foods is a great place to start overall.
Bananas
The humble banana is a delicious snack that supports the gut with prebiotic fibre. The fibre found in bananas adds bulk to your stool, which support healthy elimination. They’re also affordable, portable, and easy to digest.
Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds contain a significant amount of zinc, which is used by the body to support healing processes. It also plays a significant role in digestive enzyme production and immune system function. They are also antimicrobial, which makes them helpful in managing the overgrowth of unhelpful bacteria in the digestive tract. They’re great on their own, but these crunchy seeds also go great on top of a yogurt bowl or salad.
Pineapple
Pineapple supports digestion in a unique way. It’s the only food source known to contain bromelain, an enzyme that helps break down protein. Pineapple also has a high fibre and water content—an excellent combination for supporting healthy elimination. Pineapple also contains pyridoxine, niacin, and thiamine, which are all B vitamins that support metabolism. They play a crucial role helping your body turn food into fuel.
Brazil Nuts
Brazil nuts are very high in selenium, which supports the thyroid. Optimized thyroid function is crucial for a healthy metabolism, and a healthy metabolism supports elimination. Selenium also increases levels of an enzyme called glutathione peroxidase, which can help reduce inflammation and protect the body—including your gut— from oxidative damage. One or two brazil nuts each day can go a long way in helping to maintain a healthy GI tract.
Ginger
There is lots of research to show how great ginger is is for gut health. Ginger promotes gastrointestinal motility, which means it helps your food continue along the digestive process. Ginger also has antimicrobial, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic properties and has been shown to relieve symptoms related to gastrointestinal dysbiosis (an “imbalance” in the gut microbes). And of course, ginger is also soothing to the stomach and is useful if you’re indigestion or nausea.
Broccoli
There’s more to your GI tract than just your stomach and intestinal tract. Your liver, pancreas, and gall bladder also play a part in your digestion, so supporting them also supports your overall gut health. Broccoli contains sulforaphane, which is a liver-supportive detoxification substance. It supports liver detoxification pathways, which allows your body to process toxins and excess hormones and move them out of the body.
Fermented Foods
Fermented foods like kefir, kimchi, and sauerkraut can be amazing in promoting digestive health. Naturally fermented (and unpasteurized) foods contain diverse strains of bacteria, and having a diverse microbiome is key to its strength.
It’s worth noting fermented foods are not always safe for your gut, for example if you are sensitive to FODMAPs and/or experiencing SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). In such situations, fermented foods can worsen GI symptoms.
Bone Broth
Bone broth is one of the best foods for gut health. It contains glutamine, glycine, and collagen, all of which reduce gut inflammation and support the integrity of the gut barrier. Glutamine has been shown to improve the mucosal lining of the gut, which is a clear sign of a healthy functioning gut. It’s also helpful for cell regrowth which is so important if you’re working on improving your gut health overall.
Water
The importance of hydration in maintaining proper gut health can’t be understated. When you’re dehydrated, it’s difficult for food to move through your digestive system. This increased friction within the GI tract can lead to inflammation. Staying hydrated provides lubrication so your food can move through your body effectively.
Green Tea
Green tea has incredible health benefits that span across body systems, and supporting your digestive system is one of them. Green tea consumption has recently been shown to influence intestinal microbiome composition. This means it has a say in which bacteria says and which have to go. This can lead to a more balanced microbiome, which is key for optimized gut health.
Better Gut Health is Within Your Reach
The best foods for gut health are:
- Bananas
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Yogurt
- Brazil Nuts
- Ginger
- Broccoli
- Fermented Foods
- Bone Broth
- Blueberries
- Water
- Green Tea
Incorporating these foods into your diet can help promote gut health and improve digestive function. As a result, you’ll be able to absorb nutrients better and increase the potential you’ll see benefits in your skin, hair, moods, energy levels, sleep, and more.
If you’ve been dealing with chronic gut issues and you’re ready to take empowered steps towards restoring your gut health issues, Gut Restore School was made just for you.
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