6 Natural Ways to Keep your Gut Happy

A healthy microbiome – the collection of micro-organisms living in our gut – plays a vital role in digesting food, regulating our immune systems and tweaking our brain chemistries through the chemicals they produce.

As a result, it’s thought that the diversity of these microbes may be critical in warding off infections, managing cravings and appetite to help you maintain a healthy weight and even combating age-related diseases.

We all have unique microbiomes. The good news is that your gut microbiota composition is significantly impacted by what you eat, meaning certain species thrive (and others don’t survive) depending on what you put in your mouth. So even if your microbiome isn’t at its best right now, it is far from permanent.

The more diverse your diet, the happier and more diverse your gut microbiome will be. But how do you know exactly what to put on your plate?

1. Eat 30 different plants a week. The good news is that increasing the variety and amount of high fibre plants in your diet doesn’t have to be difficult, especially once you expand your idea of what counts as a ‘plant-based food’. This goes well beyond fruits and vegetables; it also includes nuts, seeds, pulses, herbs, spices and whole grains. Aim for as much colour as you can – eat a rainbow! And add in extras wherever you can (fruit and seeds on porridge, pulses added to soups, extra spices and vegetables with your dinner). Fibre also provides ‘bulk’ to promote regular bowel movements and may help reduce your risk of bowel cancer.

2. Get enough prebiotic fibre. Garlic, onion, leeks, artichoke, asparagus, bananas, tomatoes, legumes and whole grains are packed with particularly special prebiotic fibres that ‘good’ gut microbes love. Prebiotics are essential because they feed those healthy bacteria and encourage them to thrive. These foods may initially cause symptoms in individuals suffering from bloating / gas, so should be consumed in small quantities initially to test tolerance.

3. Experiment with fermented foods. Take things to the next level by including a small amount of fermented foods in your daily diet, such as kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha or Greek yoghurt with added live strains and kefir. These contain living microbes, known as probiotics, that help to introduce healthy bacterial strains into the gut such as Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Lactobacillus Casei. The key is to include a small quantity of fermented foods daily, rather than consuming a large amount of fermented food once in a while.

4. Limit ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed convenience foods have a negative effect on the gut microbiome, as they don’t provide much fibre and other nutrients for the ‘good’ gut microbes to thrive on. This means we see an increase in less friendly microbes and a decrease in those that are considered beneficial. A high intake of ultra-processed foods is thought to be associated with unfavourable health outcomes, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity.

5. Minimise stress. We know that stress can be one of the major triggers in gut-related symptoms. This is due to the constant communication between the gut and the brain via the vagus nerve (known as the gut-brain axis). This is why digestive issues are common complaints when individuals are particularly anxious or stressed. If we’re chronically in fight or flight it impacts on gut motility, which can change people’s bowel movements (either making them more urgent or constipated). Simple stress management techniques like mindful breathing or getting out during a lunch break and trying to walk for 20 minutes can really help.

6. Slow down and take your time. We’re always on the go and this can mean that we don’t chew foods properly. We concentrate on WHAT we’re eating but not how we’re eating. Take a proper break, eat slowly and chew each mouthful thoroughly. Taking a few deep, calming breaths before eating has been shown to help improve digestion and minimise issues such as bloating.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition that suits everyone. Importantly, there’s no single food—or single microbe—that will make or break your gut microbiome and impact upon your overall health and disease risk.

The microbiome is a complex community, so your regular diet and lifestyle habits over time are what determines the mix.While no food should be completely off-limits, choosing more minimally processed foods and focussing on a diverse range of fibre rich plants (consumed mindfully) will help to keep your gut microbes as happy and well-fed as possible.