A healthy gut helps strengthen the immune system, heart health, brain health, better mood, healthy sleep, efficient digestion, and can help prevent some types of cancer and autoimmune diseases.
What are the signs of a healthy gut?
Daily bowel movements should be free of symptoms such as diarrhea and constipation. Other signs of a healthy gut include rectal symptoms like hemorrhoids and abdominal symptoms like gas, bloating, and abdominal pain.
Read on to find out tips that you can help with maintaining a healthy gut
1. Water
Start your day with lemon water. 8 glasses of water keeps the body hydrated and maintains other body functioning.
2. Exercise
45 minutes of physical activity every day is recommended by experts. Exercise moves the colon, which leads to more regular bowel movements. It can also help control IBS symptoms.
3. Take probiotics
Good bacteria play a significant role in regulating your immune system, preventing the growth of pathogens (bacteria that cause disease), and the digestion of food. Probiotics increase the number of good bacteria in your gut. Yogurt, kefir and supplements are good sources of probiotics.
4. A diverse range of food
There are many types of bacteria in your gut, each of which plays a specific role in health and requires different nutrients to thrive. A diet that consists of different types of food can lead to a more diverse microbiome that is good for your health.
5. High fiber diet
Vegetables and fruits are high in fiber which can be digested by the body easily. Raspberries, green peas, chickpeas, lentils, whole grains, banana, and apples are high-fiber food. Fiber supports the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, including specific types such as Bifidobacteria.
6. Fermented foods
While fermentation, sugars are broken down by yeast or bacteria. Fermented foods, such as plain yogurt, can benefit the microbiome by improving its function and reducing the abundance of disease-causing bacteria in the gut. Other examples are kimchi, kefir, and tempeh.
7. Plant-based diet
Some studies say that plant-based diets can benefit the gut microbiome, which may be due to their high fiber content. A vegetarian and vegan diet can improve the microbiome.
8. Manage stress levels
Excessive stress can affect the health of your gut. Yoga, meditation and breathing exercises have been shown to reduce stress and anxiety.
9. Alcohol and Caffeine
Limit the consumption of alcohol and caffeine as they can interrupt the digestive process.
10. Proper chewing of food and smaller portion and frequent meals helps with digestion.
