The gut is an essential part of the human body. The role of the gut is not limited to optimal digestion but also extends to ensuring the optimal functioning of your immune system, balancing of hormones in your body and influencing your mood to name a few.
Our gut is inhabited by thousands of microbes that are crucial for the healthy functioning of our body. These gut microbes make up what is called the ‘gut flora’.
Good gut health is ensured when our gut flora mainly consists of good bacteria. However, certain factors like dietary habits, consumption of antibiotics and stress can negatively impact our gut flora and cause gut dysbiosis. Dysbiosis of the gut bacteria communities can cause many chronic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, cancer, and autism.
(Ref: Impacts of Gut Bacteria on Human Health and Diseases - PMC)
Our diet plays an important role in the composition of our gut flora. Here are three foods you should eat more of three foods you should avoid to cultivate a healthy microbiome for overall health.
Three foods to eat more!
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are the natural compounds found in fruits and vegetables. They possess strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which can protect your body against oxidative stress and chronic diseases. (Plant polyphenols as dietary antioxidants in human health and disease - PMC) In the gut, polyphenols help maintain a healthy gut flora and ensure a balance in the gut microbiome by promoting the growth of good bacteria and inhibiting the growth of pathogens and parasites. (Polyphenols-gut microbiota interplay and brain neuromodulation - PMC.)
Apart from rendering the fruits and vegetables nutrient dense, they are also responsible for adding colour to them.
Hence the best way to up your intake of polyphenols is by eating the rainbow i.e. adding more colour to your plate! Some of the food rich in polyphenols are blueberries, olives, dark chocolate, spinach, cherries and sweet potatoes.
Fermented foods
While fermented foods have been an integral part of our diet for centuries, science is only beginning to recognize their role in the health of our gut. Fermented foods contain microorganisms that contribute to the good bacteria in the gut and promote the diversity of the gut flora. (Fermented Foods, Health and the Gut Microbiome - PMC.)
In a clinical trial, 36 healthy adults were randomly assigned to a 10-week diet that included either fermented or high-fiber foods. Eating foods such as yogurt, kefir, fermented cottage cheese, kimchi and other fermented vegetables, vegetable brine drinks, and kombucha tea led to an increase in overall microbial diversity, with stronger effects from larger servings. (Fermented-food diet increases microbiome diversity, decreases inflammatory proteins, study finds | News Center | Stanford Medicine)
Regular consumption of fermented foods ensures a balanced gut microbiome. Yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, kimchi, pickles, fermented vegetables and kanji are some fermented foods to incorporate into your diet.
Prebiotic foods
While fermented foods provide the gut with good bacteria, prebiotic food ensures their survival in the gut by feeding them. Prebiotics are a kind of fibre that feed the friendly bacteria in your gut. Over time, these foods promote the maintenance of healthy and favourable gut flora. (Dietary fiber and prebiotics and the gastrointestinal microbiota - PMC)
Some easily available sources of prebiotics are rolled oats, garlic, onion, asparagus, bananas, apples and flax seeds to name a few.
Three foods to avoid!
Refined sugar
One of the many adverse effects of sugar is inflammation of the gut. Studies have shown that high amounts of dietary simple sugars decrease microbial diversity and lead to gut dysbiosis. (Dietary fiber and prebiotics and the gastrointestinal microbiota - PMC)
For people who suffer from IBD, regular consumption of sugar has been shown to exacerbate their symptoms. Sugar is proven to have detrimental effects on the gut flora and consequently the health of your gut and should hence be consumed in moderation.
Raw food
While fibre is an important component in the gut-healing process, the consumption of raw vegetables may cause uncomfortable digestive symptoms like bloating, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea. This is because raw veggies contain a high percentage of insoluble fibre that can further irritate an already irritated gut. It is advisable to replace raw salads and raw vegetable juices and smoothies with more cooked vegetables to promote a speedy recovery from gut-related issues.
Processed foods
Eating too much junk food can hit you right in the gut! Research shows that consuming too much processed food can have harmful effects on your gut flora and thereby increase your risk of inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome, as well as diabetes and even cancer. (Food processing, gut microbiota and the globesity problem)
