15 Foods to Improve Gut Health
You may not know it, but your gut health is incredibly important to your overall health. Your gut is where the food you eat is broken down, and where those nutrients are then distributed throughout your body. The only way to get the proper nutrients throughout your body is to have a digestive system that is well enough to give your body the best results possible.
Your gut contains essential bacteria and immune cells that help your body fight disease and other unwanted things. The brain and the gut are also connected by nerves and hormones, so better gut health often means a happier and healthier you.
If you feel like your digestive health needs some work, keep reading to discover foods that improve gut health.
1. Smoothies
Depending on what ingredients you use, smoothies can help repair an unhealthy gut. Some of the best things to put in your gut healthy smoothies are foods like: spinach, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, and hemp seeds.
Better Blend has a fantastic reputation for creating gut healthy smoothies. They have a probiotic booster that they can add to any one of their blends, plus they have a chia, hemp, and flax seed fiber booster that you can add to your smoothie for even more gut goodness.
2. Kombucha
Kombucha is a fermented, tart, vinegary tasting tea that contains the culture of bacteria and yeast which are awesome for your digestive system. It’s not the greatest tasting thing by itself, so often people add juices, fruit, and other flavorings to make the kombucha more palette friendly.
You can buy kombucha from almost any retailor, but make sure you’re looking at the nutrition labels before you purchase it. Some kombuchas have a high amount of added sugars or artificial sweeteners which aren’t that great for your gut health. There are also kombucha making kits available so you can try brewing your own at home.
3. Raspberries
My favorite fruit is raspberries by far, they’re sweet, tart, and great for you. Raspberries are an awesome fruit to implement in your diet because they have a high fiber and water content that can help aid in healthy digestion.
Raspberries are also great because they can add yummy flavor and texture to almost anything. I put raspberries on my cereal, oatmeal, ice cream, and in smoothies. When you feel like your gut needs a little help, consider adding these delicious berries to your diet.
4. Yogurt
While being a good source of calcium, yogurt is also a fantastic probiotic. Yogurt contains bacteria that’s healthy for your gut, and those microbes can help your gut feel better and boost your immunity.
Not all yogurts have this ability though; it’s important to make sure you’re getting yogurt with live cultures in it to reap all the benefits, so make sure you check the label. Yogurt in combination with fruits and granola makes for a nutritious and delicious breakfast.
5. Ginger
Ginger is a tasty spice that has several health benefits. Ginger helps to stimulate your gut and it helps to move food through your intestine. The spice can be easily added to a variety of foods too. You can add ginger to your tea, soups, and curries.
There’s even ginger flavored kombucha if you want to really drink something to make your gut happy. Also, always make sure the ginger you’re eating is quality, real ginger and not just an artificial flavoring.
6. Miso Soup
Miso is one of my favorite soups ever. It’s a Japanese fermented soup that has active cultures of bacteria in it to help revitalize your gut. If you’ve never had miso soup, it’s a salty and savory broth that often has tofu and green onions mixed in.
You can make your own miso soup at home, but most Japanese restaurants have it on their menu if you’d like to try it first before making a big batch. I like miso soup because, to me, it tastes really similar to chicken broth, so it’s super comforting to eat.
7. Artichokes
Believe it or not, artichokes are actually full of fiber. Plus, along with being high in antioxidants, artichokes may help improve your digestive health. The vegetable helps your gut create healthy bacteria, not to mention they taste great.
You could always eat artichokes in the beloved artichoke dip, but there are many other ways to incorporate artichokes into your diet in order to improve gut health. Roasted artichokes are delicious and easy to make, and I personally love to put artichoke hearts in pastas.
8. Almonds
The almond itself and the skin of the almond has prebiotic effects in the gut. A research study done by Nutrition Research found that when both adults and children replaced almonds as their snack each day, their gut microbiome had positive effects.
Almonds are a fantastic food to improve gut health, and they can be used in a variety of ways. You can eat them as a snack, or incorporate them in other ways like using them in homemade granola or using almond butter instead of peanut butter.
9. Dark Chocolate
You’ll be happy to know that you can now eat chocolate every day! Okay maybe not every day but perhaps more than you thought. It’s true, dark chocolate specifically can have positive effects on your gut health.
A scientific study published in 2013 actually found that the consumption of dark chocolate had a positive effect on the gut microbiota which resulted in overall better digestive health. Dark chocolate helps with your digestion in general because it is a prebiotic. All the more reason to be a chocolate lover.
10. Kefir
I had never heard of kefir before I started having serious problems with my guy. I was looking for anything I could to try and help repair my digestive system and I came across kefir, which is a fermented dairy drink. The drink contains live bacteria that can help improve your gut health.
I feel like kefir did help me with some of my digestive issues but I had to drink it every day in order to see a real difference. The drink tastes like a combination of milk, yogurt, and kombucha all in one sip. If you want to learn more about kefir and it’s benefits you can check out this study.
11. Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a great food to improve your gut health because it contains soluble fiber. Oatmeal has a property called beta-glucan which is a component that helps feed the good bacteria in your gut.
Another good thing about oatmeal is that it helps to keep you fuller longer and its packed with nutrients. Plus, oatmeal is super customizable when it comes to add ins, to increase the flavor you can add honey, peanut butter, or fruit.
12. Leafy Greens
Leafy greens, like spinach and kale, have a good amount of fiber and they are packed with other important vitamins as well. According to John Hopkins Medicine, leafy greens also have a specific kind of sugar in them that helps healthy gut bacteria grow.
The greens are fairly easy to incorporate into your diet as well. You can add spinach to your eggs, to a smoothie, or just eat it by itself as a salad. The awesome part about spinach is that it doesn’t taste like much, so if you did add it to a smoothie or juice it wouldn’t affect the flavor as much as you might think.
13. Bananas
Low-fructose fruits are easier on your gut than high-fructose fruits like apples and mango. Bananas are among the low-fructose fruits that are high in fiber and also contain inulin, which is a specific prebiotic that helps the good bacteria in your gut.
Bananas are one of my favorite foods because they can complement a lot of other foods or can just be enjoyed on their own. I like to put bananas in my smoothies, cereal, oatmeal, and on a piece of toast with peanut butter.
14. Avocados
Avocados are definitely in my top five favorite foods of all time. They’re creamy, delicious, and fantastic for your gut! Avocados are a superfood so they are chock full of vitamins and nutrients. One of the components avocados are high in is fiber, which is always beneficial to gut health.
Avocados are also a food that can be used in a variety of ways. The ever popular avocado toast is always an option, along with adding avocado to your smoothies, burrito bowls, sandwiches, and eggs.
15. Tempeh
The last food to improve gut health on our list is tempeh. Tempeh is a Javanese food that is made from fermented soybeans and then formed into a cake like structure. The food is often compared to tofu but tempeh is higher in protein and fiber than tofu is.
Tempeh has a nutty flavor but it fits well into many dishes that you may not expect like soups, stews, sandwiches, rice bowls, and salads. If you’re feeling like being adventurous, try adding tempeh to your next meal for some much needed fiber.
Try these gut healthy foods!
Your digestive health is important. I’ve found that if my gut is feeling bad, I really feel bad all over, because your gut is essential to the whole body, including the brain. It’s crucial to invest in yourself, and invest in nutritious foods that are going to help get your gut back on track.
Remember that, like most things, repairing your overall gut health takes time. So don’t get discouraged if you eat these highly nutritious foods and you don’t see improvement after only a few days, consistency is key.
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