Foods for Gut Flora and Inflammation

What Can You Eat To Improve Your Gut Flora, And Reduce Inflammation?

January 02, 2020

Eat fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir and miso. Add fiber-rich whole plant foods. Add prebiotics like garlic, onion, leeks, asparagus and bananas. Add omega-3 foods such as salmon, walnuts and flax, and cut processed food. Do that, and you feed the friendly bacteria that keep gut inflammation down.

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Your gut microbiome is made up of trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms — both friendly and unfriendly. Keeping the right balance of bacteria in your gut is believed to improve digestion, reduce inflammation and decrease anxiety. It is believed to even improve brain function and mood. A healthy balance of gut bacteria is also said to boost metabolism, eliminate cravings, and help you shed unwanted weight. Here is how to get there through the food you eat.

What functions happen in the gut?

Digestion: Carbohydrates the body cannot otherwise process are fermented in the large intestine. That is where our friendly bacteria live. In doing so, they reduce gut inflammation. They also stimulate and improve metabolic function and make essential nutrients such as vitamin K.
Brain Health: Our gut prompts the production of several neurotransmitters (chemical messengers), including serotonin – 95% of serotonin is actually produced in our gut! Serotonin affects every part of your body. It is viewed as a natural mood stabilizer that regulates anxiety, happiness and mood. It is said that the way to a man’s heart is through the stomach. Is this why?
Immunity: About 70% of our immune system sits in the gut. With beneficial flora (good bacteria), our immune system can tell friend from enemy. It can also re-balance the immune system when it gets off-kilter.

How can I improve my gut health? Here are ways we can actively improve our gut health.

Proper digestion: When we eat, we need to make sure proper digestion takes place. The key to proper digestion is making sure we absorb all our food. How can we optimize our absorption? Start by turning off the T.V, putting aside all our work and sitting down at the table. All our energy should go to eating and digestion. Food is meant to be enjoyed, so chew and taste it!
Re-establish gut bacteria: Probiotics and fermented food, such as sauerkraut, kimchi and miso, are the key to bringing back the good bacteria in your gut. Eating plenty of whole plant foods, packed with fiber, is another critical part of feeding a healthy microbiota (gut bacteria). Warning! Gluten free foods and even a lot of salads can actually be low in fiber. To support the growth of probiotics, aim to eat certain prebiotics, such as almonds, bananas, garlic and onion. These will help feed those friendly bacteria in your gut.
Take an anti-inflammatory diet: Aim for fresh food or one-ingredient foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, red meat, fish or dairy. Keep processed foods to a minimum. Omega 3 is also an anti-inflammatory nutrient, so try adding salmon, walnuts, chia seeds or flax seeds to your diet. Turmeric is another amazing anti-inflammatory food. Try adding this fabulous spice to soups, stews or stir fries.

What are the best foods for gut health? What you eat has an effect on your microbiome. Here are a few tips on what is good for it.

Eat more prebiotics

Many trillions of microbes live in your intestines. Scientists have identified a few species among them that play a crucial role in gut health and in keeping the immune system balanced. What you eat is vital to letting these species flourish. It also helps prevent imbalances that can lead to disease. Prebiotics are a good food source for certain groups of healthy gut bacteria, such as bifidobacteria. These bacteria, in turn, prevent intestinal inflammation. Studies have shown that prebiotics can be particularly helpful for obese people. That is because they reduce insulin and cholesterol levels. They also lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. You can buy prebiotics as supplements. They are also found in foods like asparagus, leeks, bananas, garlic and Jerusalem artichoke.

Focus on fiber from vegetables and fruit

Western diets tend to be rich in fat and sugar. Most of our food comes from only 12 plant and five animal species. However, a diet rich in high-fiber foods can limit the growth of harmful bacteria. These foods include apples, artichokes, blueberries, chickpeas, lentils, peas and beans. Such a diet can also stimulate Bifidobacterium, lactobacilli and another healthy species called Bacteroidetes.

Take fermented products

Fermented foods have been shown to boost the number of healthy gut bacteria. These foods include kimchi, kefir, kombucha, natural yogurts and fermented soybean milk. They have also been shown to lower the levels of enterobacteriaceae. That is a family of bacteria linked to a number of chronic diseases. Natural yogurt with added bifidobacteria has also been found to ease lactose intolerance in children and adults. Yogurts with added lactobacilli have had some good results in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Avoid flavored yogurts. They tend to contain high levels of sugar.

Ensure you take some polyphenols

Polyphenols are plant compounds. They are mainly digested by gut bacteria. They are associated with a variety of benefits, including lower blood pressure, cholesterol and oxidative stress. They are found in foods like almonds, blueberries and broccoli. They are also in green tea, cocoa and red wine. The types of polyphenols found in cocoa are linked to changes in the microbiome that reduce inflammation and triglyceride levels.

Avoid artificial sweeteners at all costs

Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are common in food. They replace sugar. However, aspartame has been found to alter gut bacteria in human and animal studies. These changes appear to raise blood sugar levels. They also appear to make people more prone to metabolic disease.

Breastfeed your baby

Our microbiome keeps developing during our first two years of life. A number of studies have shown that babies who are breastfed for six months develop a much healthier gut than those fed with formula. Children who have been breastfed are also less prone to allergies, obesity, leukemia and diabetes. This is thought to be linked to the microbiome.

Eat plenty of plants

Several studies have suggested that vegetarian diets may be good for the microbiome. The findings indicate that a mostly plant-based diet lowers the levels of disease-causing bacteria such as E. coli and Enterobacteriaceae. This may be particularly helpful for obese people with type 2 diabetes or hypertension (high blood pressure). One small study looked at obese people who switched to a vegetarian diet. After one month, they had less potentially harmful bacteria. They also had lower cholesterol and inflammation. You do not need to give up meat to get this benefit. Red meat and fish are good protein for our patients.

How to ensure your gut flora flourishes

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is important to human health. In recent years, scientists have found that the GI system has an even bigger, more complex job than once thought. It has been linked to many parts of health that do not necessarily involve digestion. These range from immunity to emotional stress to chronic illnesses, including cancer and Type 2 diabetes. There are trillions of bacteria in the GI tract. They not only help us process food but also help our bodies maintain homeostasis (a steady inner balance) and overall well-being. Experts say the key may lie in the microbiome—the makeup of bacteria and other microorganisms in the stomach and intestines, or, informally, the gut. Research on the microbiome is still in its infancy. But studies have already found that certain environments, foods and behaviors can influence gut health for better or worse. Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi have other nutritional benefits as well. They should be considered the front line for influencing gut flora. Finally, there are the cutting-edge ways in which doctors are beginning to change the gut microbiome directly. Fecal transplants put donor stool material containing healthy bacteria into the intestinal tract of a recipient. They have been used to treat IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) as well as C. difficile, a dangerous infection that causes recurrent diarrhea. Researchers are also studying how bacteria-killing viruses can target strains of E. coli associated with Crohn’s disease. It is most beneficial to stick to natural food sources as much as possible. That is because a lot is still unknown about the microbiome and the effects of altering it.

Frequently asked questions

Which foods feed the good bacteria in your gut?

Prebiotic foods do. Prebiotics are a food source for friendly bacteria such as bifidobacteria. These bacteria in turn help prevent intestinal inflammation. Good sources include asparagus, leeks, bananas, garlic, onion, almonds and Jerusalem artichoke. High-fiber foods also limit harmful bacteria and help healthy species grow. These include apples, artichokes, blueberries, chickpeas, lentils, peas and beans.

Do fermented foods help gut health?

Yes. Fermented foods help re-establish good bacteria. These include sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, miso, kombucha, natural yogurt and fermented soybean milk. They raise the numbers of healthy gut bacteria. They also lower Enterobacteriaceae, a bacterial family linked to a number of chronic diseases. Choose natural yogurt over flavored yogurt. Flavored yogurt tends to carry a lot of sugar.

What foods should you avoid for gut health?

Cut artificial sweeteners first. Aspartame has been found to change gut bacteria in human and animal studies. Those changes appear to raise blood sugar and make metabolic disease more likely. Skip flavored yogurts, which tend to be high in sugar. Keep processed foods to a minimum in favor of fresh, one-ingredient foods.

How much of your serotonin is made in your gut?

About 95 percent. Your gut prompts the production of several neurotransmitters, and serotonin is the big one. Serotonin affects every part of the body. It works as a natural mood stabilizer, helping regulate anxiety, happiness and mood. That is one reason the balance of bacteria in your gut can reach all the way to how you feel.

Does gut health affect your immune system?

Yes. About 70 percent of the immune system sits in the gut. With a healthy mix of beneficial bacteria, the immune system can tell friend from enemy. It can also re-balance itself when it gets off track. The same friendly bacteria also ferment carbohydrates the body cannot process. That lowers gut inflammation and produces nutrients such as vitamin K.