Simple ways of improving gut health
If you have any persisting complaints, consult with your doctor and ensure that they are not due to a specific medical condition.
In some cases, an unhealthy gut can be attributed to a poor diet, especially when consuming large amounts of processed food and not enough healthy food choices.
Practice mindful eating
Healthy digestion begins in the mouth. Therefore, eating too fast is a common cause of overeating and indigestion.
Instead, it would help if you tried to be more mindful about the whole process of having a meal and focus on chewing the food well.
Avoiding distractions while eating, such as eating in front of your phone, computer, and TV, can significantly improve your mindfulness and eating habits.
Avoid overeating
Overeating is a common cause of indigestion in otherwise healthy individuals. Too much protein, carbs, or fats at once can overload the digestive system and slow digestion.
Overeating with one or several macronutrients leads to unpleasant symptoms such as bloating, nausea, flatulence, and even pain.
Make sure to split your macronutrients evenly across your meals. Do not eat all your protein, fats, or carbohydrates for the day in one meal. Besides, eating regularly can also significantly improve your digestion and gut health.
Enough sleep
Scientists have found that sleep quality and duration are also related to your gut health. Individuals who sleep better tend to have increased diversity in their gut microflora, improved levels of healthy bacteria, and thus a healthier microbiome (16).
You can improve your sleep cycle by going to bed at the same hour every night, avoiding blue light exposure before bed, avoiding meals 2-3 hours before bed, improving your sleep environment, and taking melatonin supplements.
Lower stress
Since your microbiota, gut, and brain are all interconnected in the gut-brain axis, it is no wonder that stress can harm your digestive system.
Nerves, such as the vagus nerve, directly link your gut to your brain and change their tonus when your body gets into fight or flight mode (17).
During stress, your brain also releases increased amounts of corticotropin-releasing hormone. It leads to different motility changes and possible alterations affecting the gut microbiota and function(18).
Some of the most effective methods to alleviate stress include meditation, walking, getting a massage, spending time with friends or family, decreasing the intake of stimulants, and even owning a pet. Healthy living, in general, can improve the way your digestive system functions.
Reduce FODMAPs
People with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may benefit from certain elimination diets, such as the low-FODMAPs diet. Some gastroenterological guidelines recommend the diet as a second-line treatment (19).
FODMAPs stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides and monosaccharides, and polyols. These are non-digestible nutrients that get fermented by your gut microflora and sometimes act as a prebiotic.
However, the fermentation process involves the production of gas. Individuals with IBS are sensitive to colon distention by gas, so increased gas production in the colon may trigger their symptoms.
Always consult with your doctor or a trained dietitian before attempting the low-FODMAPs diet.
Which are the gut healthy foods
Your food choices can significantly impact your gut microbiome. Scientists report that changes in your diet can lead to dramatic shifts in the microbial strains in your gut within just 24 hours (20).
Therefore, it is crucial to consume a healthy and well-balanced diet, which will also help maintain the balance of your gut microflora. In addition, some foods contain prebiotics, which are various compounds used by gut bacteria for energy.
Thus, they help your healthy gut microflora grow and develop. Prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrates such as fiber and resistant starch (21).
Dietary sources include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains (oats and barley), beans, peas, and lentils. Men should aim for at least 38 grams of fiber per day, while the minimum for women is 25 grams (22).
Some scientists recommend adding antioxidants, such as polyphenols, prebiotics, and probiotics (23). They are known to improve heart health and brain function and lower blood sugar levels.
Some of the benefits of these antioxidants may even be mediated via their favorable effects on the gut microbiome. Foods rich in polyphenols are fresh fruits, seeds, vegetables, tea, and cocoa products.
The gut bacteria that normally colonize your digestive system can also be found in some foods and supplements called probiotics.
Consuming such products is thought to help colonize your intestines with good bacteria and restore the balance between various strains.
Probiotic supplements are widely recommended for various gut health problems, especially for dysbiosis after treatment with antibiotics. According to research, probiotic foods are equally effective in colonizing the human gut after consumption (24).
Examples of probiotic fermented foods include yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles, miso, tempeh, kimchi, sourdough bread, and some cheeses. However, if the product has been pasteurized or canned, it will not contain live bacteria.
Should you perform a colon cleanse, and how?
Your colon functions as the terminal part of your digestive system, which reabsorbs water, houses a large amount of your gut microbiome, and stores the remaining waste products from digested food fermented by the bacteria.
In some cases, people may seek to perform a colon cleansing, which can help clear out the stored waste in your large intestine.
Yet, there are different ways to perform such a cleanse, and you should consider the advantages and disadvantages of each before making your choice.
Cleansing can be performed naturally (via drinks and supplements) or colonic irrigation (enema).
Performing colon irrigation may even be necessary in cases of severe constipation or before a medical procedure. However, regular colonic irrigation, or in chronically ill patients, is associated with severe risks and can lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and even bowel perforation.
It may also cause dysbiosis since the irrigation can remove a large percentage of the beneficial gut bacteria found in the colon and disrupt the balance of healthy and bad bacteria. Therefore, the procedure may even harm your gut health if performed too often.
Instead, it may be better to opt for a natural cleanse, which can help you relieve constipation and improve your gut health gently without many of the risks listed above.
It usually involves drinking plenty of fluids and taking certain foods or supplements that help increase bowel movements.
The supplements usually contain laxative herbs such as senna, psyllium, and aloe vera.
When choosing a supplement for a colon cleanse, make sure that it also contains probiotics, which can help support your gut microbiome.
Note: This article is for informational purposes only and not intended for use as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any dietary supplement.
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