Science continues to develop vastly in our current environment, this is a beautiful thing but can quickly become confusing and overwhelming. I’ll spare you the scientific details but the gist of this article is to improve the bacteria in your “gut” by limiting or hopefully reducing dysboisis (condition where the gut flora is imbalanced leading to a series of health complications). (1)
If you are working on optimizing your health here are some quick modifications that can be considered with adding foods and limiting foods from your daily consumption.
Add: Yogurt or if you’re not a fan of Yogurt, try Kefir
There was a study done for weight loss and gut health, marked successful compared to a typical American diet with caloric restrictions. Yogurt was one of the added food help lead to success with this study. (2)
Add: Fiber (Beans, Brown rice, Almonds, Carrots, Spinach and the list goes on)
There was a study done where low fiber diets can disrupt the gastrointestinal tracts leading to a variety of complications. Fortunately with great foods and common supplements this can be an easy fix! (3)
Add: Garlic (and eggs)
There was a study that indicated researchers in China found garlic (even fried) as well as eggs within a meal, helped improve gastrointestinal environment resulting in reduction of gastrointestinal diseases.
Add: Cocoa (You read that right, chocolate)
Although the recommended minimum is 70% cocoa to reap the benefits, this can still make for a post meal desert to suit a sweet tooth. A study done in 2013 clarifies that consuming higher % of cocoa can modify the gut bacteria, improving one’s health. (5)
Now let’s think about a few things we might consume frequently that we can consider replacing, your gut might thank you.
Reduce: Artificial sweeteners and Additives
It’s true, tough to win when it comes to sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are intended to aid in reducing weight gait and not strongly affecting glucose levels like dextrose or sucrose. However they are found to have a negative impact on gut health. So all of the diet sodas and such might not be as harmless as we thought. (6)
Some Additives mentioned in the research: (Sucralose, Aspartame, Saccharine, Carboxymethylcellulose, Polysorbate-80, and Carrageenan) (7)
Reduce: Alcohol
I’m sure most people would not be shocked to read that alcohol negatively impacts our health, but our gut bacteria especially. This is not an all or nothing approach but something to think about as moderation can be the key. The study of reference here specify the negative affects of consuming “large quantities” in a single episode. (8)
References:
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26338727
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31271251 .
(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31976310
(4) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213453013000311
(5) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3566565/
(6) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19490976.2015.1017700
(7) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5672138/
(8) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1521691803000349
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