Be Good to Your Gut: Key ways to improve your gut health

Here’s how we can improve our gut health by making changes to our diet.

What does “gut health” actually mean? It refers to the balance of microorganisms that live in our digestive system. These microorgansisms play an essential role in digestion, immune functions and brain-gut signalling. An imbalance of microbiota, or gut flora, is associated with a variety of medical problems including diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, inflammatory bowel conditions, autoimmune disorders and asthma, as well as food allergies and intolerances. Therefore, maintaining the right balance of gut microbiota is essential for physical and mental health, immunity and the prevention of many diseases.

Everyone’s gut microbiota changes over time, as it’s affected by age, environmental factors and diet. In fact, gastroenterologist DR ANDREA RAJNAKOVA says that every single thing we put into our bodies can significantly affect the makeup of our gut. Therefore, making adjustments to our diet (and avoiding antibiotics when they’re not absolutely necessary!) can alter the microbiota for the better, and in a relatively short amount of time. If, on the other hand, you’re looking to combat a disease or illness, long-term changes in the diet have proven to be most successful.

“Our overall health and body fitness is a combination of physical and mental health. The way we look and feel is the reflection of our lifestyle and diet,” says Dr Andrea.

She suggests three key changes:

#1 Work probiotiocs into your diet

Probiotics are live microorganisms that can improve or restore the gut flora, explains Dr Andrea. They can be found in fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, tempeh and miso, and fermented dairy products such as yoghurt, kefir and buttermilk.

To boost the beneficial bacteria in your gut, you can also take probiotic dietary supplements, which can help reduce gastrointestinal discomfort, improve immune health, and relieve constipation. But, since different types of probiotics may have different effects, it’s best to talk to your doctor about choosing the one that’s right for you.

#2 Eat a diverse range of foods

A diverse microbiota is considered to be a healthy one. And, a well-balanced diet consisting of different food types can help with that. For a healthy and varied diet that includes all the necessary nutrients, Dr Andrea recommends:

• a small amount of complex carbohydrates

“Whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans are great energy sources. Avoid white bread, white rice, pastries and other highly processed food.”

• eating more fibre-rich fruits and vegetables

“The more colourful and varied, the better.”

• consuming calcium-rich foods

“Milk is not the best or only source. Good sources of calcium are collards such as kale, cabbage, broccoli, spring greens, bok choy and baked beans.”

• eating foods that contain healthy fats

“Good fats help provide energy and are a source of omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats can be found in olives, avocado oils, nuts, seeds and fish. Meanwhile, it’s a good idea to limit consumption of saturated fats and avoid foods with trans-fat.”

• choosing water over other beverages

“Avoid sugary drinks, and limit your intake of juices and milk. Coffee, tea, freshly squeezed fruit juices and low-fat milk can fit into a healthy diet, but are best consumed in moderation.”

• choosing fresh over processed

“Staying away from processed foods, additives and artificial sweeteners can be greatly beneficial to your gut. Limiting your salt intake is also very beneficial, and can be done by switching from processed and packaged foods to fresher choices.”

• getting good protein sources

“Good protein sources include fish, poultry, nuts and beans. Try to avoid or minimise your intake of red meat.”

#3 Try a more plant-based diet

Finally, research has shown that there’s a difference between the gut flora of vegetarians and that of meat-eaters.

“Vegetarian or plant-based diets are associated with greater diversity in the gut microbiome and have a greater abundance of bacteria responsible for the long-term processing of fibres,” says Dr Andrea.

Andrea’s Digestive, Colon, Liver and Gallbladder Clinic #21-11/12 Royal Square at Novena, 101 Irrawaddy Road 6264 2836 | andrea-digestive-clinic.com