Nutrition

6 simple hacks to improve your gut health

4 December, 2022 . 0

A healthy gut is vital to our overall wellbeing. We asked our experts to share their diet and lifestyle tips on how to keep your gut microbiome in good shape.

From our mental health and the state of our immune system to reducing the risk of developing conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and bowel cancer, our gut plays an important role in our overall wellbeing.

With so much riding on our gut health, it pays to know how to look after it – and which foods are best to maintain a healthy gut microbiome.

Here are some simple hacks to help keep your gut healthy:

1. Up your probiotic and prebiotic intake

“(A healthy gut microbiome) comprises a variety of gut bacteria that produce a wide range of anti-inflammatory by-products called short-chain fatty acids,” specialist gastrointestinal dietitian Dr CK Yao says.

“These nourish the gut and the lining of the gut, protect against developing any gut conditions, and reduce the breakdown of protein in the gut, which can produce harmful by-products.”

According to dietitian and nutritionist Rebecca Gawthorne, one way to encourage a healthy gut microbiome is to make sure you’re consuming plenty of probiotics and prebiotics.

Probiotics are good bacteria that live in your gut – they help support a healthy microbiota and protect it from pathogens, while prebiotics are food for the live bacteria in the gut.

Rebecca says probiotic-rich foods include yoghurt, kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, miso and kombucha; while foods rich in prebiotics include garlic, onion, green bananas, legumes, nuts, oats, artichoke, leeks, asparagus, beans and chickpeas.

Edible bacteria: Why fermented foods are good for better gut health

2. Load up on fibre

“Different types of fibres have different effects in the gut,” Dr Yao, a Monash University research fellow, says.

Dr Yao explains it is important we eat from a wide variety of food groups so we get a combination of fibres that are fermentable, and which get broken down easily by the gut bacteria, and those that are minimally fermentable but have bulking and gel-forming effects.

“(Include) foods like wholegrains, certain fruits (firm bananas, grapefruit, rockmelon and blueberries) and vegetables (green peas, beetroot, asparagus, butternut pumpkin, potato), and legumes,” Dr Yao suggests.

One study found a fibre intake of 40g to 50g a day over a two-week period significantly altered individual gut microbiomes.

Currently, most Australian adults only consume around 20g to 25g of fibre daily.

3. Eat a variety of plant-based foods

“Eating a variety of plant foods each day is essential for healthy gut function as they provide fuel for our good gut bacteria to multiply, diversify and thrive,” Rebecca says.

Foods that fall into this category include veggies, fruit, legumes, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices.

Make it easy: How to find a plant-based diet that suits you

4. Don’t rush your meals

“Slow down your eating and chew your food well – this is important because if you don’t chew your food properly, your body can’t digest it as well as … it can also cause unnecessary bloating,” Rebecca says.

Feeling bloated: Here’s why and how to fix it

5. Watch your protein intake

According to Dr Yao, eating too much protein can have an adverse effect on gut health.

“Excessive intake of protein, particularly animal protein like red meat and protein supplements, can increase the formation of toxic metabolites in the gut,” Dr Yao says.

6. Move your body

We’re already aware of the positive effects of exercise on our physical health, but it may also positively impact gut health.

While further research is required, studies so far have shown a connection between exercise and gut health, with training said to alter the make-up and functional capacity of the gut microbiota, independent of diet.