Why Is Gut Health Important
The complex colony of organisms that live in the gut can affect virtually every aspect of health. Researchers are only beginning to understand the gut microbiomes far reaching effects.
When the body does not have the right balance of bacteria, certain organisms can grow out of control, impacting on fungal and other infections. For example, a person who takes antibiotics may experience changes in their gut bacteria that make them more vulnerable to yeast infections.
So far, research suggests that gut health
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- De Filippo, C., et al. . Impact of diet in shaping gut microbiota revealed by a comparative study in children from Europe and rural Africa.
Best Fat: Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin olive oil may help reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, according to Medline Plus.
On its own, olive oil contains antioxidants. But on top of that, cooking with this type of oil increases your body’s ability to absorb antioxidants from veggies.
A 2015 study published in Food Chemistry found that vegetables fried in extra virgin olive oil improved their antioxidant capacity and the amount of phenolic compounds, which prevent chronic degenerative pathologies such as cancer, diabetes or macular degeneration.
Plus, research proves over and over again that following a Mediterranean dietâwhich is rich in olive oilâboost longevity and overall health.
Want A Happier Stomach Here Are The Absolute Worst Foods For Your Gut And Simple Ways To Nourish It
Ever felt uncomfortably bloated after devouring a quarter of a pepperoni pizza? Its not your imagination. What you choose to fuel your body with makes a huge difference in how you feel. Compare that discomfort with the gentle fullness you feel after eating a veggie-topped couscous bowl or the energy rush after a healthy green smoothie. Pay attention to body cues after a meal mindful eating can guide you to healthier choices.
Robyn Youkilis, a certified wellness expert and author of the best-selling book Go with Your Gut, says the first step to gut health is to start checking in with yourself. Ask, What feels intuitively good in your belly and what doesnt?
We all have different triggers for unpleasant digestive issues. Tune into your body. Some people have suspected for years that dairy doesnt make them feel great. For them, that food is worse for their gut than another food that might be on the border, like sugar, Youkilis says. Whereas some people can digest dairy just fine. For me, for example, Ive tested dairy, Im totally fineno bloat or digestive issues.
Signs that you have trouble digesting something can include bloat, heartburn, acid reflux, excess burning and indigestion. Certain foods may mess with digestion, leading to diarrhea or constipation. Check in with your mental state, too: Do you feel clear? Do you feel foggy? Do you feel tired? Do you feel energized? And all of that can be signs of something not being good for your gut, Youkilis says.
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The Best Foods For Your Gut
When you give the body the right nutrition, you won’t need to fill it with endless calories from low-nutrient, calorie-dense foods that leave it wanting more and more but never sate its true needs. You’ll feel energized by the richness of a power-packed, phytonutrient-dense way of eating.
The eating plan I give patients to heal their gut is simple but powerful. It can help you feel better, lose weight, and provide steady sustained energy. In a nutshell, here’s the plan:
- High-fiber, low-glycemic carbs like leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables
- Slow carbs, like sweet potatoes and butternut squash
- Hypoallergenic proteins
- Clean and lean proteins like free-range poultry, wild-caught fish, and grass-fed meats
Worst Veggie: Anything In A Can
Canned veggies are often stripped of fiber and other nutrients, and are often loaded with sodium. If canned veggies are your go-to, you’ll experience decreased nutritional quality or, worse, unknowingly consume them with sugar, additives, sodium, or flavorings that detract from good nutrition and make it harmful.
If you need the convenience of canned vegetables, opt for frozen instead. They’re just as healthy as fresh because they’re flash-frozen at the site of harvest.
“They have no added sodium and are less wasteful, since you can cook only what you need and keep the rest in the freezer,” said Rachel Brandeis, RDN.
Plus, now frozen vegetables come in microwavable bags, which makes them very convenient for busy families trying to get veggies on the dinner table.
However, keep in mind that canned vegetables are a better choice than not eating any vegetables at all. If fresh or frozen veggies aren’t an option, look for canned vegetables with no added salt or sugar.
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What Foods Make Your Gut Better
9 Ways to Improve Your Gut Bacteria, Based on ScienceEat a diverse range of foods. … Eat lots of vegetables, legumes, beans, and fruit. … Eat fermented foods. … Eat prebiotic foods. … If you can, breastfeed for at least 6 months. … Eat whole grains. … Eat a plant-based diet. … Eat foods rich in polyphenols.9 Ways to Improve Your Gut Bacteria, Based on Science – Healthline
What Contributes To A Healthy Gut
Having a healthy gut is a daily battle. According to Dr. Acker, it is normal for the human gut to be inhabited by many types of bacteriaboth good and bad. For example, individuals with increased amounts of methane-producing bacteria may produce GI symptoms such as gas and bloating. To combat this, Acker mentions that consuming a variety of nutritious foods, such as fruits and vegetables , which may increase our “good bacteria” and help decrease these issues.
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What Are The 3 Gut Superfoods
Types of superfoodsApples, the worlds most popular fruit.Oats, theyre not just for horses.Asparagus, the pungent vegetable.Oat bran for your bowel movements.Chicory root, the coffee substitute.Green plantain, the savoury banana.Flaxseed, a seedy superfood.Jerusalem artichoke, a delicious weed.More items
Go Easy On Spice To Avoid Tummy Troubles
Many people love spicy food and it does not bother their digestive system. Others find their tummy is upset when they have spicy food.
It’s not just scorching hot foods like chillies that trigger heartburn. Milder but flavourful foods like garlic and onion can also bring it on.
If spicy foods give you heartburn, stomach pain or diarrhoea, go easy on them in future.
If you already have a problem like heartburn or an irritable bowel, avoid them completely.
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Not Getting Enough Sleep
Getting good sleep is very important for overall health.
Studies show that sleep deprivation is linked to many diseases, including obesity and heart disease .
Sleep is so important that your body has its own time-keeping clock, known as your circadian rhythm .
Its a 24-hour internal clock that affects your brain, body and hormones. It can keep you alert and awake, but it can also tell your body when its time to sleep .
It appears that the gut also follows a daily circadian-like rhythm. Disrupting your body clock through a lack of sleep, shift work and eating late at night may have harmful effects on your gut bacteria .
A 2016 study was the first to explore the effects of short-term sleep deprivation on the composition of gut flora .
The study compared the effects of two nights of sleep deprivation versus two nights of normal sleep duration in nine men.
Two days of sleep deprivation caused subtle changes to the gut flora and increased the abundance of bacteria associated with weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes and fat metabolism .
Nevertheless, sleep deprivations effects on gut bacteria is a new area of research. Further studies are required to determine the impact of sleep loss and poor sleep quality on gut health.
Summary:
The body has a 24-hour internal clock called the circadian rhythm. Sleep deprivation can disrupt the circadian rhythm, and this appears to have harmful effects on gut bacteria.
What Are Gut Bacteria And Why Are They Important
Hundreds of species of bacteria reside in your gut. Some of them are friendly, while others are not.
Most bacteria in the gut belong to one of four groups: Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria or Proteobacteria (
3 ).
The friendly gut bacteria are important for digestion. They destroy harmful bacteria and other microorganisms and produce vitamin K, folate and short-chain fatty acids .
When the gut flora contains too many harmful bacteria and not enough friendly bacteria, an imbalance can occur. This is known as dysbiosis .
Both dysbiosis and a reduction in gut flora diversity have been linked to insulin resistance, weight gain, inflammation, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer .
Therefore, its important to keep your gut bacteria as friendly and abundant as possible.
Without further ado, here are 8 surprising things that can cause harm to your gut bacteria.
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What Kind Of Dish Towels For Heat Transfer Vinyl
You want to choose a towel that doesnt have a shiny or polished finish to it, like some polyester fabrics with no-wrinkle finishes. Because the vinyl wont adhere to the fabric. Choose an all-cotton towel that is smooth. These flour sack dish towels are 100% cotton and take an iron on transfer well.
Is There An Advantage To Vinyl Records
There is no tone loss due to compression of the music files, which happens when you hear streamed audio. Vinyl is also known for the warm sound it provides. People tend to find that vinyl is a better approximation of hearing a live performance than when the recording is converted to a digital format.
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Best Cheese: Cottage Cheese
Rich in protein and low in carbohydrates, cottage cheese makes a great choice for those who need to limit their overall carb intake. It’s also a very versatile food. Blend it into smoothies or use it to make protein pancakes for a breakfast option that actually fills you up without the added refined carbs.
Palinski-Wade recommended keeping your cottage cheese intake to around a half cup per day, and choosing one low in sodium.
These Are The Best Vegetables For Gut Health According To A Doctor
Did you know that gut health plays an extremely important role in your overall health? Your gut is responsible for carrying out vital bodily functions such as breaking down food and absorbing nutrients to maintain balance, energy production and waste elimination.
Your gut relies on the right balance of different bacteria to digest your food and prevent infection and inflammation. Poor gut health has been linked to increased risk of chronic diseases, and even anxiety and depression. Interestingly, the foods that we eat can greatly affect the types of bacteria that live inside our bodies especially when it comes to vegetables.
We asked Dr. Brent Acker, M.D. at The Center for Digestive and Liver Health in Savannah, Georgia, to tell us a little bit more about maintaining a healthy gut and the best vegetables to eat for better gut health.
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Worst Fruit: Processed Fruit Drinks
Often marketed as “real juice,” the labels on these products prove otherwise. They’re loaded with sugar, empty calories, and artificial sweeteners.
Some companies try to get around the sugar in fruit beverages by adding artificial sweeteners that reduce the amount of sugar on the label. But, according to Harvard Medical School, the use of artificial sweeteners can make you pass over healthy, filling, and highly nutritious foods while consuming more artificially flavored foods with less nutritional value.
And it’s not just bottled juices you should avoid. Juicing a whole fruit concentrates its sugars and often eliminates the fiber.
The 9 Worst Foods For Your Stomach According To Doctors
Food provides us with nutrients, keeps us energized, and can even help us fend off disease. But those benefits aren’t true for all foods. In fact, certain foods can actually cause health issues, inflammation, and drain you of energy. Perhaps even worse is that consuming these foods in high doses can put a strain on one of the major players in the digestive process: your stomach.
Many overprocessed foods are loaded with an amalgamation of unhealthy ingredients that can cause irritation, exacerbate preexisting stomach problems, or even be the cause of new tummy troubles.
To make things even more complicated, some foods that provide incredible benefits to some people may not do the same for others. For those with stomach-related health issues, like gastroesophageal reflux disease or irritable bowel syndrome , certain healthy foods contain compounds or nutrients that may irritate the affected person’s stomach, triggering irritation, inflammation, and discomfort.
Taking care of your gut is paramount when it comes to your overall healthmaking sure your digestive system is functioning at its prime ensures your body can adequately process food and give you the nutrients and energy you need. So come along for a tour of common eats that can spell tummy troubles. Read on, and for more on healthy eating, don’t miss these 25 Unhealthiest Habits for Your Digestion.
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Are Tomatoes Bad For Your Gut
Tomatoes. The fiber in tomatoes promotes the growth of good bacteria and discourages harmful bacteria such as C. difficile from gaining a toehold in the gut, according to Canadas GI Society. Tomatoes are also an outstanding source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant linked to a reduced risk of stroke.
What Vegetable Does Dr Gundry Say To Avoid
Foods to avoid According to Dr. Gundry, you can eat a select few of the banned veggies tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers if they’ve been peeled and deseeded. The Plant Paradox Diet emphasizes whole, nutritious sources of protein and fat while banning nightshades, beans, legumes, grains, and most dairy.
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What Is 180 Gram Vinyl
180 gram is a heavier grade of vinyl that many believe coaxes a richer audio palate than lighter, standard grades. Sure, 180g LPs ride more smoothly on a turntable thanks to their weight, but the benefits end there. The quality of the sound derives from the vinyl compound, as opposed to the weight of the disc.
How To Nourish Your Gut
If youve had your fair share of French fries, farmed salmon and sugary sweets in the past , dont fret. You can load up on natural and nutritious foods to heal your gut. Our gut expert recommends homemade bone broth. The collagen helps heal the gut lining, Youkilis says. Then introduce a generous amount of plants into your diet. Eat an abundance of vegetables, almost a ridiculous amount. Have a giant pile of steamed broccoli on a plate, she says.
Dont forget prebiotics. Foods rich in prebiotics are really important for nourishing your gut. I like to think of them as like fertilizer for the garden, she says. Prebiotics are the undigestible fiber that feed probiotics in your gut. Asparagus, oats, apples, bananas and legumes are rich in prebiotics. Those are really good foods to incorporate and will help that good gut bacteria flourish and come back into effect.
Youkilis recommends adding fermented foods to your diet to boost your probiotic levels. Fermented foods like sauerkraut can help your body absorb the nutrients and minerals in the other foods that youre consuming with them, so they help with vitamin absorption as well. If you need to get your good gut bacteria on track, then adding in fermented foods is going to make your belly very happy.
Fight the bloat with less sugar.
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Why You Need To Keep Your Gut Healthy
The gut is considered the bodys “second brain. This is because it plays a role in overall health and well-being.
Here are some reasons why gut health is important:
- The gut houses over 70 percent of the bodys immune system
- Its home to trillions of gut bacteria which help digest food and absorb nutrients
- Your gut microbiome is involved in regulating mood and stress
- A healthy gut reduces your risk of many chronic diseases, including diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease
- Promotes hormonal balance
Improving your gut health is one of the best things you can do for your health. In addition to having fewer digestive problems, youll feel better in general.
Know Your DNA Reviews
A Healthy Gut Diet Is Highly Individual
Before we go into the foods that are bad for pretty much everyone, its worth mentioning that the diet that keeps your gut healthy may not work for someone else.
Though a general principle applies that eating unprocessed, real food and including plenty of veggies brings health benefits, there is much variation within this.
For example, while one person may be able to consume dairy products or gluten without any gut issues, in other people, these foods can trigger irritable bowel syndrome .
Over time, the foods you may be sensitive to and that can cause inflammation in your digestive tract can change. Theyll also be different for different people.
In particular, prebiotic food and supplements are often touted for their gut health benefits. But for people who have imbalances like small intestinal bacterial overgrowth , they can actually be problematic as they can also feed the wrong sort of bacteria.
A study that looked at giving prebiotics while treating SIBO with antibiotics found that they were less effective than giving probiotics with antibiotics .
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