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Gut health has been linked to different health and diseases like chronic metabolic problems, chronic inflammation as studies have revealed, and microbial diseases. The bacteria in your gut are one of the most important gut health aspects for syndromes of IBS, SBI, bloating, gas and also leaky gut is an additional problem that can create bad gut health.
If you have bad gut health or problems related to your gut they can be cured by diet control and finding out the trigger foods that cause the problems.
Here are the most common fixes and gut health foods to eat or to avoid for a healthy gut.
1. Fixing the diet:
Often times highly processed foods and high-sugar containing diets will create problems as processed food reduces the number of good bacteria in the intestine and can be a precursor to inflammation. Inflammation can lead to pain, problems like a tumour and other complications in the body.
Here are easy 5 tips by netmeds.com.
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Gut health foods to eat :
As discussed not all foods are good for your gut health. the general rule is to reduce high fat and high-sugar containing food that can lead to inflammation and hurt microbiome gut health.
The other aspect of diet you should know is to include prebiotic and probiotic food that enriches or feeds good bacteria like Lacto bacillus. Foods that are recommended are
- yoghurt
- Sauerkraut
- kimchi
- garlic and ginger
- kefir
- miso
- almonds or high-fibre nuts
- bananas
- Roquefort cheese
Some countries have specific fermented foods already present in their diet. If you don’t have so, you can take gut health prebiotic or probiotic supplements. You can consult with your physician about intaking of supplements.
Gut health foods to avoid:
If you have gastric problems or GERD, gas, diarrhoea or constipation or gas you may want to keep a food diary to find out the triggers to the symptoms. But, here are some foods that many people have problems with:
- fried foods & artificial sugar: Avoid oily, buttery, creamy foods and gums, refined sugar as the stomach and the whole gut can be in trouble in breaking them down. You can have gas, acid reflux, nausea with regular fried food & sugar consumption in excess.
- Citrus food: Grapefruits, oranges and other citrus foods can be high in fibre and acidity which can be problematic if you already have acidity and bad microbiome gut health.
- Beans: Beans can be a precursor of gas and cramps in the belly. As digestion of beans is done by the microbiomes in the intestine they give of gas in the process which is bad for those gets gassy easily.
- Cruciferous veggies: Again leaves like cabbage, lettuce is a problem for those who have bad microbiome gut health. They tend to create gas and is hard to digest because of the fibres. Cruciferous veggies are easier to digest if cooked rather than raw.
- Sweetened foods & beverages: Artificial sweeteners are related to bladder problems when consumed uncontrolled. Sodas, candies, fruit juices with added sugar do more harm than good.
- Dairy products: Dairy products and dairy fat are linked to heart diseases in the U.S. as stated in research. Anyways, almost 60% of the population is intolerant to lactose. Avoid lactose if you experience bloating, gas and diarrhoea.
2. Fixing sleep schedule and mental stress:
Gut health is directly related to sleeping and stress. 95% of Serotonin is produced in the gut which influences the mood and gastrointestinal activity. Bad gut health can send signals to the brain for stress, anxiety and also vice-versa. Stress can destress your gut health.
Inadequate sleep can also affect your gut health. According to research at the University of Tsubaka, gut bacterias influence sleep pattern. A lack of sleep influences patients of GERD greatly and worsen symptoms, increases stress.
3. Drinking habits:
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Drinking too much alcohol can adversely affect your gut health. Drinking too much can destroy the gastrointestinal tract. A large amount of alcoholic drinks causes inflammation in the GI tract. Therefore, alcohol also affects gut bacterias except for red wine. Polyphenol in red wine has a benefitting effect on the gut bacterias.
What we eat or drink makes or breaks us. Good health, positive mindset and motivation is a matter of gut health as well as of brain. Changing your lifestyle in one go may not be easy but starting out is not difficult.
Having a well-functioning digestion system will improve your mood and get rid of gas, constipation or other problems. And, for better mental health making small changes is what you require.
