Three Key Components to a Balanced Gut—and Why it Matters
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What in the heck is a gut microbiome?
It’s one of those things that you hear a lot about but aren’t exactly sure what it means, yeah?
Your gut microbiome essentially refers to the trillions of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that reside in your gut.
It’s like an ecosystem in there.
Your gut houses microorganisms.
It’s really mind-blowing when you think about it.
In fact, more than half of your body is made up of nonhuman cells— namely bacteria, fungi and archaea.
Thus, the health of these microorganisms directly relates to and affects your overall health.
Having healthy and happy gut bacteria has been linked to:
Reduction in anxiety and depression
Overall improvement in mood and mental health
Getting a better night’s sleep
Developing a stronger immune system
More effective digestion
Prevention in some autoimmune diseases and cancers
Prevention in diabetes
Reduction in inflammation
Weight loss
So, how do we make these little microorganisms happy?
With food.
Spoiler alert: One of the best things you can do to improve your gut health is to adopt a whole foods plant-based diet that includes a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and spices.
To break it down a little further, here are three key components to pay attention to when eating a plant-based diet for gut health.
1. Probiotics
Probiotics are probably what you hear about the most when it comes to gut health.
Probiotics are essentially more bacteria.
They’re meant to add to or replenish your microbiome— especially when the good bacteria population has been damaged by things such as taking antibiotics, eating a super limited diet, drinking alcohol, not exercising, or experiencing a lot of stress.
Consuming probiotics is a way to counteract this damage and provide your body with more good bacteria.
Probiotic rich foods include:
Yogurt
Tempeh
Miso
Sauerkraut
Kombucha
Shop my favorite probiotic-rich foods here.
2. Prebiotics
Next is prebiotics.
Prebiotics are necessary to feed the probiotics— and thus, keep them alive so they can do their job, be happy, and make us healthier.
(This is all very strange, yeah?)
Prebiotics are types of plant fibers that cannot be digested by your body. Instead, they travel to the lower digestive tract and become food for your friendly bacteria—creating a vibrant, flourishing gut.
(This is where that wide variety of whole plant foods really comes into play.)
Prebiotic rich foods include:
Onions
Garlic
Artichokes
Oats
Flaxseeds
Leeks
Dandelion greens
Soybeans
Mushrooms
Chickpeas
The list goes on and on. Shop my favorite prebiotic rich foods here.
2 1/2. Synbiotics
So, the key with these two is combining them in order to create a nice healthy balance.
Keep the good bacteria count high with probiotics and keep the good bacteria happy and thriving with prebiotics.
You can do this by creating intentional food combinations.
For example, oatmeal, bananas (prebiotics), and yogurt (probiotic) for breakfast.
You can also choose to take a supplement. I currently take Seed and have noticed a significant difference in my digestive health and mood since starting it. (This is not an affiliate link, just FYI.)
3. Polyphenols
This is the one that often gets missed in the gut health conversation.
Polyphenals are a type of compound found in plant foods. They can act as antioxidants— reducing inflammation and protecting you against disease.
Like prebiotics, polyphenols can help to feed your gut bacteria and improve your overall gut health.
(In addition to the fact that they work to reduce inflammation in your body which helps protect you against things like chronic disease and weight gain.)
Foods rich in polyphenols include:
Blueberries
Strawberries
Olives
Coffee (yaaasss)
Dark chocolate (double yaaasss)
Black tea
Tumeric
Hazelnuts
Apples
Cherries
You can shop my favorite polyphenol rich foods here.
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