Improve Your Gut Health: Learn How
What Is Gut Flora?
Gut florae are microorganisms and other organisms that live inside the intestines of your digestive system. They help digest and process all the food you’ve eaten.
There are around 40 trillion bacteria in your body, most of which are in your intestines. Collectively they are known as your gut microbiota and are what gives you your health.
It’s interesting to know that the food you eat greatly impacts and affects the types of bacteria that live inside you. Did you know that vitamins such as biotin and vitamin K are both made by gut flora?
The state of your gut is related to your overall health in so many ways! Studies show that a limited diet disrupts microbiota leading to various chronic diseases and the best way to improve your health is to start with the gut.
What it needs is a wholesome approach to eating a combination of plant-based foods with real organic red meats and poultry and fermented foods. Seasonal ingredients are also key to health. Don’t forget about the fiber which promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. Plant protein such as legumes is also part of gut health, including greens peas, lentils, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans.
Foods such as apples, artichoke, sauerkraut, almonds, pistachios, and blueberries have also shown to increase Bifidobacterium in gut health. Bifidobacteria are considered beneficial since they can help prevent intestinal inflammation and enhance gut health.
Fermented foods recommendations: plain yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, and tempeh.
All these foods are rich in Lactobacillus bacteria which helps fight off organisms that might cause diarrhea. Consumption of these foods has been linked to a decrease in Enterobacteriaceae - a bacteria associated with inflammation and chronic diseases.
Eat Probiotic & Prebiotic Foods
It is most of the time fiber or complex carbohydrates that cannot be digested by humans, but instead, certain bacterias break them down and use them for fuel.
Resistance starch can also be prebiotic. This type of starch is not absorbed in the small intestine, but instead, it passes into the large intestine where it is broken down to promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria which can reduce risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
If you regularly feed the wrong bacteria into the gut, it will start to have a negative impact on your whole gut flora since the bad bacteria will start growing faster and colonize the gut more easily. Since the good gut bacteria is then getting weaker, there’s nothing it can do to prevent this.
Good gut bacteria health is the defender of your health and many essential body functions. This is why eating prebiotic and probiotic foods, and using supplements will ensure that the right amount of bacteria remains healthy and active to fight ‘the bad guys’.
PROBIOTICS are live bacteria found in certain foods or food supplements.
PREBIOTICS come from certain carbohydrates that we can’t digest but are beneficial bacteria in your gut.
Prebiotic food is found in the form of fiber in vegetables, fruits, and legumes particularly in beans, peppers, artichoke, asparagus, parsnips, garlic, leeks, onions, and dandelion greens.
Foods rich in polyphenols (cocoa, green tea, almonds, onions, garlic, grape skin, broccoli, blueberries) reduce blood pressure, inflammation, cholesterol, and oxidation stress. Most polyphenols make their way to the colon where they can be digested by gut bacteria.
Remember that what you eat plays a huge role in the balance of good and bad gut bacteria. Your gut is linked to the brain through a system of nerves and hormones, and helps maintain overall health and wellness.
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