Commonly known as the ‘second brain’ of the body, the gut is one of the most important organs that you must treat in order to achieve optimal health. While gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as constipation, stomach pain and diarrhea are common of an unhealthy gut, it is also just as common for neurological symptoms such as anxiety, depression and poor concentration to be present as well.
This is because of the fact that the gut and the brain are connected and are in communication through the gut-brain axis, which ultimately means that having poor gut health means that you may have poor brain health as well.
How can you achieve a healthy gut?
Firstly, there is more to maintaining a healthy gut than just taking probiotic tablets. Even though they are critical, they are just the beginning of the story. One way to fuel the benefits of probiotics is by taking prebiotics, which are a type of dietary fiber that feed the ‘friendly’ bacteria in your gut. They include foods such as apples, green bananas, asparagus, garlic and onion. Prebiotics are essential for probiotics to function optimally and produce short chain fatty acids, which boost anti-inflammatory activity in the gut and reduce the risk of cancer as well.
Speaking of short chain fatty acids - the main fuel for the cells in the colon, another way to increase the production and benefits of these acids is to increase the intake of soluble fiber, which also aids in the removal of cholesterol and other toxins. Examples of soluble fiber include oats and chia seeds.
Eating fermented foods is one of the easiest ways to feed a healthy gut, as these foods have healthy strains of bacteria. These include kimchi, sauerkraut, fermented beets, fermented pickles as well as fermented salsa.
To keep a good balance, eating 2-3 tbsp of probiotic-rich foods 1-2 times a day can be very effective and will put you on the correct path to having a healthy gut.
Lastly, other ways to achieve a healthy gut as well as protecting the lining of the gut include eating foods rich in zinc and polyphenols. Zinc is extremely important to protecting the lining of the gut, as it plays a crucial role in processes involving growth, immune functions and tissue repair as well, and can be found in foods like cashews and almonds. Meanwhile, polyphenols help lower inflammation in the gut, protect good bacteria, and can be found in many vibrant fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries as well as pomegranate seeds.
