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5 Way to Improve your Gut for Better Overall Health
By Melissa Carr, Dr. TCM
Mar 19, 2021
Bacteria. Your body is filled with them, and they are essential for your overall health and wellbeing. Believe it or not, there are trillions of bacteria living in your body, including your gut, right now. They are not only important in aiding digestion and regulating your metabolism, but also play a role in impacting your mental health and immunity. Read on to learn some helpful tips on how to boost better gut health.
Eat fermented foods
Consuming fermented foods is a great way to support a healthy gut microbiome. There are many foods that provide a natural source of probiotics, including sauerkraut, miso, kombucha, kimchi, kefir, and tempeh. You can also take probiotic supplements to help enhance beneficial bacteria.
Load up on whole foods
In order to maintain a good balance of healthy bacteria in your body, it’s important to remember that these are live organisms that need food themselves. Prebiotics are a type of dietary fibre that you can find in a wide array of whole foods. Some of the best sources include dandelion greens, asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, onions, leeks, Jerusalem artichokes, apples, bananas, garlic, chicory root, wheat bran, oats, barley, seaweed, and flax seeds.
Take care of your teeth
It might seem like a stretch to believe there is a connection between oral hygiene and gut health, but it’s true. Various studies have shown that harmful bacteria that grows in your mouth can make their way into the bloodstream and your stomach. Brushing, flossing, and regular dental visits can help keep dangerous microbes at bay.
Lower stress
Impacting many facets of our wellbeing, here is yet another reason to manage stress. There are a wide range of stressors that can negatively affect your gut health, including, psychological stress, environmental stress, and sleep deprivation. To help alleviate chronic stress, try some relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing exercises, and yoga.
Try reishi
Could this medical mushroom be good for gut health? According to a study published in Nature Communications, yes it can.
The study was intended to investigate whether reishi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) can help reduce obesity by modifying the balance of gut bacteria. The research demonstrated that mice fed a high-fat diet together with reishi mushrooms gained 25% less weight than those on the high-fat diet alone. The study further indicated that supplementation with reishi also decreased gut inflammation by altering the composition of friendly bacteria in the gut and helping to maintain the integrity of the intestinal lining. For those who’ve been told they have a "leaky gut," this marvelous mushroom is something for you to consider taking.
On top of all that, one of the biggest reasons why people love reishi is its ability to help calm the nervous system. Since an amped up nervous system can negatively affect your microbiome and digestion, managing stress and anxiety is key for a healthy gut.
Rich in polysaccharides, reishi mushroom helps maintain a healthy immune system, provides prebiotic food for your good bacteria, supports a healthy microbiome, and calms the nervous system. If you are looking to promote better gut health, check out this fabulous fungus.
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Dr. Melissa Carr is a registered Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine with a B.Sc. in Kinesiology. In practice
since 2001,
Dr. Carr has a passion for sharing health information. She has been a nutrition instructor and a health consultant, lecturer, and writer for 24 Hours Vancouver newspaper, Fraser Health Authority, UBC, and the David Suzuki Foundation,
amongst others.
www.activetcm.com
Reference
- Chang, C., Lin, C., Lu, C., Martel, J., Ko, Y., Ojcius, D., Lai, H. (2015, June 23). Ganoderma lucidum reduces obesity in mice by modulating the composition of the gut microbiota. Retrieved March 12, 2021, from https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms8489
