How to have a healthy gut

Gut health is the cornerstone of our immune system, helping to fend off illnesses and help us thrive. Looking after our gut and understanding a bit more about it is an important part in staying healthy.

Kickstarted the moment we start chewing – our digestive organs (intestines and bowels – aka guts) turn food and liquid into energy, providing nourishment for our body, so we can function at our best. In other words, our diet – what we eat and drink – plays a massive role in keeping our gut health in check.

How does our lifestyle affect our gut health?

Other lifestyle factors can also affect our digestive health, such as:

• how physically active we are,
• whether we smoke,
• our emotions.

The term ‘gut feeling’ originally came about because our gut is sensitive to emotions, stress, anxiety and depression – these all have a direct effect on the digestive tract.

Our gut health reflects our lifestyle habits, so making healthier lifestyle choices, when we can, is one of the best ways to avoid preventable ill-health. Looking at what we put into our mouths is a good place to start, so eating lots of fibre-rich food every day should be first on the list.

Fruit, vegetables and wholegrains, such as brown rice, whole-wheat bread and breakfast cereals, oats and barley are excellent sources of fibre that move through the gut quickly – helping us stay regular.

>Explore our tips on getting your 5-a-day into your diet

The shorter the time that waste (poo) is left in the colon, the less likely the bowel is to be exposed to toxic chemicals which may contribute to an increased risk of bowel cancer.

These vitamin, mineral, and fibre-rich wholefoods also contain antioxidants, which can help protect against cell damage.

Eating a variety of brightly coloured plant foods ensures that plenty of important antioxidants are included in your diet.

What foods contain sources of antioxidant vitamins?

Carotenoids — Found in carrots, red peppers, tomatoes, pumpkins, spinach, kale, broccoli, watermelon, mango and corn.

Studies have shown a correlation between a high carotenoid intake in the diet with a reduced risk of breast, cervical, ovarian, colorectal cancers, and cardiovascular and eye diseases.¹

>Try our spinach and courgette lasagne recipe

Flavonoids — Found in raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, onions and beans – flavonoids are associated with antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects.²

>Try our blueberry baked oats recipe

Selenium — Found in Brazil nuts, whole wheat, eggs and fish.

Folate — Found in green leafy vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts and wholegrains.

>Try our lentil lasagne recipe

Vitamin C — Vitamin C is found in broccoli, cabbage, spinach, citrus fruits, red and green peppers, kiwi fruit, strawberries, sweet potatoes and tomatoes.

>Try our crustless quiche recipe

Vitamin E — Vitamin E is found in nuts, seeds, wheatgerm, whole grains and avocados.

Digestive system-friendly food and drink

Water

A great deal of our daily requirement for water is used for digestion and the elimination of waste products from the body.

Drinking around 1.5 – 2 litres a day is important not only to help stay well hydrated, but also help to prevent constipation, which is one of the first symptoms of habitual dehydration.

Many of us may exist in a semi-dehydrated state, which can often lead to niggling health problems that we might not realise are connected, such as indigestion, bloating, irregular bowel movements, as well as headaches and lack of concentration. The key to staying hydrated is to drink little and often throughout the day.

Rice

While not everyone needs to avoid gluten, some may benefit by choosing non-gluten cereal grains like brown rice more often, as these are more easily digested and gentler on the gut.

The starch in brown rice is digested and absorbed slowly, thereby providing a steady release of glucose into the blood for sustained energy. Studies suggest, brown rice and brown rice-based meals are normally well tolerated and may even help to improve gastrointestinal symptoms in functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID).³

Research tells us that brown rice can be included as a part of varied diet to help with managing conditions such as diverticulitis which is a type of diverticular disease (a condition affecting the large bowel or colon). White rice tends to be much lower in fibre compared to brown rice and can cause more rapid rises in blood sugar.

Ginger

There are many health benefits associated with ginger. Compounds called gingerols have anti-inflammatory properties,⁴ helping reduce pain in conditions such as arthritis.

Ginger root has been historically associated with helping to sooth the digestive system and stomach pains by eliminating excess gas, as well as being found to reduce symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Ginger has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine due to its versatile therapeutic properties and has been a staple in formulations for centuries.⁵

Try adding fresh ginger to hot water to make a warming drink or get it in ground or powder form which you can add into your cooking.

Pears

Pears are very gentle on the gut. The high content of dietary fibre and antioxidants in pears has significant beneficial effects on gut health. They are also a good source of:

• Flavonoids – which may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Low in calories, high in fibre and water – to help with weight management.
• Rich in beneficial flavonoids – which may support heart health.⁶

>Try our simple but delicious pear and goats cheese crostini recipe

Teas

• Peppermint tea – thought to help food digest after a meal, preventing bloating and heartburn.
• Ginger tea – may help upset stomachs and prevent nausea. 
• Fennel or chamomile teas – may help with symptoms of IBS, which is strongly associated with stress.

What are probiotics and prebiotics?

Probiotics

Probiotics, or 'friendly bacteria' as they are often known, help to maintain a healthy balance of so-called good and bad bacteria in our gut.

This balance of microbes, also known as the gut flora, can be thrown out by a wide range of circumstances, including:

• the use of drugs,
• excess alcohol,
• stress,
• disease,
• or exposure to environmental toxins.

When this happens, it can lead to an increase in the harmful bacteria that cause ill-health.

Probiotics are often recommended for problems such as diarrhoea or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or after a course of antibiotics that has resulted in constipation.

Fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, tempeh, miso, and kefir are great dietary sources of probiotics. Including plain live yoghurt in your diet, subbing it for coconut milk in curry, or adding it to fruit or cereals will give you what you need.

You don’t necessarily need branded products specifically marketed as “gut friendly”.

Prebiotics

Prebiotics are nutrients and constituents of food that our gut flora feed upon, therefore increasing the number of microbes found in the gut.

Prebiotics include compounds known as fructo-oligosaccharides, which are found naturally in many complex carbohydrates and plants, including:

• leeks,
• onions,
• wheat,
• garlic,
• chicory root
• and artichokes.

The prebiotic ‘inulin’ is now being added to some brands of breads and cereals.

Prebiotics help the growth of the 'friendly bacteria' in the gut, which in turn aids digestion, improves gut health and boosts the immune system. It may also help reduce the severity of food poisoning and the effects of food intolerance.

Healthy digestion is key

Digestive health is so important but often overlooked. Our diet plays a key role in healthy digestion – although not forgetting that other factors have a role too, such as regular physical activity, limiting toxins from alcohol intake and not smoking.

It’s easy to be seduced by “detoxing” products found online in the form of teas, powders or pills, but these “quick fixes” aren’t backed by science, can be misleading and in no way substitute a healthy balanced diet.

References

1. Carotenoids: biochemistry, pharmacology and treatment – National Library of Medicine
2. What to know about flavonoids – Medical News Today
3. Are rice and spicy diet good for functional gastrointestinal disorders? – Europe PMC
4. Ginger in gastrointestinal disorders – National Library of Medicine
5. Ginger in traditional Chinese medicine – Science Direct
6. Top 5 health benefits of pears – BBC Good Food