By Aaron Boike, B.S. Kinesiolgy, American Council on Exercise CPT

If you’ve been paying attention to health news lately, you’ve probably heard a story or two about the importance of your digestive health. When most people think of the term “digestive health,” they simply think of how easily it is to absorb nutrients and pass waste through the body. The truth is, digestive health is far more complicated than that, and affects far more systems than we could have ever imagined prior to recent research.

The flora, the community of bacteria that live in our digestive tract, actually play a tremendous role in our weight, our immune system, and our health in general. A healthy gut flora reduces inflammation, helps to prevent chronic disease, strengthens our immune response, and can actually help us lose weight. The main mechanism that ties a healthy gut flora to weight is through an improved insulin response and a positive effect on the rate that carbohydrates and fats are absorbed. An improved insulin response means your body is able to better utilize your food for energy and keep your blood sugar levels in check, allowing you to burn more fat for fuel throughout the day.

There are a number of reasons why our gut flora are underperforming in our modern society. Namely a diet high in processed food and low in fiber (which the bacteria in our gut feed on), dietary toxins in our food, stress, infection, and the liberal use of antibiotics. So, what can we do about it? A lot, actually. Here are two big steps you can take from a dietary standpoint to improve your gut health.

1. Eat Prebiotic Foods – Prebiotic foods are high fiber foods that essentially feed the healthy bacteria in our gut. The best part…they aren’t hard to find! Nuts, seeds, whole grains (not refined whole grain products, but actual whole grains), most veggies, and various fiber rich fruits are considered highly prebiotic. Basically eat a lot of whole plant-based foods, and you’ll be covered in terms of prebiotics in your diet.
2. Eat Probiotic Foods – Probiotic foods are fermented foods that actually have living bacteria cultures in them. Examples are fermented veggies (ex. sauerkraut, pickles), yogurt, fermented beverages (ex. kefir, kombocha), fermented soy and grain products, and condiments that are fermented like apple cider vinegar.

Sources:

Courage, Katherine. Fiber Famished Gut Microbes Linked to Poor Health. Scientific American. 2015. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fiber-famished-gut-microbes-linked-to-poor-health1/

Kresser, Chris. A Healthy Gut is The Hidden Key to Weight Loss. 2015. http://chriskresser.com/a-healthy-gut-is-the-hidden-key-to-weight-loss/