Sep 15, 2020
7 Natural foods that promote gut health & better digestion - Dr. Jason Jones Elizabeth City NC, Chiropractor
You don’t have to rely on processed foods to nourish, sustain, and grow good gut bacteria to aid nutrition and boost your health. Some natural foods can help boost your gut microbiota. Most of these foods contain dietary fibers and other compounds like polyphenols, and the gut bacteria break them down into vitamins and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).
Check out all these foods that are easy to find to promote your gut health:
Apples
You might have heard the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” This means that apple contains many health properties that keep your health in good shape. One of such properties is boosting your gut microbiota.
This fruit comes in varieties of colors that can taste sweet, tart, and lip-puckeringly sour. Besides, they contain a prebiotic fiber called pectin, which is hard for the body to digest. But your gut bacteria digest and transform this fiber into SCFAs, like butyrate and propionate. These SCFAs serve as nutrients for the gut microbes to help boost your immunity and strengthen your gut health in general.
Asparagus
This green vegetable is rich in nutrients and it is enjoyed in many cuisines. It naturally contains a kind of prebiotic fiber called inulin, which is acted upon by Faecalibacterium and Eubacterium present in the gut. Some studies have also shown the inulin increases the number of Akkeermansia muciniphilia, another beneficial bacteria found in the gut of lean people.
Oats
Oats are a rich source of beta-glucan, which is a prebiotic dietary fiber fermented by the gut microbiome, thereby promoting their growth and activity. Their soluble fiber content dissolves in water to produce a thick gel that digests slowly, keeping you fuller for longer. The beta-glucan content of oats also helps to lower cholesterol.
Green plantain
Green plantains are not so sweet, but they are delicious when cooked. They are rich in prebiotic resistant starch that serves as food for the butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut. These organisms break down the starch into beneficial short-chain fatty acids that maintain your gut lining and combat inflammation.
Rye
Rye is richer in fiber than wheat, and it has less gluten, which makes it suitable for producing tighter bread, with rich flavors. The grain contains fructan and arabinoxylan, which increases the gut abundance of Bifidobacteria- a bacteria that produces substances like SCFAs and antimicrobial defenses to support your gut environment and other beneficial microbes.
Flaxseed
The flax seeds have a tough hull, and they are often soaked before consuming. However, you can buy the ground flaxseed to save yourself the stress of processing. These seeds support gut health by promoting the production of mucus.
More so, some studies have shown that these seeds protect against colon cancer and reduce gut inflammation. Besides, they contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. The insoluble fiber content supports bowel movements and prevents constipation.
Onions
Onions are a good source of prebiotics that support your gut health. It also contains inulin and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) that boosts immunity and prevent diseases.
You may not like onions because they burn your eyeballs, but if you want to strengthen your gut microbiota, it is worth adding them to your meals.
These natural foods and a host of others like mangoes, wild salmon, garlic, etc, work well to help you improve your gut health.
You can consult Dr. Jason Jones at our Chiropractic office at Elizabeth City, NC to get more recommendations on natural foods to improve the balance of your gut microbiota.