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Some links in this article are affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we find useful to our readersOur body is home to a plethora of bacteria, some good and some bad. Our gut is also filled with good bacteria that are important for the proper functioning of the organ. But, have you been looking for ways to improve gut bacteria?
In order to ensure a streamlined and seamless functioning of the gut bacteria, it is very important to ensure that one stick to a diet that helps in making you feel better at the end of the day.
By the end of this article, you will have a fair bit of idea of the diet for healthy gut bacteria and everything that goes into the process.
What are Good Gut Bacteria?
When it comes to discussing the varying kinds of gut bacteria, the possibilities are endless.
There are over 200-500 variants of bacteria in our gut microbiome. The only thing you need to ensure for a fact is that it is necessary to have proper levels of good bacteria in the body for better digestion and metabolism.
Check Out These Ways To Improve Gut Bacteria.
The gut microbiome is different for every single person; there is nothing stagnant about the same. That being said, it is very important to lead a lifestyle that will contribute to it for the better. They are found lining the entirety of your digestive system and do have important impacts on not just the digestion but also on the metabolism and immune system.
What are the Benefits of Gut Bacteria?
Gut bacteria are more than just there. They have beneficial impacts on the overall functioning of the body and do contribute to the overall process of digestion and metabolism which impacts the overall body functions.
Still, then, some of the common benefits of gut bacteria include:
1. Better Digestion
It might seem as much but gut bacteria does have a very crucial role in handling the overall process of digestion. Some of the bacteria like that of bifidobacteria has been found crucial for the babies’ microbiota that helps in managing their digestion when they are consuming mother’s milk. Not just that, the better the gut bacteria environment, the better the digestion of the fibers as well.
2. Better Metabolism
Yet another factor that does play a crucial role in all of this is also that it impacts the overall rate of metabolism in the body. The main reason behind the same is because of the fact that the metabolism of our body is dependent on the digestion. When the digestion is good, the metabolism is on track as well which is definitely an added bonus.
3. Boosts Immune System
Yet another important benefit of the presence of gut bacteria is the fact that it contributes to boosting one’s overall immune system. It does have direct communication with the immune cells in the body and thus influences how the same would end up contributing to the immune response of the body.
4. Boosts Brain Health
Last but not least is the fact the gut microbiome does have direct impacts on the central nervous system (R) of the body, especially that of brain health. The same was deduced in a newly conducted study.
How to Improve Gut Bacteria?
If you are here wondering how to improve gut bacteria, we do have some important insights to share with you.
Let us take a look at some of the most important ways to improve gut bacteria for overall better health.
1. Eat a variety of foods
As mentioned before, our gut microbiome consists of a plethora of bacteria. While some need one form of nutrition for growth, some need something else.
Given the diversity of the microbiota, it is important to ensure that the food that you consume does cater to all the bacteria that reside in your gut. When you consume a diverse range (R) of food, it helps in ensuring a better and diverse gut microbiome.
Instead of sticking to just one type of food or cuisine, try and exploring new things and varieties of foods that you possibly wouldn’t eat normally.
2. Cut Out the Processed Foods
It might not necessarily seem like much but when it comes to what to eat for good gut bacteria, no one would mention sugar and processed foods in that list.
Given the fact that sugar is what the bad bacteria live off of, that is the last thing you want to feed into your body. Instead of consuming that, just ensure to consume healthier alternatives.
Instead of eating processed food, try and make everything from scratch for better health altogether.
Consuming less sugar and processed food helps in keep the gut healthy and even prevents unnecessary inflammation that many people often tend to complain about.
3. Drink More Water
When it comes to finding ways to improve gut bacteria, it is very important to ensure that you drink more water every single day.
Keeping the body hydrated is important to ensure that the gut bacteria are in sync and proper function. If you have been worried about any other factor associated with the same, just make sure that you are drinking as much as water as possible for a healthier body.
It is important to drink water because you enjoy doing it and it’s a part of your life and not like it’s a chore. The moment the latter becomes a possibility, it ends up being a problem.
4. Increase the Fiber Intake
Yet another one of the things to add to the diet for good bacteria is more fibers.
Instead of giving in to your craving and munching down sugar, try and be creative with your food and eat something healthy like that of fibers.
Fibrous foods are considered as essential prebiotics mainly because of the fact that some bacteria like that of lactobacilli as well as Bifidobacteria depends on fibrous foods for their nutrition. When you opt around for ways to improve the overall growth of the good bacteria in the body, the same ends up bringing down the levels of bad bacteria simultaneously.
Not just that, consuming health fibers also help improve the overall digestion which further aids in better weight loss as well.
5. Eat More Fruit and Veg
As much as you don’t like eating fruits and vegetables, if you have been on the lookout for ways to improve gut bacteria, it is important to ensure that you eat more fruit and veg on a daily basis.
Fruits and vegetables not just include amazing health benefits and essential nutrients in them; they are also quite beneficial providing better nutrition to the gut bacteria.
Even a conducted study (R) has found how the consumption of fruits and vegetables is good in the diet for healthy gut bacteria as it reduces the rate of disease causing bacteria in the gut.
6. Abstain Yourself From too Much Antibiotics
Antibiotics are necessary when the bacterial infestation in the body is inducing unnecessary levels of infection in the body.
That being said, it is necessary to ensure that you abstain yourself from consuming more than necessary. If you find yourself consuming it at an unprecedented rate, without any stop, it is always best to suggest putting a stop to it.
Often times, while these antibiotics do target the ones necessary to target and kill, it takes down the unnecessary and the good bacteria along with it as well which is necessary for the body to fight other kinds of infection.
7. Get in Some Exercise
Movement and exercise and being active are actually very crucial and good for your overall health. When you are on the constant move and avoid leading a sedentary lifestyle, it is actually a lot easier for us to get our body in sync, ensuring better functions.
Often times, an expert suggests switching up the normal exercise routine to not just bring in a change but also project some useful challenges to the body. It is also quite beneficial in impacting the brain which further aids in boosting the overall gut microbiome effectively.
8. Consume More Fermented Foods and Probiotics
Yet another one of the best ways to improve gut bacteria is with the consumption of more fermented foods and probiotics.
Fermented foods and probiotics do have amazing impacts on the overall process of digestion and also on the gut bacteria levels and health in our body.
Foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles and such are very good for one’s overall health, especially if they are trying to boost their overall gut health effectively.
Even a few conducted studies (R) (R) have found that the consumption of yogurt can not just help boost the overall gut health and gut bacteria presence but also help in improving conditions associated with lactose tolerance.
9. Avoid Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are not necessarily helping you but doing quite the opposite of it. While they might be used predominantly as a replacement for the natural sugar, the same is not the best option when it comes to the gut microbiome.
It is very important to steer clear off of the artificial sweeteners mainly because of the fact that they make the condition for the bad bacteria to grow and flourish.
In a conducted study (R) in rat that were fed with aspartame showed decreased levels in weight gain but the same did end up affecting their overall blood sugar levels and insulin levels as well.
Check the Top 10 Healthy Natural Sweeteners
10. Lower Stress Levels
You might not realize this but your stress levels do have an impact on the overall gut environment. When you are stressed or suffer from chronic stress, chances are that it will end up increasing the secretion of the steroid hormones and adrenaline at the same time along with the inflammatory responses which further causes inflammation in the gut as well.
All in all, this does have the potency to make the environment for the gut bacteria to sustain itself which can cause a starking decrease in the gut bacteria levels.
It is very important to ensure that you maintain the levels of stress (R) in check to keep your bacteria in correct levels and in good health.
11. Try Out Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is yet another change or switch one can make to their diet for good gut bacteria and to improve their overall health.
It is believed for a factor that intermittent fasting has been associated with that of reduced levels of gut inflammation that many people often struggle with.
When you are fasting, that time is the only time you give your body to heal and to reverse the negative impacts that have been caused to the gut and the overall body.
During the fasting, try and drinking lemon water and apple cider tonic to heal the negative impacts and to bring back the gut bacteria back in health.
12. Stick to Whole Grains
Grains, especially whole grains are loaded with beneficial fibers and a good amount of beta-glucan which are essential for the body, especially when it comes to digestion.
Beta-glucans cannot be broken down in the small intestine which is why they move directly to the large intestine where it is broken down and the nutrients are quite beneficial for the growth and proliferation (R) (R) for few of the bacteria.
The whole grains have also been associated to have better impacts in reducing inflammation and even the risks of heart diseases.
All in all, when it comes to the ways to improve gut bacteria, the possibilities are quite extensive. It is just important to ensure that you do not just make changes to your lifestyle but the diet for healthy gut bacteria. It is these which tend to have beneficial impacts on gut health.
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