5 WAYS YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR GUT HEALTH WITH THINGS YOU LIKELY ALREADY HAVE IN YOUR KITCHEN!

It seems that the topic of gut health is not passing by like the other ‘trending’ fads we often see, and I’m not surprised. We are only at the surface of what we know about gut health but it is very clear from the evidence that it is the epicentre of the human body, linked to almost every bodily system we have. What I am seeing though, is a lot of media and marketing about ways to improve your gut health that 1. Are not backed by science, and 2. aren’t the most friendly option for your bank account!

So I’m here to cut through the BS and tell you that supporting gut health does not have to be complicated! In fact, if you just take a look through your pantry and fridge right now, I can guarantee there are items in there that are fabulous for gut health.

So read on for 5 ways you can improve your gut health with things you likely already have in your kitchen! 

1. Herbs and Spices

   These often overlooked flavour bombs are plant foods at their best! Not only do they add a huge amount of flavour and texture to meals, but they are a fabulous source of polyphenols. Polyphenols are referred to as phytonutrients, or a class of antioxidants and they appear to have a two way relationship with our microbiome. It is believed that both the original polyphenol compounds plus the metabolites (what is formed when the compounds are broken down in the large intestine) can alter the population of gut flora present in our microbiome to favour beneficial bacteria and inhibit pathogenic bacteria. Incredible for just a humble little herb or spice right? So head to your spice rack and dig out those spice jars that haven’t seen daylight in a while (although check the dates on the jar because it’s best to only keep for 6 months), and rescue those herbs at the bottom of the fridge to use liberally in your cooking from now on! I actually have a whole blog post dedicated to the wonderful benefits of Herbs and Spices which you can read here.

2. Legumes

   Legumes, including beans, chickpeas and lentils, are absolute powerhouses when it comes to nutrition. Sadly in the Western world they are not embraced enough but including legumes in your weekly diet will be one of the most effective ways to improve your gut health. They are a fabulous source of dietary fibre and we know that fibre is essential for our gut bugs as that is what fuels them to do their best work. Legumes also contain resistant starch, which is a particular type of prebiotic that resists digestion and instead is fermented in the large intestine, stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria.Not to mention that legumes are packed with plant protein, as well an abundance of other vitamins and minerals and are so incredible for our health they are considered a vegetable! Plus they are cheap, easy to store and actually very easy to cook if you give them a chance (but don’t worry the canned/tinned varieties are just as good if you can’t embrace cooking them from scratch at this time in your life!).So it’s time to love legumes people! A small note, if you suffer from unpleasant gut symptoms after consuming legumes (gas/bloating/stomach pains), the likely best thing for you is MORE legumes so that your gut bugs can learn to break them down properly. But the key is to start small, just a tablespoon regularly as opposed a large bowl of lentil curry once in a while is the best approach!

3. Yoghurt

   Yoghurt naturally contains live cultures which are the good gut bugs we want in our microbiome. However, not all yoghurt is created equal. You may have heard of the rise in probiotic yoghurt. Essentially this is yoghurt which has added probiotics as well as the naturally occuring ones. A regular yoghurt may contain 2-3 strains of live cultures whereas a probiotic yoghurt can contain these plus up to 5-10 more strains and can contain 1 billion live cultures per serve overall which if often considered therapeutic levels (similar to that of a probiotic supplement). So including regular yoghurt is a great place to start, but keeping an eye out for probiotic yoghurt would also be a great idea.*This is not a sponsored post but to show just how much I love probiotic yoghurt, I am an ambassador for Farmers Union and their PLUS probiotic yogurt range which you can find at Woolworths and Coles.

4. Wholegrains

   Bread, rice, pasta, wraps, quinoa, barley, oats, millet, amaranth - we would all have some sources of wholegrains in our pantries! These are amazing for our microbiome as they are full of fibre. I see a lot of people trying to cut carbs (hello paleo and keto movements), however what they don’t realise is this can have negative impacts on gut health. Now I’m not saying we need to have high carbohydrate diets, but what I am saying is that cutting out wholegrains is not the way to go. Research shows that reduced whole grain consumption can lead to significant changes in the composition of ones gut microbiota, with a reduction in the abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, which are considered beneficial bacteria for gut health. It also shows an increase in the abundance of potentially pathogenic bacteria, such as Clostridium difficile and Escherichia coli*. So whilst we want to moderate carbohydrate intake for our activity levels, including them daily is important.

5. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

EVOO is a key element in the Mediterranean diet and the benefits of the Mediterranean diet are so significant that it is now considered the nutritional gold standard to support health and wellness - with research showing it is particularly beneficial for the health of our microbiome. The healthy fat profile of EVOO as well it’s high polyphenol content are just two aspects that make EVOO a wonderful everyday choice to support gut health. You can read more about why I love EVOO here but for now my take-away message for you is to use it liberally like they do in the Mediterranean - for cooking, drizzled on vegetables, in salad dressings, in baking etc.