Your gut contains a sea of bacteria and microorganisms working together to keep you healthy. While some of these bacteria can contribute to illness and disease, a balanced gut microbiome aids in digestion, metabolism, and immune function.
Key Takeaways
- In General, Eat Nutritious and Healthy Foods
- Eat a Diet Rich in Fruits and Veggies
- Eat Probiotics and Prebiotics
- Get Enough Sleep Each Night
- Reduce Your Stress Levels
Good gut health means you're less likely to experience inflammation and immune dysfunction. A holistic lifestyle filled with stomach-soothing foods and teas can help your body maintain proper gut health.
Keep reading, and we'll list five ways you can support a healthy gut microbiome and excellent digestive function.
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What is Gut Health?
Gut health refers to the overall well-being of your gastrointestinal system, which includes your digestive tract and gut microbiome. Your digestive system contains millions and millions of various bacteria, fungi, and protozoa that are unique to you.
Any healthy gut features an assortment of these health-boosting bacteria. To maintain excellent gut health, your lifestyle should minimize the effects of "bad" bacteria while enhancing the presence of "good" microorganisms.
How to Improve Gut Health
Supporting proper gut health is about more than promoting digestion and metabolism. When your stomach feels awry, the rest of your body will follow suit.
Your gut is the center of it all, affecting everything from your cognitive function to your heart health.
Improving gut health is essential, to say the least. But in a modern world, stripping your life down to the basics can be more challenging than it seems.
#1. In General, Eat Nutritious and Healthy Foods
You've likely heard it a million times already - "You are what you eat." But that's because it's true! When it comes down to it, a well-balanced diet is the cornerstone of a healthy gut.
A high-sugar diet plagued by processed foods can decrease the amount of healthy bacteria living in your gut. Some research even shows that eating too much sugar can lead to inflammation throughout your body, which can be a precursor to various diseases and illnesses.
Processed Junk Foods can Heavily Contribute to Poor Gut Health
Avoid ultra-processed foods and limit your sugar intake. These unhealthy habits can be disastrous to the healthy microorganisms that call your gut home.
Healthy gut bacteria have countless benefits. The "good" bacteria in your body help diversify your microbiome and can reduce your risk of health conditions like diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and psoriatic arthritis.
Most notably, healthy gut bacteria help your gastrointestinal tract digest and absorb nutrients. A healthy human gut microbiota means a supported immune system, improved brain function, and consistent bowel habits.
A Healthy Gut Relies on Healthy Foods
In addition to limiting your consumption of alcohol, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, and ultra-processed foods, you should focus on filling your diet with prebiotic and probiotic foods.
Many healthcare professionals recommend "eating the rainbow" by mixing various plant-based foods in your diet.
It's a good idea to also eat foods that contain whole grains and lean proteins, which can encourage a diverse microbiome and reintroduce healthy gut bacteria to your body.
#2. Eat Plenty of Fruits and Veggies
Even if you never ate your kale as a kid, now is the time to make green foods a priority. You don't need to commit to a vegan lifestyle to support good gut health, but eating various plant-based foods will help you on this journey.
Fruits and vegetables contain polyphenols, compounds that can inhibit the growth of "bad" gut bacteria while supporting "good" bacteria.
Another excellent source of polyphenols is green tea, a soothing beverage made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant.
Green Tea is an Excellent Source of Polyphenols
JUARA's Soothing Island Comfort Green Tea features a mix of pineapple, ginger, and turmeric, natural ingredients that blend beautifully in order to calm the stomach.
This mix is rich in antioxidants, which can encourage better gut health naturally.
#3. Eat Probiotics and Prebiotics
To improve your gut health, you need to limit "bad" bacteria and support "good" bacteria. And eating probiotic and prebiotic foods is an excellent way to reintroduce healthy gut bacteria to your gut microbiome.
Probiotic Foods Contain Live Bacteria
Some limited research suggests that eating probiotics can help encourage the growth of healthy gut bacteria in your intestinal microbiome.
It's a good idea to eat probiotics once a day. Though probiotic supplements might seem like an easy way to ingest these powerful microorganisms, it's better to get them through fermented foods like kefir or kombucha.
Greek yogurt is one of the best probiotic foods out there, as it contains a plethora of gut-healthy probiotics and is high in protein.
Kefir is another dairy-based food that actually contains even more probiotics than regular yogurt — research even shows that consuming kefir can improve gut health by reducing inflammation and gut permeability.
Eat Fiber-Rich Foods That Contain Prebiotics
Probiotics and prebiotics go hand-in-hand.
Simply put, prebiotics provide the "food" for the beneficial bacteria in your gut microbiome. They support the existence of this "good" gut bacteria. Eating foods rich in fiber and prebiotics ensures that these gut microorganisms can grow and thrive.
Prebiotics are a type of fiber that isn't digested in the small intestine but instead travels to the colon before being naturally fermented.
But that's not all that prebiotic- and dietary fiber-rich foods are good for. They can even help prevent blood sugar spikes, improve heart health, and lower cholesterol.
Many fruits and veggies contain prebiotics. But you can also get this form of fiber from foods like oats, artichokes, bananas, asparagus, blueberries, nuts, some whole grains, and even garlic.
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#4. Get Enough Sleep Each Night
Not sleeping enough can have some serious effects on your overall health.
Research shows that chronic sleep disruption can affect your gut microbiota. This can throw off your body's natural balance and inner harmony. Your beauty sleep is important for more than just looks!
#5. Reduce Your Stress Levels
Stress can greatly affect your overall well-being, including your immune system, mental health, and gut microbiome. Finding ways to manage and reduce your stress levels is essential if you want to look and feel your best!
Self-care is an excellent way to infuse your life with more peace and tranquility. Whether that means drinking health-boosting Jamu tonics like our Tolak Angin herbal elixir or pampering yourself with a rich and creamy body lotion, self-love is essential.
This Jamu Wellness Gift from beauty and wellness brand JUARA features all of the essentials for a more holistic life, inside and out. From our iconic "Jamu Lifestyle" book to any of our luxurious skincare products, we have everything you need to live a stress-free, healthy life.
Final Thoughts
An unhealthy gut can manifest as an upset stomach or inconsistent bowel movements. But, sometimes, it can be hard to tell if your stomach is in need of a savior.
Regardless, improving your gut health naturally is key to a happy and healthy life.
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