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What’s your gut feeling? According to mounting evidence, that’s one of the most important questions you can ask yourself when it comes to health. Your gut, after all, is responsible for letting in nutrients and water while keeping out toxins – as long as it’s working properly. Let it start to leak and it’ll allow substances into your bloodstream that shouldn’t be there, causing a host of problems. A healthy gut depends on good bacteria, a solid lining and a working immune system. Keep topped up on the nutrients below to maintain all three, but to give you a head start on gut bacteria here are five fast fixes.
Mushrooms are a fantastic food to help “pad out” meals to make them more filling without adding unnecessary calories – 100g of them contains just 22 calories. And a new study suggests that eating more of the fungus, specifically white button mushrooms, can have a big impact on achieving your weight-loss goal by improving gut health.
The research, published in the Journal Of Functional Foods, found these mushrooms work as a pre-biotic, providing nutrients to a certain type of healthy bacteria that plays a significant role in blood glucose management. Having more stable blood sugar levels helps maintain the optimal conditions for your body to burn fat for fuel, and diminishes cravings for high-sugar snacks. Ideally, the researchers suggest, you should eat around 85g of mushrooms a day.
Apple pectin is a prebiotic – a non-digestible nutrient that encourages the growth of good bacteria – and a Japanese study saw positive changes in a fortnight among volunteers who had two apples a day. Granny Smiths are best – crunch away.
A 2017 study from the University of Illinois had surprising results: endurance exercise alone can make positive changes to gut composition, producing short-chain fatty acids crucial to colon health and energy production.
Fermented foods are what your diet’s missing. When you’re shopping, go for the Ks: kefir, kombucha and kimchi will all fill your gut with healthy bacteria that promote digestion and help gut health – aim for at least one portion a day.
A 2015 study found that yoga and meditation induced genetic changes in the body that aided gut health in volunteers. Too much hassle? At least try to eat stress-free: avoid TV, phones and awkward conversations.
The active ingredient in turmeric protects your intestinal walls against the negative effects of a Western diet, helping prevent the proliferation of “bad” bacteria, suggests research published in 2014 by Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Use turmeric in curries, or toss a teaspoonful into rice or scrambled eggs.
Low vitamin D can decrease immune system function and is associated with bowel disorders. Sunlight is a natural source of Vitamin D, but from October until March the sun isn’t strong enough—the NHS estimates that one in five people are deficient. It’s easy to supplement: keep a bottle next to the toothpaste, and take it daily.
