Gut health is crucial to our overall health, yet it often gets overlooked. A healthy gut is essential for the proper functioning of the body. On the other hand, an unhealthy gut is linked to various health issues. Here’s what you need to know to restore gut health.
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Learn 5 Science-backed Ways to Restore Gut Health
While the key to restoring gut health is changing diet and lifestyle, it depends on the individual’s body and gut flora. Therefore, when considering restoring your gut health, please consult with a doctor to see the best approach for you.
The five methods below focus on fasting to clear out harmful bacteria, foods that we should remove and include in the diet, and the probiotic supplements that add good bacteria to the body.
Do Intermittent Fasting
Not only can eating certain foods cause positive changes in the gut, but fasting and refraining from food can have the same effect. Intermittent fasting has recently gained a great deal of attention because of its ability to improve our gut health.
Intermittent fasting is characterized as abstaining from food for several hours or days. The gut benefits from this eating pattern because it allows the gut to rest and repopulate.
Intermittent fasting was also found to improve resistance to bacterial infection in one study. The findings show that periodic food deprivation stress mediated the benefits of intermittent fasting on infection resistance.
Remove Inflammatory Foods
Inflammatory foods, including processed foods containing refined flour, sugar, saturated fats, and chemical additives, negatively impact gut health by feeding harmful bacteria, resulting in gut imbalance and a general decline in health. Therefore, cut down on or eliminate inflammatory foods to maintain a healthy bacterial balance.
Eat Plant-based Foods
The best food for your gut bacteria is fiber. A high-fiber plant-based diet can help fight harmful bacteria, reduce inflammation, and promote healthy gut function. Consuming more plant-based foods leads to a diversity of gut microbes, which is beneficial. The more bacteria species you have, the more health benefits they may provide for your gut.
Aim to include fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds in your weekly diet to achieve a high-fiber eating regimen.
Eat Fermented Foods
Fermentation is the breakdown of sugars by bacteria and yeast. It improves food preservation and increases the number of good bacteria in food. As a result, consuming fermented foods can significantly improve gut microbiota by adding beneficial bacteria to the gut. Fermented foods can also help to diversify your microbiome and increase your immunity. Yogurt, kefir, kimchi, or pickles are fermented foods that restore gut health.
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Add Probiotic Supplements
Although eating can be sufficient if we get enough nutrients, probiotic supplements are sometimes required to restore gut health. Probiotic supplements can help certain people, especially those with difficulty meeting their nutritional needs through food, such as picky eaters or those with absorption problems.
Probiotic supplements are generally safe, and they are sometimes even recommended during antibiotics. Antibiotics kill both harmful and good bacteria in our gut microbiome. Therefore, people who need antibiotics for bacterial infections also need probiotic supplements.
In conclusion, no approach can apply to everyone since the gut is complex. The best way to restore gut health is to balance a healthy diet and lifestyle.
If you have questions about leaky gut diets or any health problems discussed here, connect with us and learn more.
At Peak Human, our team of healthcare professionals is dedicated to helping you reach your ‘peak’ health with a custom whole-person approach. Using the most cutting-edge, science-backed biohacking and aesthetic tools, technologies, and treatments available today, we help you achieve the highest physical/cognitive performance state, leading to an improved overall quality of life.
For questions or to book an appointment, don’t hesitate to contact us. Get personalized support and insight from expert physicians.
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