Gut health seems to be all anyone can talk about on social media right now, and I completely get why. A huge number of us have dealt with a long history of unexplained stomach problems…constantly researching strategies for relief with little success.
The recent increase in attention toward gut health has brought several additional correlates to poor gut health to light. In addition to an increased risk of gastrointestinal disorders, poor gut health has been found to be related to several autoimmune diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and even mental health conditions – making it all the more important to start taking our gut health seriously. It’s not just about bloating anymore.
Okay but… what is gut health anyways?
As previously mentioned, there has been considerable discussion on social media about the importance of improving our gut health, but little that actually explains what this means… which I’m kind of sick of.
According to Cleveland Clinic, when we talk about “gut health”, we are referring to the capacity for our entire digestive system and the microorganisms living inside of the digestive tract to function optimally. The digestive tract (aka, the gastrointestinal tract) is basically the internal path leading from your mouth to your anus from which food is ingested.
Now, those microorganisms are the key here. Whenever we ingest something, whether it be food or a drink, our body breaks it up into proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, and fats (aka, nutrients). With the help of our digestive system’s microorganisms, our body puts these nutrients to use.
For example, the microorganisms inside of the small and large intestines (aka, the gut microbiome) are what allow our bodies to regulate inflammation, healthily digest food, and metabolize what we put into our bodies.
When the gut microbiome is weak, it is unable to perform its job to the best of its capacity, which is when we start to see various unexplained stomach issues (e.g. bloating, diarrhea, constipation, etc.), as well as issues with immunity (i.e. due to its role in putting essential nutrients to use).
To learn more about gut health, please click here.
On the bright side, there are actionable steps that we can take to improve our gut health. That is, the vast majority of our gut issues stem from what we are putting into our bodies. And no- I’m not going to overcomplicate things for you and provide you with a long list of complicated recipes that you’re never going to actually make.
Rather, I have created a list of five simple grocery staples that you can easily incorporate into your diet/meal plan, allowing you to improve your gut health without the extra hassle.
1. Sauerkraut
When it comes to supporting our gut health, fermented foods are a must. Sauerkraut is a fermented form of cabbage, making it a great addition to a gut-friendly diet.
Fermented foods are helpful for:
- Providing the gut microbiome with probiotics, which help to support it.
- Diversifying microbes in the microbiome (i.e., which is linked to improved gut health).
- Producing lactobacillus – a healthy bacteria that aids in the promotion of balanced microbes, as well as ensuring that the linings of the intestines are protected.
How do we eat sauerkraut?
There are many unique ways to incorporate sauerkraut into your diet – each with a level of uniqueness that will allow you to have variety in your diet.
Have it as a topping on whatever you like.
- This could be as simple as adding it onto a sandwich or burger, or mixing it into a salad!
Eat it as a side.
- Sauerkraut is often consumed as a side with sausages, but nothing is stopping you from using it as a side with chicken, beef, or even seafood! This fermented vegetable is packed with flavour, making it an excellent way to add some variety to a simple meal.
Make kimchi.
- Kimchi is a great way to add a significant amount of flavour to your sauerkraut. Rather than just being sour and salty (like regular sauerkraut), kimchi adds spicy, earthy, and savoury flavours. Click here for a great homemade kimchi recipe!
Just eat a spoonful on its own.
- If you’re like me and you’re a picky eater who is not too fond of the taste of sauerkraut, you may prefer to just eat a spoonful of it on its own once a day.
- Although it’s not my favourite, after recognizing the endless list of health benefits associated with sauerkraut, I decided to treat it like a morning vitamin. When I’m taking my other supplements, I grab my sauerkraut from the fridge and eat a heaping forkful of it.
Aside from its ability to heal our guts, sauerkraut can last for four to six months in the fridge once opened! With non-fermented fruits and vegetables, it is a constant struggle to buy just the right amount to ensure that no food is wasted.
Therefore, fermented vegetables like sauerkraut are an excellent, gut-friendly, and waste-friendly addition to your grocery list.
2. Chia seeds
Chia seeds are my absolute favourite. Not only are they good for gut health, but they are an amazing way to add texture to a meal, and can be incorporated in numerous ways.
Chia seeds help to support optimal gut health by:
- Acting as a prebiotic (i.e., due to their high fibre), which are crucial healthy gut bacteria.
- Detoxifying the intestines. Chia seeds transform into a gel-like substance when soaked in water, which allows them to undergo this detoxification.
- Repairing the lining of the intestines. Individuals with IBS greatly benefit from foods with higher fibre content, making chia seeds the perfect addition to a meal. The gel-like consistency of these seeds, once consumed, is what allows for the repair of intestinal linings.
- Constipation relief. Thanks to their high fibre content, the consumption of chia seeds promotes regularity in bowel movements- trust me, they work.
For more information on the links between chia seeds and improved gut health, please click here.
How do we incorporate chia seeds into our meals?
As mentioned, one of the great qualities of chia seeds is their capacity to be implemented into our diets in a variety of ways.
Add it as a topping on a yogurt bowl.
- Personally, this is my go-to method for eating chia seeds. I eat yogurt bowls almost every day, and we are seeing more and more creative recipes for them all across social media. Chia seeds are a great addition to yogurt because they are very neutral tasting, allowing you to enjoy your bowl as you normally would, but with more texture and significantly more fibre.
Sprinkle them onto a salad.
- Again, due to their neutral taste, chia seeds can be easily thrown onto a salad. I personally love adding fruits like strawberries into salads, and I find that chia seeds act as the perfect crunchy topping to complement them.
Make chia pudding.
- The latter two meal ideas are perfect for those (like me) who don’t feel like prepping anything in advance. However, if you do like meal-prepping your breakfasts beforehand, you may enjoy making chia pudding. The Healthy Kitchen provides us with 10 overnight recipes for chia seed puddings that you may want to check out!
Add them into pancakes… or another baked good!
- Throwing some chia seeds into your pancakes is a great way to ensure that you get enough fibre with your breakfast. Bonus points if you make protein pancakes!
Not only have chia seeds been demonstrated to be excellent for gut health and a great addition to several meals, but they also last extremely long – about 2 years when stored in the pantry and up to four years when stored in the fridge!
So, again, if you want to ensure that your groceries don’t go to waste, chia seeds are a must for your grocery list.
3. Avocados
Avocados are one of the healthiest foods you could eat, as they are high in fibre and healthy fat, providing our bodies with a great portion of our daily nutrients in just one serving. Plus, they taste amazing!
How do avocados support our gut health?
There are several health benefits associated with the consumption of avocados. Even having just one avocado a day has been found to improve gut health substantially. Particularly, these fibre-rich fruits contribute to gut health by:
- Providing the gut with pectin. Pectin facilitates the diversification of microbes in the microbiome, which is crucial for a healthy gut.
- Additionally, pectin allows for the survival of probiotic bacteria (aka, the good bacteria), which are required for optimal digestion of dietary fibre.
- Since avocados are very high in fibre (i.e., with about 7-10 grams in one avocado), their ability to put our good bacteria to work is what makes them easy to digest. Plus, foods that are high in fibre (as mentioned) can help to relieve constipation.
Considering all of these undeniable health benefits, and the fact that they are delicious, why wouldn’t you want to start eating avocados regularly? Go order those guac and chips!
For more information on the benefits of avocados for gut health, their nutritional content, and different ways to incorporate them into your diet, please click here.
4. Berries
I could talk about berries all day. For one, they’re delicious (especially if you’ve got a sweet tooth, like me). But berries are also packed with nutrients that can significantly improve our gut health. It’s a win-win!
Berries’ role in healing the gut:
- They are rich in antioxidants. Out of a long list of commonly consumed fruits, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries have been found to have the largest quantity of antioxidants (e.g., anthocyanins and ellagic acid).
- Antioxidants are crucial for reducing inflammation, protecting the intestinal lining, acting as prebiotics (which feed the good bacteria), and reducing stress in the gastrointestinal tract – all of which allow the gut to function optimally.
- Berries are very high in fibre (e.g., 100g of raspberries contains 6.5 grams of fibre). As mentioned, fibre is crucial for digestion, as it adds bulk to your stool, allowing it to pass more quickly.
Berries are a great high-fibre, low-calorie snack on their own. However, they are also a great topping on yogurt bowls, oats, and salads!
Tip: It is a common misconception that freezing berries may reduce their nutrient content – this is not the case. If you are worried about wastage, it may be a good idea to buy frozen berries as an alternative to fresh ones, as they tend to go bad very quickly (especially raspberries)!
For more information on the countless health benefits of berries, please visit healthline.com.
5. Lentils
Not only are lentils packed with fibre, vitamins, and minerals, but when bought in a can, they are ready to eat with little preparation, making them a great addition to your grocery list.
Lentils can be eaten on their own if you wish, added to a salad, or even mixed into rice. But, if you did have some extra time to make something fancy, they are often consumed in a lentil soup – which happens to be delicious.
How do lentils support the gut?
Aside from being one of the legumes with the highest protein and fibre content, lentils have undeniable benefits for the gut microbiome, including, but not limited to:
- Allowing for regular bowel movements. Due to their high fibre content (10 grams in a cup!), lentils support the growth of healthy gut bacteria and add bulk to stool, which allows it to pass more smoothly.
- Encouraging microbial diversity in the gut microbiome. That is, due to their polyphenols.
- Protecting and strengthening the gut lining. The polyphenols in lentils have incredible antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which serve to strengthen the intestinal barrier and calm intestinal inflammation.
For more information on the countless health benefits of lentils, please visit healthline.com.
In addition to their undeniable capacity to improve our gut health, canned lentils can be stored in a dry spot (like your pantry) for three to five years! That way, even after purchasing them, you don’t have to be in any kind of a rush to eat them. With that being said, lentils may very well be considered a waste-friendly, gut-friendly addition to your grocery list.
Let’s Keep it Simple.
Supporting your gut doesn’t have to mean complicated routines or expensive supplements. Simple, whole foods, like lentils, berries, and sauerkraut pack a powerful punch—especially thanks to their fiber and polyphenol content.
Try adding one or two of these to your meals this week and notice how your digestion responds. Your gut (and your taste buds) might just thank you.
I will make an important note that many of these foods support the gut because of their high fibre content. Now, although fibre is crucial for gut health, it can have a backfiring effect if it is not consumed with enough water. As mentioned, fibre adds bulk to the stool, but without enough fluids to allow it to pass, it may back you up.
A good rule of thumb is to drink half of your body weight (in pounds) in ounces of water. Considering that one cup is 8 fluid ounces, a 140-pound woman, for instance, would need to aim to drink between 8.5-9 cups of water a day.
With all things considered, healing our guts is a crucial step to reaching optimal health and relieving discomfort. And all it takes to start is to start being mindful of what we are putting into our bodies.
I would love to hear if there are any specific foods that you noticed have improved your stomach issues. Feel free to leave a comment below!