jamesjkhang30

[jamesjkhang30]

Gut Health 101

3 Proven Methods To Help Keep Your Gut Healthy!

Photographer: Aaron Burden | Source: Unsplash

Try Optimizing Your Gut Health with a Plant Based Diet

Photographer: Scott Warman | Source: Unsplash

Remember, you don’t have to fully go vegan. Here are some tips to do on and off, or regularly alongside a full-fledged carnivore diet. The point is add more greens!

A plant-based diet can improve health and prevent disease by feeding the good bacteria in your digestive tract.

Trillions of bacteria live in your digestive tract and play an important role in health. Of the thousands of species of gut microbes that live in your gut, however, some are healthy for your body—while others are not. 

A healthful plant-based diet improves the health and diversity of your gut microbes, preventing and treating conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and inflammation associated with autoimmune diseases.

“Did you know we are only 10 percent human? Ninety percent of our cells are nonhuman, microbial cells. Since our diet influences our microbes, it’s true: We really are what we eat. ”

Meghan Jardine, M.S., M.B.A., R.D., L.D., C.D.E., Associate Director of Diabetes Nutrition Education, Physicians Committee

Here’s 7 Things You Can Throw In! That Improves Your Gut Health!

Remember it’s not all about your diet. Keeping your gut health involves stress management, getting sleep and staying hydrated..

1. Lower your stress levels

Chronic high levels of stress are hard on your whole body, including your gut. Some ways to lower stress may include meditation, walking, getting a massage, spending time with friends or family, diffusing essential oils, decreasing caffeine intake, laughing, yoga, or having a pet. Here are 10 ways to reduce feeling stressed.

2. Get enough sleep

Not getting enough or sufficient quality of sleep can have serious impacts on your gut health, which can in turn contribute to more sleep issues. Try to prioritize getting at least 7–8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night. Your doctor may be able to help if you have trouble sleeping.

3. Eat slowly

Chewing your food thoroughly and eating your meals more slowly can help promote full digestion and absorption of nutrients. This may help you reduce digestive discomfort and maintain a healthy gut.

4. Stay hydrated

Drinking plenty of water has been shown to have a beneficial effect on the mucosal lining of the intestines, as well as on the balance of good bacteria in the gut. Staying hydrated is a simple way to promote a healthy gut.

5. Take a prebiotic or probiotic

Adding a prebiotic or probiotic supplement to your diet may be a great way to improve your gut health. Prebiotics provide “food” meant to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, while probiotics are live good bacteria. People with bacterial overgrowth, such as SIBO, should not take probiotics. Not all probiotic supplements are high quality or will actually provide benefit. It’s best to consult your healthcare provider when choosing a probiotic or prebiotic supplement to ensure the best health benefit.

Show now for a probiotic or prebiotic supplement.

6. Check for food intolerances

If you have symptoms such as cramping, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, rashes, nausea, fatigue, and acid reflux, you may be suffering from a food intolerance. You can try eliminating common trigger foods to see if your symptoms improve. If you are able to identify a food or foods that are contributing to your symptoms, you may see a positive change in your digestive health by changing your eating habits.

7. Change your diet

Reducing the amount of processed, high-sugar, and high-fat foods that you eat can contribute to better gut health. Additionally, eating plenty of plant-based foods and lean protein can positively impact your gut. A diet high in fiber has been shown to contribute tremendously to a healthy gut microbiome.

3 Best Diet Habits For Optimal Gut Health

Collectively, they are known as your gut microbiota, and they are hugely important for your health. However, certain types of bacteria in your intestines can also contribute to many diseases.

Interestingly, the food that you eat greatly affects the types of bacteria that live inside you. Here are 10 science-based ways to improve your gut bacteria.

1. Eat a Diverse Range of Foods

Photographer: Nathan Dumlao | Source: Unsplash

There are hundreds of species of bacteria in your intestines. Each species plays a different role in your health and requires different nutrients for growth.

Generally speaking, a diverse microbiota is considered to be a healthy one. This is because the more species of bacteria you have, the greater number of health benefits they may be able to contribute to (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).

A diet consisting of different food types can lead to a diverse microbiota (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).

Unfortunately, the Western diet is not very diverse and is rich in fat and sugar. In fact, it is estimated that 75% of the world’s food is produced from only 12 plant and 5 animal species (5Trusted Source).

However, diets in certain rural regions are more diverse and rich in different plant sources.

A few studies have shown that gut microbiota diversity is much greater in people from rural regions of Africa and South America than those from Europe or the US (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).

BOTTOM LINE:Eating a diverse diet rich in whole foods can lead to a diverse microbiota, which is beneficial for your health.

2. Eat Lots of Vegetables, Legumes, Beans and Fruit

Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of nutrients for a healthy microbiota.

They are high in fiber, which can’t be digested by your body. However, fiber can be digested by certain bacteria in your gut, which stimulates their growth.

Beans and legumes also contain very high amounts of fiber.

Some high-fiber foods that are good for your gut bacteria include:

Raspberries

Artichokes

Green peas

Broccoli

Chickpeas

Lentils

Beans (kidney, pinto and white)

Whole grains

One study found that following a diet high in fruits and vegetables prevented the growth of some disease-causing bacteria (10Trusted Source).

Apples, artichokes, blueberries, almonds and pistachios have all been shown to increase Bifidobacteria in humans (11Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).

Bifidobacteria are considered beneficial bacteria, as they can help prevent intestinal inflammation and enhance gut health (15Trusted Source).

BOTTOM LINE:Many fruits and vegetables are high in fiber. Fiber promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, including Bifidobacteria.

3. Eat Fermented Foods

Fermented foods are foods altered by microbes.

The process of fermenting usually involves bacteria or yeasts converting the sugars in food to organic acids or alcohol. Examples of fermented foods include:

Yogurt

Kimchi

Sauerkraut

Kefir

Kombucha

Tempeh

Many of these foods are rich in lactobacilli, a type of bacteria that can benefit your health.

People who eat a lot of yogurt appear to have more lactobacilli in their intestines. These people also have fewer Enterobacteriaceae, a bacteria associated with inflammation and a number of chronic diseases (16Trusted Source).

Similarly, a number of studies have shown that yogurt consumption can beneficially modify intestinal bacteria and improve symptoms of lactose intolerance in both infants and adults (17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source).

Certain yogurt products may also reduce the abundance of certain disease-causing bacteria in people with irritable bowel syndrome.

Two studies showed that yogurt also enhanced the function and composition of the microbiota (20Trusted Source).

However, it is important to note that many yogurts, especially flavored yogurts, contain high levels of sugar.

Therefore, the best yogurt to consume is plain, natural yogurt. This kind of yogurt is made only of milk and bacteria mixtures, which are sometimes referred to as "starter cultures.”

Furthermore, fermented soybean milk may promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, while decreasing quantities of some other disease-causing bacteria. Kimchi may also benefit the gut flora.

if(window.strchfSettings === undefined) window.strchfSettings = {}; window.strchfSettings.stats = {url: "https://km.storychief.io/gut-health-101?id=1981389664&type=2",title: "Gut Health 101",id: "cad3bcc6-cd87-4570-bba5-a66c13d74cfe"}; (function(d, s, id) { var js, sjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {window.strchf.update(); return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://d37oebn0w9ir6a.cloudfront.net/scripts/v0/strchf.js"; js.async = true; sjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, sjs); }(document, 'script', 'storychief-jssdk'))

from Canada Berries Natural https://canadaberriesnaturals.com/gut-health-101/ from Canada Berries Naturals https://canadaberriesnaturals.tumblr.com/post/186481939343

[jamesjkhang30]

Antioxidants in Fruits

Fruits, especially berries, are full of antioxidants essential for good health.

What Are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are important disease-fighting compounds. Scientists believe they help prevent and repair the stress that comes from oxidation, a natural process that occurs during normal cell function. A small percentage of cells becomes damaged during oxidation and turns into free radicals, which can start a chain reaction to harming more cells and possibly disease. Unchecked free radical activity has been linked to cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.

This study assess antioxidant levels in more than 100 foods, including fruits, vegetables, cereals, breads, nuts, and spices.

Cranberries, blueberries, and blackberries ranked highest among the fruits studied. Apples ran a close second, and dried fruits were also leading contenders. Peaches, mangos, and melons, while scoring lower than berries, still contain plenty of antioxidants as well as other nutrients.

How to Get the Most Antixoidants From Fruits

However, there’s a catch: Even though some fruits and vegetables have a high antioxidant content, the body does not absorb all of it. The concept is called bioavailability, explains researcher Ronald Prior, PhD, a chemist and nutritionist with the USDA’s Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center in Little Rock, Ark. He authored the landmark antioxidant study.

Berries are the crown jewels of summer, the gems that inspire pies, parfaits, cobblers, ice cream treats, and whipped cream wonders. Best of all, berries deliver super-healthy antioxidants that help fight disease.

In fact, one landmark study shows that just one cup of berries provides all the disease-fighting antioxidants you need in a single day. Of course, dietitians will tell you, “Don’t stop there.” A healthy diet needs a variety of nutrients from many food sources.

Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries are plentiful in most corners of the U.S. “Berries are available almost year-round now…and even though they may be more expensive some times of the year, they’re still much more accessible than they used to be,” says Cindy Moore, MS, RD, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and director of nutritiontherapy at The Cleveland Clinic.

Berries and other foods figured in a major study published in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. This research provides a large comprehensive report of antioxidant content in fruits and vegetables. Berries won hands down, in providing the most antioxidant bang for the buck.

from Canada Berries Naturals http://canadaberriesnaturals.com/2019/07/08/antioxidants-in-fruits/ from Canada Berries Naturals https://canadaberriesnaturals.tumblr.com/post/186136584918