A huge food trend of this year has been the nourishing foods that are centric to our health. In a pandemic inflicted world, the worry to keep your immunity boosted has made us focus on various other aspects of health and fitness, including looking after our gut’s health. The first thing to take care of when maintaining a good gut health is the food that you intake. Specific foods have been linked to boosting your gut’s health. A happy gut automatically leads to a feel good life. Basis research, food scientists have narrowed down on the following foods that can help you boost your gut health:
1) Yoghurt
Yoghurt is a fermented product that’s made by fermenting milk with a yoghurt culture. This dairy product is high in probiotics, calcium and vitamins that helps to boost gut microbia. For the uninitiated, there are billions of bacteria living in our body and some of them are beneficial to us. The probiotics present in Yoghurt are similar to the good bacteria in our gut that help to keep our gut health in tact. As a result they soothe our tummies and regulate our gut health.
2) Kimchi
Just like yoghurt, Kimchi is a fermented dish that’s traditionally made by combining cabbage, scallions, or radishes in a brine with garlic, ginger, chili pepper, and fish sauce. The ingredients are then set down to ferment. As a result of this, Kimchi is rich in antioxidants and probiotics - both of which are instrumental in helping to boost gut health. Have you ever wondered why it is necessary to maintain a good level of good microbes in your gut? This can help you in reducing the unpleasant and unhealthy symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders.
3) Bananas
Bananas are a great source of potassium and vitamins. A banana’s high potassium levels help your kidneys flush out extra water and salt from your body. They are also full of fibers which helps a lot in regulating digestion. Bananas also have a soluble fiber called pectin in them. It is because of a high quantity of this fiber that bowel functions are normalised and cholesterol is lowered. The fibrous banana also helps to reduce bloating. Apart from all of this, a banana has what’s called as the resistant starch. This quality of banana has a prebiotic effect leading to the build up of good bacteria in the gut.
4) Garlic
Garlic is one of your best friends if you are looking to boost gut health. High in an indigestible functional fibre called Inulin, just like all the above listed foods, garlic also contributes to increasing the good bacteria in your gut. Garlic also provides a good environment for all the good bacteria that already exists in your gut, to thrive and reduces the chances of harmful gut bacteria to grow. However, it’s important to know that the more a garlic is cooked, the more it starts losing its properties as a prebiotic.
5) Fatty Fish
Fatty and oily fish is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids that are hugely beneficial to our overall health. As our body can not produce Omega-3, we rely on dietary sources for it. The fatty acids present in Omega-3 is linked to lower blood pressure and good heart health. It is also linked to improving the diversity of good bacteria in the gut. A gut with low microbial diversity can pose exposure to some serious gastrointestinal diseases. To boost your gut health, choose to include fatty fish in your diet.