5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Gut Health This Year

It's a new year, and a new chance to start fresh regarding your gut health. A healthy gut with a well-balanced microbiome is key to great overall health throughout your body. The following suggestions are just a few ways in which you can develop a healthier gut this year. All of the following tips call for small dietary changes. These changes can yield noticeable results in as quickly as a few weeks' time.

1. Eat More Plant-Based Food

Western culture puts a high value on meat. Though Veganism became a popular lifestyle in the last two decades, it's been ingrained in European and North American cultures that we don't have a well balanced diet if we aren't eating meat. This is believed to be true, even though health experts warn that meat consumption is a hazard to our hearts and our circulatory system.

If you're not ready to go Vegan or even Vegetarian, that's all right. Small steps are wonderful and worthy. However, reducing your meat consumption can positively contribute to a healthier micro biome. Eat foods such as nuts, grains, and greens to make up the majority of your diet. Soon, you're likely to be more energetic, lighter on your feet, and a lot healthier. 

2. Eat Whole Foods

In the same vein as eating more plants, you should make an effort to eat more whole foods if your goal is a healthier gut. Unlike heavily processed foods, whole foods are far less refined. Therefore, they take more time and effort to digest. When your gut has to work hard in order to digest your food, it cleanses itself of bad bacteria and promotes new bacteria which can be beneficial to your body.

Whole foods are typically raw, and they include plants such as grains and legumes. If you're unsure about whether a food might be considered raw or overly processed, focus on its ingredients and preparation. If it doesn't need much time to be ready to eat and it doesn't feature a long list of ingredients you cannot pronounce, it's safe to say the food is probably gut-healthy. If you have to cook the food for a long time or it has a lot of ingredients listed, the likelihood is high that it's very processed and therefore unhealthy.

3. Eat a Diverse Diet

Surprisingly, eating the same food every day does not do your gut any favors. This is true even if you eat a healthy diet of raw plants that take time and energy to digest. If you want a healthy gut, try to commit to switching your diet up every week or two. For instance, instead of eating a breakfast of eggs every morning, make yourself a hardy bowl of oats with fruit now and then. You can further vary your diet by relying on quality supplements. Research the supplements you're interested in, and incorporate the ones with the most nutrients. You can do your research using Thrive Reviews and other similar sites.

4. Eat Fermented Foods  

Eating food that may be considered spoiled is never a good option for your gut health. That said, the opposite is true about fermented food. This includes yogurts, kefir and even pickled cabbage. Food that is properly and safely fermented can drive your gut into action with a balance of positive and neutral bacteria. Fermented food can help your gut if you are constipated, for instance. It can also regulate your metabolic function, thus helping to reduce inflammation and lose any excess weight you may carry.

Growing good Gut Bacteria

Your gut is a growing micro biome that constantly shifts and changes. That's why it is important to maintain it's bacterial neutrality, and that's why it is good to constantly change what you eat. If you stay away from processed food and stick to what is known as unrefined foods, you are on your way to enjoying a healthy, well-maintained gut.