We all know that our guts are essential for digestion. However, what people might not know is that a healthy gut can also lead to a range of other health benefits, including improved immunity, stronger bones, and better weight management. It can even improve our mental health as the gut and brain are connected by a nerve called the vagus nerve. Almost all of our serotonin supply is created by gut bacteria, while other neurotransmitters (such as dopamine, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, and GABA) are also produced there.
So, how exactly do we maintain a healthy gut to reap all of these benefits? The key is naturally the food we eat, as this helps to influence the makeup of bacteria in our gut, known as the microbiome. This communicates with our immune cells, affects the central nervous system, and helps digest fiber (which in turn can prevent weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and the risk of cancer), among other functions.
Here are a few ingredients we should all consider incorporating into our diets to improve our gut health going forward.
1. Ginger
Ginger is not only delicious, but it also has huge advantages for our gut due to its anti-inflammatory properties. These include helping to prevent bloating, flatulence, and poor digestion by stimulating digestive acids and secretions, fighting stomach infections, and reducing gut inflammation. Meanwhile, other potential advantages of consuming ginger include enhanced blood glucose support, anti-cancer properties, and improved circulation.
There are many ways to incorporate ginger into our diets. For starters, it’s a staple ingredient in numerous recipes, adding a zesty, spicy flavor to meals. This includes everything from salads and soups to curries and chicken skewer recipes.
It’s also easy to drink ginger, with ginger tea the most obvious way of doing so. Simply cut up the herb, pour boiling water over it, and voila. Alternatively, ginger is a staple ingredient in kombucha, a fizzy, fermented beverage that has significant gut benefits in its own right. No 1 Living’s sugar-free ginger kombucha is one such example, which balances the spicy notes of ginger and turmeric (another superfood) against the raw kombucha’s tart taste.
2. Turmeric
Speaking of turmeric, Indian spice is also a great ingredient for gut health. Because of its own anti-inflammatory properties, research has shown that turmeric can mediate the gut’s inflammatory processes, something that makes it a particularly useful way of treating conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. It also supports digestion by relaxing the smooth muscles on the intestinal walls and inhibits the enzymes that can compromise stomach health, among other benefits.
Much like ginger, there are numerous recipes that call upon turmeric, giving us plenty of options for incorporating it into our diets. These include meals such as creamy turmeric chicken skillet, cauliflower cake, coconut chicken curry, and southwestern tofu scramble.
You can make turmeric tea too, or buy products from one of the many brands producing this type of beverage. Lacademie rates Traditional Medicinals’ Organic Turmeric Tea as the best on the market, praising its “earthy, warming, and savory” taste.
3. Extra virgin olive oil
Extracted from the fruit of the olive tree and purer than its counterparts, extra virgin olive oil has positive effects on gut microbiota and intestinal immunity, making it ideal for boosting gut health. According to a study released in 2021: “Extra-virgin olive oil affects the gut microbiota by reducing the abundance of pathogenic bacteria, stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria, and increasing the production of microbially produced short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which exert a wide range of anti-inflammatory effects.”
Olive oil is incredibly versatile, and as well as the uses outlined above, it can also be drizzled onto cooked vegetables, stirred through pasta, and used as a dip for bread. You can even add it to soup and use it to make cupcakes. Check out this guide by The Independent for a low-down on the best options on the market so that you can begin incorporating extra virgin olive oil into your diet.