Healthy Living, Nutrition

Suffering from bloating?

by Matt Elphick

17/02/2021

Blog Suffering from bloating?

If digestive issues are leaving you uncomfortable and tired, you may not feel like trying new foods.

But there are three groups of foods that can support your digestion, lower inflammation, and get your microbiome back into balance.

Adding a few of these foods to your diet can make a world of difference to your gut health.

Studies have shown that one of the main factors influencing the diversity of the gut microbiome is diet.

Eating the wrong foods can increase inflammation, impair nutrient absorption, and weaken your immunity. Adding these gut-healthy foods to your gut can do the exact opposite.

The good news is that these gut-healing foods are delicious and readily-available! Let’s take a closer look.

Prebiotic Foods

Prebiotics are a type of fibre that can’t be broken down by the digestive system.

This fibre passes through the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract undigested, and is then moved through to the small intestine. It then passes down to the colon and is fermented by your gut microflora.

Simply put, prebiotics are a kind of ‘food’ for your healthy gut bacteria. In fact, prebiotics are particularly beneficial to digestive health.

Good examples of prebiotics include:

• Onions

• Leeks

• Asparagus

• Chicory Root

• Dandelion Greens

• Jerusalem Artichoke

• Garlic

• Konjac Root

• Burdock Root

• Flaxseeds

Fermented Foods

Fermented foods are rich in beneficial bacteria and easy-to-absorb nutrients. This is because they’ve been naturally fermented by bacteria – the same way bacteria break down food in your gut.

These foods are already partially broken down, making them both easier to digest AND a fast way to deliver nutrients to your gut.

Fermented foods have the ability to reduce inflammation in the gut, improve your gut flora, support healthy digestion and the absorption of minerals, and even improve mental health.

Some good examples of probiotic foods include sauerkraut, kvass, kefir, yogurt, and apple cider vinegar.

You can eat fermented foods even if you are already taking a high-quality probiotic. If you aren’t, get in touch and we can recommend our great quality Neolife Probiotic.

Gut Healing Foods

There are a few other foods that you can add to your diet to promote excellent gut health.

1. Bone Broth

This ancient food has been used for centuries to heal ailments of all kinds. It’s rich in nutrients, highly digestible, full of flavour, and the best thing for a sore, inflammed gut.

2. Oily Fish

Wild, oily fish are a rich source of Omega 3 fatty acids, the most important of all fats. Every cell in your body requires healthy fat to function – and none so more than the cells lining the walls of your gut!

3. Turmeric Latte

Turmeric is well-known for its anti-inflammatory properties, and they apply to gut health as much as any other part of your body.

But to maximize its bioavailability, you need to take turmeric with some healthy fats and black pepper. That’s how the turmeric latte came about: it’s a mixture of coconut milk, black pepper and turmeric. Yummy!! Give it a try!!

Taken together as a warming drink, this formula can help to heal an inflamed gut and restore healthy microbial balance.

If you have any questions do get in touch with us, we are happy to help