One of the many health trends that has been going around TikTok and other social media platforms is the “Gut-Health” trend. Cleveland Clinic explains how your gut is made up of a miniature biome, which has trillions of microscopic organisms, consisting of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.
Maintaining good gut health is crucial and offers numerous significant benefits. Good gut health enables your body to properly digest essential nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, that you need. It is said that “70% of your immune system is in your gut” (Santias Medical Center). Having a healthy gut allows your body to fight off infections by balancing good and bad bacteria. Having a healthy gut can also help with symptoms of anxiety and depression. By not maintaining good gut health, you can be at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, IBS, heart disease, and more. Maintaining a healthy gut lowers your risk for many of these diseases.
The “gut-health” trend doesn’t consist of only drinking kombucha; there are plenty of other foods that can help you have a healthy gut. There are many foods that you can add to your daily diet to help improve gut health, such as whole grains (oats, brown rice, etc.), veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, and beans. A lot of these foods contain higher sources of fiber, which aids in digestion. If you are looking for fermented food and beverages like kombucha, some other alternatives are yogurt, kimchi, or other pickled veggies, and sourdough bread. These foods contain probiotics, which introduce bacteria to your intestines which allowing for the good bacteria to thrive.
Just as there are many foods to promote good gut health, there are also many that can do some damage. Some foods to avoid for a healthy gut include processed foods, gluten, dairy, fried foods, red meat, artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, alcohol, caffeine, and high fructose corn syrup. Obviously, it is not necessary to completely cut out all of these foods from your diet, but limiting the intake of these foods and ingredients can improve your gut health significantly.
Taking care of your gut health goes way beyond just what foods you eat. It is also important to take care of your mental well-being. Remember, you are what you eat; troubled skin, headaches, and nausea can all be symptoms of an unhealthy gut. It comes down to watching what foods you are eating, making sure you are drinking plenty of water (staying plenty hydrated!!), and managing stress levels, to give your gut the appropriate balance it needs to thrive!!