Expert Reviewed
Balancing your digestive tract’s bacteria is always a plus. Having a healthy gut can afford you many things—positive mental function, regular digestion, clear skin, and more. An unhealthy gut composition has been linked to diseases and inflammation in the body. A GR8 solution? Improving it naturally.
1. Eat Some (Dark) Chocolate
You read that correctly. Yet another reason to enjoy some exquisite dark chocolate. Not only can breaking off a square reduce blood pressure and body weight, but it can help alter the gut microbiota. Apparently, the good bacteria in your belly actually eat up the dark chocolate, helping it to multiply and ferment. It then becomes a substance with anti-inflammatory properties.
2. Spice It Up
Guess what? Your gut likes it hot. So, eating more spicy foods is a good move. Eating spicy foods can have an anti-inflammatory effect in the stomach and reduce the amount of harmful acid. Other spices like ginger, turmeric, cumin, cardamom, fenugreek, and cinnamon are also beneficial for speeding and regulating metabolism through the gut.
3. Cut the Sugar
Eating white foods like refined white sugar is harmful to the gut. This type of sugar can drastically alter the gut function and bowel contents, which can lead to further issues with digestion and toxicity in the body. Not all sugar is bad for your gut though, (how criminal would that be?). However, certain sugars sourced from fruits like dates or figs are beneficial to gut function. Figs even contain prebiotics, which is like food for the good bacteria in your gut.
4. Fermented Foods are Friends
Your gut appreciates nothing more than fermented foods. They’re saturated with probiotics that help to regulate the existing bacteria in the gut. Just as well, fermented beverages like kombucha are of significant value to the health of your gut.
5. Work It Out
Setting aside the time to get moving is good for your gut. It can help to balance good bacteria. In contrast, a lack of exercise has been linked to an unhealthy gut. Try incorporating cardiovascular bodyweight workouts like high-intensity interval training or strength training for a boost in gut function.
6. Tell Stress to Say, Less
Stress is no one’s friend for a reason. Experiencing high levels of stress can reduce the essential diversity of your gut bacteria. Specifically, good bacteria. This type of deficiency can cause digestive irregularities.
7. Sleep It Off
Not getting enough sleep may be a threat to your gut bacteria. Research suggests that short-term effects of sleep deprivation have an impact on the composition and species that are populating in the gut. Additionally, a lack of sleep can affect insulin sensitivity or your guts’ ability to metabolize certain foods well. So, go ahead, hit that snooze button.
8. Brush Well
The gut, or your digestive tract, begins in the mouth. That said, making sure to brush your teeth well is critical. The mouth contains its own set of bacteria that can become imbalanced by lack of hygiene, which in turn can influence the bacteria in your belly negatively. Scrub them well in the name of gut health.
Improving your gut can be done with these simple recommendations. So grab that dark chocolate bar, okay?
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