The choices we make in foods and products we consume have a large effect on our gut health. This should be unsurprising as this foods we eat go to our gut to be digested and thus what we choose to send there can easily influence our microbial communities. Therefore, while our choice may be intentional or unintentional, it is beneficial to be aware of the different effects our nutritional choices have on our gut.
I am fairly intentional about which foods I am consuming to try and eat healthy as well as get a good balance in my nutrition. For example, I try to get a good balance of meat and vegetables and I try to eat leafy greens when I can to get in more fiber in my diet or eat fruits like blueberries. I also like to make sure I am eating enough carbohydrates and healthy fats for energy throughout the day. Within balancing meat, vegetables, and carbs, I try to vary the source of each of these to promote a diverse diet and variety of nutrients. This helps promote a healthier and more diverse gut microbiota. For example, red meat can be potentially harmful to our gut because it promotes the proliferation of bad bacteria, so I try to balance this out with fish and chicken in my diet.
As for choices that I make that unintentionally benefit my gut, there are some foods which I consume a lot of for my personal taste and not for nutritional value. Fruit makes up a large part of my diet simply because I love fruit. However, after conducting some research I found that many fruits that are good for maintaining health in the gut. For example, apples increase SCFA content, which is one of bacteria’s favorite nutrients. Another ingredient that I found is actually very beneficial for our gut is garlic; garlic increases bifidobacteria in our gut, which we have found decreases the risk of gastrointestinal disease.
I do not use supplements, prebiotics, or probiotics besides those which are already present in my food. If I were to use these, however, I could potentially have a healthier gut and it would stimulate the colonization of healthy bacteria and decrease the presence of harmful ones.
