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Why Are Superfoods So Important for Gut Health?
Gut health is a form of wellness that many of us do not pay nearly enough attention to. Unfortunately, poor gut health can seriously impact your quality of life. This is especially true if you are constantly dealing with diarrhea, bloating, nausea, constipation, excess gas and more. That is why concentrating on gut health nourishment is so vital for overall wellness.
The fiber, antioxidant properties, and anti-inflammatory abilities of superfoods can help provide nourishment for healthy gut bacteria and gut lining integrity. So, what exactly are superfoods, and how do they help with gut health?
What Are Superfoods?
Superfood is a buzzword that many people use to talk about just about every fruit and vegetable under the sun. However, some fruits and vegetables add a far stronger kick to your health than others do.
That’s because "superfoods" contain more nutrient, vitamins and minerals than most other foods.
According to Livescience.com:
“Superfoods are foods — mostly plant-based but also some fish and dairy — that are thought to be nutritionally dense and thus good for one’s health. Blueberries, salmon, kale, and acai are just a few examples of foods that have garnered the “superfood” label 1 .”
That’s a pretty generic definition for a food group that reaches the hundreds. While you can’t go wrong eating any superfoods in your healthy gut diet plan, not all foods are created equally. Therefore, some are better than others for rebuilding gut flora and easing gastrointestinal issues.
Which Superfoods for Gut Health Should You Eat?
When you are consuming a superfood, you are getting quite the balanced meal. However, if you are looking toward healing a Leaky Gut, managing inflammatory bowel disease, restoring gut flora, or are wondering how to get rid of pathogenic bacteria in the gut, then you need specific superfoods.
You want to consume superfoods that are rich in:
- FIBER-prebiotics
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Healthy Fats to Repair Gut Lining)
- Complex Carbs (Prebiotics for Probiotics, Full of Micronutrients)
- Lean Protein (Low Cholesterol, Efficient Energy Like Medium-Chain Triglycerides)
- Antioxidants
That sounds like a lot of ground to cover. However, when you have an open map like a grocery list of superfoods, you can cover all that ground.
Best Superfoods for a Healthy Gut Diet Plan
Here are some of the best superfoods for gut health that check all the boxes we’re looking for to rebuild gut flora and ease gastrointestinal distress.
While there is no scientific or dietetic classification for what is a superfood and what is not, we can assume that all foods that have a fantastic nutritional profile are a superfood.
Nutrients in Superfoods for Gut Health
One thing that our bodies need to thrive are nutrients. Of the many nutrients, FIBER is especially needed for our gut to thrive! Luckily for us, superfoods tend to be full of them. For instance, kale has very few calories but has 4 grams of protein per cup of chopped greens and close to 6 g of fiber!
This smoothie regular also has 200% of your daily Vitamin A content, 700% of your regular Vitamin K, as well as a ton of Vitamin C, Calcium, Manganese, Iron, and more!
This not only makes kale one of the best superfoods for gut health but for skin care too! Want glowing skin and a happy gut? It all starts with good digestive health.
It's not always easy to carve out time to make sure you get enough gut boosting fiber filled foods in daily. Incorporating just one scoop of Ombre's Prebiotic Rise or Prebiotic Fiber with Super Greens daily, can help take that stress away! It's a daily dose of wellness designed to nurture your gut and energize your entire body!
Prebiotic fiber filled superfoods are crucial to the prosperity of beneficial bacteria in your gut biome.
Superfoods, Antioxidants, and the Immune-Gut Axis
Studies on foods like kale, blueberries, and lentils show that consuming the best foods for gut health can improve the diversity of intestinal flora in your microbiome. As a result, your body should benefit from better nutrient absorption altogether 3.
Superfoods are some of the richest sources of antioxidants you will find. Antioxidants play a pivotal role in not just our gut health but overall well-being. They are responsible for clearing out free radicals that can spring inflammatory responses or the growth of cancerous cells 4.
Research indicates that 80% of our immune cells are created from our gut flora 5. Therefore, consuming superfoods not only boosts your antioxidant level but it puts less strain on your gut. By consuming superfoods for gut health, you naturally help your immune system in two ways!
Anti-Inflammatory for Gut Flora
When your body deals with inflammation, it can negatively affect your gut health. Poor gut health can also boost inflammation in your body. Prolonged inflammation may cause problematic gastrointestinal issues such as Irritable Bowel Disease (IBS) 6.
Eating foods such as salmon, spirulina, blueberries, quinoa, and mushrooms may help decrease inflammation in your body. Without the inflammation raging, your gut biome becomes more susceptible to the growth of beneficial bacteria.
Junk Food and Poor Gut Health
Junk foods like processed foods and those high in sugar are known to be inflammatory 7. By consuming more superfoods and fewer junk foods, you will be on your way to rebuilding gut flora in no time.
This is a difficult task. Our lifestyle is set up for convenience. With convenience comes easy access to junk food.
By decreasing the presence of these foods in your life, will notice a vast improvement with GI issues. The more you cut these junk foods out, the less you will crave them.
In fact, you will feel so revitalized that when you revert back to these foods, the GI problems may appear intensified. This is even more fuel to the fire that will have you committed to a healthy gut diet plan.
Tips For Following A Healthy Diet Plan
We know that sounds like a lot to take in. So, here are a few tips for cutting out these inflammatory foods.
- First and foremost, make sure you are feeding your beneficial bacteria daily with enough FIBER!
- Figure Out Which Foods are Inflammatory
- Try The Elimination Diet
- Implement Clean Food Swaps for Your Favorite Foods
- Drink Teas to Cut Cravings
- EAT MORE SUPERFOODS
Eating a variety of superfoods that run the spectrum of colors will provide your body with balanced vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Additionally, our gut bacteria are like us, they love variety so the more diverse fruits and veggies you can incorporate the better! Aim for 30+ different types of fruits and vegetables weekly.
Managing Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Celiac Disease and Leaky Gut
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), celiac disease, leaky gut syndrome and other autoimmune diseases can negatively impact the gut's health and your overall well-being. Incorporating prebiotics into your diet can help manage these conditions, as they can nourish healthy gut microbes that support the gut lining, which tends to be inflamed in these conditions, and promote balance within the gut microbiome.
Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by the ingestion of gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. In people with celiac disease, gluten ingestion leads to damage to the intestinal lining, causing symptoms such as diarrhea, bloating, and weight loss. Strict adherence to a gluten-free diet is the primary treatment. Prebiotics and probiotic like foods can also support gut health in individuals with celiac disease.
Leaky Gut Syndrome
Leaky gut syndrome, or increased intestinal permeability, occurs when the lining of the intestine becomes damaged, allowing undigested food particles, toxins and bacteria to leave the digestive system and enter the bloodstream. Prebiotics and probiotics can help alleviate the symptoms of leaky gut syndrome by healing and strengthening the gut barrier, reducing inflammation, and improving the overall balance of the gut microbiome.
Fermented Foods can be Superfoods for Gut Health
While fermented foods are their own niche in the world of gut health, they also bleed over into the superfood category. That’s because the source of these fermented foods is rich in nutrients. This is especially true for fermented fruits.
Foods that have been fermented not only have the antioxidants and minerals of their sources but they grow probiotic bacteria from the fermentation process. Fermented foods, such as yogurt, kombucha, and kefir, are filled with probiotics that can benefit your gut health over time.
You should not rely on probiotic foods to fix all of your gastrointestinal problems. However, having them as a staple in a healthy gut diet plan can help you with many symptoms of gut inflammation, such as nausea, bloating, and diarrhea.
Prebiotic Fiber for Probiotics
Fiber is essential for your gut health, and plant-based superfood has a lot of it!
You can find plenty of prebiotic fiber that will feed your beneficial bacteria in:
- Dark Greens
- Whole Grains
- Quinoa
- Sweet Potatoes
- Seeds
- Nuts
- Berries
- Lentils
- Avocados
In addition to being ideal for feeding the beneficial bacteria in your gut biome, fiber helps flush it out!
Fiber and GI Problems
Unfortunately, most Americans do not consume even the lower end of our recommended fiber intake 8. Combining a low-fiber diet with an excess of macronutrients is a recipe for gastrointestinal disorders. It's no wonder why a third of Americans suffer from gastrointestinal issues.
Consuming great sources of fiber helps heal your gut lining and boost the health promoting probiotic bacteria in your gut, which aids in the digestion of food. By consuming fiber, you will go to the bathroom regularly and not experience painful symptoms of gastrointestinal distress such as cramping or bloating.
Adding Superfoods for Gut Health to Your Diet
All-in-all, superfoods are foods that we should be adding to our diet regardless of gut health benefits. They are rich in antioxidants and micronutrients that many miss out on following a Standard American Diet (SAD).
Whether it is kale, collard greens, Acai, or Kombucha, these superfoods can be vital when it comes to healing your gut and improving your quality of life. Just make sure you are getting a variety of colors on your plate to ensure a balanced intake of nutrition.
Resources
- 1 Wanjek, C. (2019, March 18). What Are Superfoods? Retrieved April 15, 2019, from https://www.livescience.com/34693-superfoods.html.
- 2 Lee, S., Keirsey, K. I., Kirkland, R., Grunewald, Z. I., Fischer, J. G., & De La Serre, C. B. (2018, February). Blueberry Supplementation Influences the Gut Microbiota, Inflammation, and Insulin Resistance in High-Fat-Diet-Fed Rats. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29490092.
- 3 Migliozzi, M., Thavarajah, D., Thavarajah, P., & Smith, P. (2015, November 11). Lentil and Kale: Complementary Nutrient-Rich Whole Food Sources to Combat Micronutrient and Calorie Malnutrition. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4663599/.
- 4 Griffiths, K., Aggarwal, B. B., Singh, R. B., Buttar, H. S., Wilson, D., & De Meester, F. (2016, August 01). Food Antioxidants and Their Anti-Inflammatory Properties: A Potential Role in Cardiovascular Diseases and Cancer Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5456284/.
- 5 “II. The Intestine as a Sensory Organ: Neural, Endocrine, and Immune Responses.” American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpgi.1999.277.5.G922.
- 6 Bhandari, S., MD. (2018, May 20). Your Gut Bacteria and Your Health. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/what-your-gut-bacteria-say-your-health#1.
- 7 Giugliano, D., Ceriello, A., & Esposito, K. (2006, August 15). The effects of diet on inflammation: Emphasis on the metabolic syndrome. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16904534.
- 8 Quagliani, D., & Felt-Gunderson, P. (2016, July 07). Closing America’s Fiber Intake Gap: Communication Strategies From a Food and Fiber Summit. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6124841/.
- 9 Dietary Fiber. (2019, February 07). Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/dietaryfiber.html.