Having a healthy gut isn’t just crucial for busy moms because it helps us absorb all the vital nutrients we need. Indeed research shows that there are many more benefits to gut health, from fighting depression and anxiety to boosting fat loss. Yep, that’s right. The microscopic ecosystem that lives in our bellies is vital for all aspects of health and well-being, so we had better do our best to take care of it. The good news is that even as busy moms, we can do several things to make sure this ecosystem is as healthy as possible. Read on to find out more.
Add more fiber to your diet.
It will come as no surprise that fiber is good for your gut health. Indeed, we are all already away, that it helps things to move along more smoothly down there!
Sadly, even though we are aware of the benefits of a diet high in fiber, we can struggle to consume enough. With this in mind, the best sources of dietary fiber are whole foods. These are ones that our bodies have to work a little harder at digesting and breaking down. Think veggies, fruits, whole grains, and lentils here, especially raw fruits and veg with the skins on as these will have the maximum amount of fiber possible.
Cut your consumption of inflammatory foods.
It seems that when it comes to gut health, vegetarians and vegans have the right idea! The reason is that both dairy and meat can act as inflammatory agents in the gut. Animal products are not the only inflammatory food, though as sugar, and trans fats are also on the no-no list. With that in mind, cutting down the amount of these substances in your diet is a smart move if you want to maintain good gut health.
After all, an inflamed gut will struggle to absorb all those vital nutrients essential to well-being. In some cases, inflammation can even lead to conditions such as Crohn’s. To that end, a diet that is richer in plant-based products and limiting your intake of sugar is the best approach here. Happily, such a diet will also help you up your fiber intake, which we know from above can also have an excellent effect on gut health.
Prebiotics, probiotics, and other supplements
Do you know the difference between prebiotics and probiotics? Many people don’t, and they aren’t too sure of the benefits of taking them either! Basically, both pre and probiotics are related to encouraging the growth of good bacteria in your gut.
Probiotics are live strains of this bacteria, while prebiotics are the food that such bacteria need to thrive. So, in essence, what you need is a mixture of both for optimum gut health.
The good news is that there are several ways you can increase the amount of probiotics you take in. The first is to choose fermented foods like tempeh and kimchi to your diet. Although you must always choose versions that contain active cultures. Usually, you can tell this from whether they need to be refrigerated or not, with those products not requiring refrigeration not containing live bacteria.
Additionally, you can also increase your numbers of both probiotics and prebiotics by taking supplements in tablet or capsule form. Indeed, the benefits of taking prebiotics are as varied as introducing more good bacteria to your system through probiotics. A topic you can read more about by clicking on the previous link.
There are other supplements that help support a healthy gut. Take for instance turmeric, which has both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. There are supplement blends designed to support a healthy gut as well, such as the FODZYME supplement.
Supplements are a good way to support your overall health, but be sure to read the ingredients and choose carefully. Look for a product naturally formulated with holistic remedies, vitamins, and minerals, to provide your body with overall support. A well rounded supplement provides much more than just a multivitamin.
Be mindful of the harm antibiotics can do
Of course, antibiotics are a wonderful thing, as they help us fight off bacterial infection. Indeed, they can be vital in the treatment of more serious bacterial diseases such as bronchitis. However, using antibiotics can often come with a risk to gut health. The reason being that they tend to be unable to discern the good from the harmful bacteria in the body and end up killing off both!
With that in mind, it is well worth thinking twice before taking antibiotics, especially for less severe conditions. Although if your doctor recommends antibiotic treatment, then taking a probiotic as mentioned above can help minimize the damage to the gut and help keep your microbiome as healthy as possible.
Try the FODMAP diet.
You can also encourage gut health, even as a busy mom is to try the FODMAP diet. FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates that the intestine can struggle to absorb—something that can cause digestive and gut issues in many people.
A low FODMAP diet is a way of eating that encourages good bacteria growth in the gut. Although it is worth pointing out that the FODMAP approach isn’t about cutting out any food, but rather decreasing the amount of high FODMAP foods and increasing the amount of low Fodmap ones.
Foods that are particularly high in FODMAPs and that should be reduced include fruits like apples and avocados and watermelons, milk and milk-based products like ice cream, sweeteners such as honey, and even veggies like lettuce, onions, and leeks.
Even some legumes like lentils and kidney beans can be high in FODMAPs, which can surprise many people!
In contrast, foods that are low in FODMAPs should be increased for gut health. These include bananas, rhubarb, grapefruit, and veggies such as carrots, eggplant, and green beans. Lactose-free dairy products and hard cheese are also acceptable on a low FODMAP diet.
Indeed, bananas make a particularly great low FODMAP snack for the busy mom. After all, they contain lots of energy and require no preparation, and can be popped into your purse to grab while you are on the go!
Of course, many more foods fit in the low and high FODMAP categories than have been mentioned here. Therefore it’s well worth doing some detailed research on what you should and shouldn’t eat before beginning this way of eating. Oh, and don’t forget to check with your dr first, too! In fact, they may be able to suggest even more relatively easy ways that even busy moms can do to boost our gut health.
I need to be honest. I’ve been eating a lot of these inflammatory foods. And seems I need to watch what I eat. Though, kimchi is a staple in our house.
Such great and helpful information in taking care of our gut health. Thank you so much for sharing this with us, I really appreciate it.
I do want to have better gut health. I’ll keep these in mind. I tend to eat all the foods I shouldn’t!
I do want to keep my gut healthy. I should make a batch of kimchi as my husband would love it.
This post is really informative, I’ve been working on my gut health.
Ohh! This kind of information that I wanted to know about food. I’ll keep these in mind. Thanks for this helpful information post about food.
I really need to be better about limiting my consumption of foods that cause inflammation.
These tips are so useful. I need to take probiotics and prebiotics supplements. My gut needs some help!
We always have kimchi in stock at home. We love having it with any meal. Delicious and super healthy too. But of course, I should still try to avoid those foods that might give me gut problems. Thanks for sharing this article.
I’ve been working on cutting down sugar. I’m getting there slowly which is great.
It is very important we take care of all aspects of our health, from our gut to our blood, heart, and other muscles.
Gut health is so important. I take probiotics every single day and I also try to consume foods like kombucha and sauerkraut for more gut benefits.
I’ll have to pass this on to my mom, she eats a lot of fruits and vegetables, but still has problems with her gut. Maybe she’s eating the wrong ones.
This article is very informative. I’ve learned a lot! Thanks for this!