Posted by Gut health is the talk of the town, and for good reason. Endless amounts of research shows how important our gut is for our overall health, and positive discussions about what we can do to fuel our gut are becoming more frequent, which is fantastic. It can be overwhelming though with a lot of advice out there, so we’re here to introduce 5 simple swaps that you can make to begin your gut health journey and improve your health naturally, without all the complications.
Yogurt For Kefir
One of the best swaps you can make for your gut health is to change your yogurt for Kefir Yogurt. Kefir is a fermented yogurt product that contains fantastic live cultures that our gut needs to work to its full potential. Introducing fermented foods like Kefir often results in less bloating, a stronger immune system, better mood and less inflammation, so it’s absolutely worth incorporating.
When you’re next at the supermarket, simply pick up Kefir instead of your normal yogurt, and use it however you usually would. You can also get flavoured Kefir yogurts, so if you snack on yogurt, it will be no different! From delicious yogurt bowls to creamy curries and everything in between, Kefir is a fantastic change to support your gut health.
Refined White Carbs For Wholegrains
Another great change you can make for your gut health is to swap refined white carbs for wholegrains. White carbs like bread, pasta and rice often have some of the most beneficial grains removed, whereas they are retained in wholegrains (it’s quite literally in the name!). As a result, you benefit from more fiber, B vitamins, iron, antioxidants, magnesium and more, to support digestion, to fuel our gut microbiome and to keep us feeling fuller for longer. This means we’re less likely to reach for snacks that won’t benefit our gut, and we’ll instead stick to meals that are good for us.
Stress For Calm
Something that can really impact our gut health is stress. Our brains and gut are directly connected through the vagus nerve, so when we’re stressed, our gut health suffers, and when we don’t look after our gut, we can feel more stressed. So, looking at ways to reduce stress in our lives can be really beneficial for not only our gut health, but also our overall health.
If you have a heavy workload at work, talk to your manager about options to avoid burnout. If you have financial problems that are causing stress, face them head on with a financial advisor and come up with a clear plan. If you’re going through a major life change, like moving house or you’re pregnant, create clear lists of everything you need to do and add as you go, so everything is in one place. Gut health is much more than what you eat, and protecting your mental health and minimising stress is an important part of this.
Sugary Drinks For Water
Something else you should do is start to swap out sugary drinks for water. This may be a process, especially if you currently drink quite a lot of sugary drinks, however it’s an important one. Sugary drinks can cause inflammation in the gut, and disrupt the balance of healthy bacteria that produce essential compounds to keep us happy and healthy. The imbalance can prevent our gut from absorbing nutrients properly and it can disrupt healthy digestion, so it’s important to reduce your intake of sugary drinks.
Start by changing one of your sugary drinks per day with a glass of water, or reducing from 2 teaspoons of sugar to 1 in your tea and coffee. From here, you’ll start to adjust, and you can gradually reduce your intake of sugary drinks over time. When you’re also increasing water at the same time, your gut will benefit further, as it helps to support nutrient absorption, prevent constipation, breaks down food in a healthy way, as well as helping gut bacteria to thrive.
Sugary Treats For Wholefood Treats
On a similar vein, a positive change is to swap out sugary treats for wholefood treats. We’ve discussed the impact that sugar can have on our gut health, and this is the same case with treats, particularly when they’re heavily processed. Instead, eating more natural sweet treats will help to satisfy our sweet tooth, whilst also not holding back the potential of our gut health.
Instead of a chocolate bar at the end of the night, swap it for dates filled with natural peanut butter, dipped in a melted high percentage cocoa chocolate, and sprinkled with dark chocolate. Instead of cookies, make your own cookie dough with almond or oat flour, dark chocolate chips, vanilla, honey and a pinch of salt. Instead of normal brownies, try sweet potato brownies that are packed full of antioxidants and have the most delicious texture. There are so many delicious recipes out there for you to try, and you can make them in bulk and keep them in the freezer so you always have something delicious on hand when you want something sweet.