The human gut is a complex ecosystem with trillions of microorganisms living in harmony.
One beneficial microorganism that lives in harmony with the gut is the beneficial bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus. When this bacterium is out of balance, it can cause various problems. The good bacteria in your gut can be killed off by bad bacteria that live there, and vice versa.
For example, if levels of Lactobacillus are low, the stool of an otherwise healthy individual may be alkaline. On the other hand, if levels of Lactobacillus are high, the stool of an otherwise healthy individual may be acidic.
There are many ways to improve your gut health and boost the levels of Lactobacillus, as discussed below:
Eat more whole grains, nuts, veggies & fruit
Whole grains help keep the digestive tract healthy by providing a fiber source for the gut bacteria. Fiber includes germs that digest food, so the more fiber you eat, the less you will digest, and your GI tract will stay clean and healthy.
Onions have been known to boost the gut flora in humans, as do garlic and leeks. They also provide a dose of allicin, an antibiotic that can kill off bad bacteria in your gut and form glutathione – yet another antioxidant that helps kill off bad bacteria in the gut. This antioxidant also helps increase your body’s ability to detoxify.
The beneficial bacteria in your gut feed off the B Vitamins, so boosting these B Vitamins and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables will supply your gut with food for the good bacteria.
Probiotics are a must
The best probiotic foods are kefir, kombucha, and sourdough bread or cakes. There are also supplements that contain a probiotic such as Real Probiotics..
Whenever you eat a portion of new food, it is important to take a probiotic at the same time to restore the balance in your body. The best way is to take one pill four times per day before eating something new, one hour between doses. Take it with juice or on an empty stomach, and once you have tasted the new food, see if your stomach feels better or not. You will be amazed at how quickly your digestive system will respond because you will be re-establishing a healthy life there before you start eating junk food.
The connection between your teeth and your gut
The bacteria in your mouth can go directly on to the rest of the digestive system, or they can be transported by saliva. Saliva and oral bacteria are an important part of your immune system, and together, they help you fight off disease and infection.
When bacteria from your teeth enter your bloodstream and circulate through the body, an inflammatory reaction may occur in any damaged tissue because of the constant attack on damaged tissue. Tooth decay results as a result of this inflammation. An infection in the trachea can also affect the lymphatic system, spreading to other body parts such as the gut and respiratory areas.
Your teeth and gums are your gut, and teeth are also connected to your ultimate health. You can tell when your teeth are clean because you feel a lot better when you brush your teeth, and there is less pain and irritation in the areas where they meet the skin.
Eat more dark chocolate and foods with polyphenols
Dark chocolate can increase your gut health because it contains a lot of polyphenols which are beneficial for your gut. The main antioxidants found in dark chocolate are flavanols and epicatechins. These antioxidants work to protect against cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory diseases and cancer. The flavanols help maintain healthy blood vessels and improve their function, while the epicatechins are anti-inflammatory, meaning that they can reduce inflammation in your gut.
Also, you should avoid processed food such as processed meats, white breads, and soft drinks, which are easy for bacteria to grow in because these foods often come from animals that are fed antibiotics. When meat is reared on an antibiotic-fed diet, the antibiotics will kill off the good bacteria in your gut. The same goes for most of the other foods that come from animals. Eating more dark chocolate and foods with polyphenols will go a long way toward improving your gut flora.
Blend in the spices
Many spices have been shown to have a beneficial effect on gut bacteria. Spices like turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and black pepper contain the compounds curcumin and gingerol, both anti-inflammatories. Turmeric also contains a compound called curcumin, an inhibitor of the enzyme production in your gut, which makes the bad bacteria multiply and create an inflammatory reaction in your gut. The role of turmeric players in your immune system is extensive because it helps your white blood cells fight off infections and help prevent cancer.
You should use cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and black pepper when you cook and eat foods that contain these spices, such as pumpkin pie or black pepper steak. This is one of the easiest ways to help improve your health.
Improve your gut flora with fermented foods
The fermentation process is the magical way that you can make good bacteria in your gut multiply by eating them in the form of fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir and miso. These fermented foods contain a myriad of probiotics which are needed for your gut to work properly, so eating one food from this group every day will go a long way towards increasing your health levels, boosting your digestion and reducing bloating as well as flatulence, as well as helping you to feel healthy and lose excess weight.
Fermented foods have been a secret in the past, but now that they can be a regular part of your diet. Fermented foods are powerful raw food which contain live bacteria, yeast, enzymes and organic acids that help to transform your foods into vegetables and fruits.
Get a good night’s sleep for gut health
When you are tired, your body can’t heal itself, but when you have eaten properly and have a good night’s sleep, your body can repair itself, and your immune system will naturally be able to defend you from colds and flu as other diseases. Your skin will also look healthy if you rest properly – one of the noticeable signs that your gut flora is working properly.
Good sleep is an important part of optimum health and is so important to your gut health because it means that you can digest your food properly and make the best use of the nutrients in this food so that they are used in your immune system to help prevent disease. A good night’s sleep also helps your skin look healthy and your eyes. How much sleep you need depends on how much you have been exercising during the day and whether you have eaten properly.
Get a good workout for gut health
A regular workout routine is an incredibly important part of your diet. You need to sweat and work out for at least one hour every day, or you will not be able to work on your gut health. The reason for this is that the movement of your body forces the lymphatic system to move through the body, getting rid of toxins and dead cells. This is vital if you maintain healthy levels in your immune system and healthy levels in your gut because these are both affected by all the toxins that are being pushed out into your body with exercise.
A good workout also helps improve your gut health levels because it strengthens your cardiovascular system and makes your digestive system work better. A good workout also helps you lose weight and get the body that you want, but you will be healthier for a longer period.
Avoid antibiotics
Antibiotics destroy the healthy bacteria in your gut and kill off the good bacteria, which will leave you vulnerable and open to all types of bad infections.
When you are ill and use antibiotics, you get a lot of abdominal pain, cramping, bloatiness and a sense of flu-like weakness that lasts for days after taking medicine. When antibiotics kill off the healthy bacteria in your gut, there is a major disruption in your digestive system, resulting in horrible symptoms. If it goes far enough, it leads to even more serious issues such as a heart attack or cancer.
To avoid antibiotics, try to get diagnosed as quickly as possible to control or eliminate the source of the problem. If you are ill, try your best to rest and recover naturally with all of these tips, which will help you get better without harming your body in any way.
Limit artificial sweeteners
The artificial sweeteners aspartame and sucralose will hurt your gut health because they have been shown to increase your inflammation levels. The artificial sweeteners also lead to sugar cravings which causes you to eat unhealthy sugar-rich foods with low nutritional value.
These sugar substitutes are found in many diet sodas and processed food, such as table syrup, packaged coffees, many yogurts, some flavored waters and protein bars. If you want to avoid these artificial sweeteners, then you need to stop buying these products or check the labels before you buy them because they are often found in products that sound healthy but aren’t so.
If possible, breastfeed for at least 6 months
Breastfeeding is one of the best ways to maintain healthy gut flora. The benefits of breastfeeding are numerous and include:
- Maintaining a healthy immune system.
- Improving mental health.
- Preventing obesity and type 2 diabetes, protecting your child’s bone health, and improving their cognitive development.
Breast milk also contains all the antibodies needed for your immune system to function properly. When you breastfeed, you naturally produce antibodies in your body, which will help boost your immune system to defend me from all these things that we sometimes get sick from. This is particularly important for all the things mentioned above – cancer, viruses and viruses in foods – when a child is breastfeeding, they are being protected from these infections.
Breastfeeding also helps keep the good bacteria in your gut healthy because when you breastfeed, your body needs a lot of energy. This produces acids that can help you avoid stomach ulcers by helping to digest food properly.
Eat foods rich in polyphenols
Polyphenols are found in many different foods but are especially abundant in green vegetables and particularly dark greens like spinach, kale and broccoli, and berries, tea, wine and cocoa.
Polyphenols help boost your immune system to help keep you healthy because they give you strength in the face of all of these common viruses that we get sick from all the time. Wheatgrass juice is a really good source of polyphenols, so take this every day.
Eat a plant-based diet
This is important for your gut health because your gut has a very difficult time digesting animal protein. A plant-based diet allows you to eat fewer overall calories, which means your digestive system has less work.
Therefore, don’t feel as bloated after you have eaten and don’t need to take as many bowel movements to eliminate the excess waste from the body, which is why a plant-based diet is extremely good for your gut health.
Take prebiotics
Prebiotics are important for a healthy gut and better digestion. Prebiotics are food for probiotics so they can thrive and create a rich environment in your gut. There are plenty of great foods that have prebiotic fiber or you can also choose to take a supplement like our Real Flora Fiber Prebiotic Gummies.
Conclusion
These tips are useful and better understand keeping your gut healthy. The best way to keep your gut healthy is to take an active interest in your health and do everything you can to make sure that you live a healthy lifestyle.