Have you ever suffered from abdominal symptoms such as cramping, bloating, and lack of appetite? Have you had a bad week of strange bowel movements and thought you might have a tummy problem?

If your answer is yes, it must have been annoying and painful at the same time! To ensure that this does not happen again. In our article, we will talk about how to improve gut health, and we will touch on everything related to this topic.

What causes poor gut health? What is the treatment method? What does it mean to have a healthy gut?

Gut Health Introduction

Bacteria and other organisms, known as the intestinal microbiome, live in the intestines. These bacteria help break down food and transform it into various nutrients that benefit the body. The microbiome also affects a person’s physical and mental health.

Many factors affect the type and balance of bacteria present in your intestines, such as the foods you eat that affect,  in the long or short term, the microbiome environment in your intestines.

The intestine is defined as the digestive system. It contains the stomach and colon. It digests food, absorbs beneficial nutrients from it, and gets rid of waste.

Although there is no clear definition of the term gut health, and its differences between society, doctors, and medical professionals, we can define it in this article:

• The intestine contains a stable and healthy microbiome
• Having the right balance between gut bacteria and other microbes in your digestive system
• There are no annoying symptoms resulting from gastrointestinal diseases.

You must have heard of it and learned that improving gut health is desirable!

There are more than 200 species of viruses, fungi, and bacteria

In the large intestine, and as we said previously, we call the microbiome the bacteria and microorganisms present in the intestine, which are a useful type that helps the body obtain its nutrition. On the other hand, my dear, there is in the intestine a specific type of bacteria that is harmful to health and contributes greatly to your infection with some diseases.

Don't be afraid my butterfly! Although there are harmful bacteria, the largest percentage of bacteria present in the intestine are bacteria that are beneficial to, and necessary for, the health of your body.

If you do not know what the microbiome is, read on, my dear, to learn more about it and to be able to manage and alleviate digestive system symptoms.

Gut microbiome in detail

Some say that the term microbiome refers to all the viruses, bacteria, and fungi present in the human body! Research to date has identified 1,000 species of the microbiome.

They are found everywhere, such as the stomach, colon, ovarian follicles, uterus, prostate, lungs, ears, eyes, mouth, and skin.

Scientists divided bacteria into two groups:

• Aerobic: These are bacteria that need air, i.e. oxygen, to survive.
• Anaerobic: These are bacteria that do not need oxygen.

Bad Gut Health Causes

Many reasons lead to the appearance of digestive symptoms, which make you feel stomach discomfort and sometimes lead to pain in the abdominal area:

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease
• Peptic ulcers or gastritis
• Stomach bacteria infection
• Gastroparesis
• Stomach cancer
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Pancreatic diseases
• Gallstones
• Diabetes
• Thyroid diseases
• Medications such as antibiotics, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).
• Vitamins such as iron supplements and others.

Improving Gut Health Benefits 

“A healthy gut means you have a stronger immune system, better mood, efficient digestion without discomfort, and a healthy mind and heart,” says gastroenterologist and clinical trial supervisor at Ventura, Sabine Hazan.

The intestine breaks down food and absorbs nutrients from it, which in turn strengthens and supports the body to perform its functions to the fullest. The intestine performing its function and performing it correctly depends on how healthy and safe it is, so you must improve your gut health as much as you can.

Scientists are still researching the importance of the gut for overall health, and it is a popular topic among the medical community. Among the results obtained and confirmed is that the microbiome affects all organs of the body, and there are close links between improving gut health and the following:

• Digestion
• Sleep Quality
• Cancer
• Heart diseases and vascular diseases
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Other gastrointestinal diseases
• Gland diseases and disorders such as type 2 diabetes
• Immune system diseases
• Mental health and emotional stress
• Autoimmune diseases
• Behaviors, environment, and foods.

The wide variety of bacteria in your gut is evidence of the health of your microbiome.

Much research has indicated that gut health has a close relationship with your body’s general health. Did you know that the intestine communicates with the brain through hormones and nerves? This helps your body support general health and well-being, knowing that a healthy intestine contains immune cells and good bacteria that fight viruses and bacteria that cause disease.

Signs Indicate the Importance of Improving Gut Health

We previously talked about the intestinal microbiome, and that it can be affected by the foods we eat and the lifestyle we follow, such as little sleep, stress, lack of physical activity, adopting ultra-processed foods, drinking a lot of alcohol, smoking, and taking antibiotics. The microbiome is also affected by the environment around you, your age, the way you were born, etc. If you were breastfed or bottle-fed when you were young!

We cannot set a specific rule or use a specific measure to determine whether we need to improve gut health or not, but some signs indicate that your gut health is weak, including:

• You frequently suffer from infectious diseases such as influenza and colds
• Your emotional and mood state, such as your feeling of anxiety, extreme tension, and low mood.
• You feel exhausted
• Sleep disorders
• Digestive symptoms appear, such as heartburn, bloating, constipation, gas, and diarrhea.
• Suddenly losing weight
• Anemia
• Stomach pain
• Bleeding in the rectum

How to Improve Gut Health

Are you tired of feeling bloated and flatulent?

So you should start a plan that helps you improve your intestinal health, and changing your lifestyle and diet can fall into this plan, as they greatly help improve gut health.

Diet and improving gut health 

Since the intestine is affected by what you eat, and its health depends on the health of the microbiome, it is necessary to give it the fuel that suits it to obtain a healthy, balanced intestine. You may be wondering, my butterfly, how do I improve my diet to ensure that my intestinal health improves? Are there scientifically reliable ways to increase the gut microbiome?

The best way to have a healthy microbiome is to:

• You should increase the dietary fiber in your food, as it helps maintain balance, reduces your risk of gastrointestinal cancers, works to feed the beneficial bacteria present in it, and contributes greatly to improving intestinal health.
• Eat more fresh, complete foods that come from natural plant sources, such as vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fruits, nuts, and beans. They reduce inflammation and disease by preventing the growth of the bacteria that cause them.

Eating fibers and improving gut health

Dietary fiber is one of the most important foods that contribute to improving gut health, as it affects the function of your intestines, supports the digestion of foods, and the absorption of nutrients, and controls how slowly and quickly the process proceeds, as well as the quality of the stool.

The breakdown of dietary fiber by the gut microbiome leads to the formation of important products that may prevent the development of gastrointestinal diseases such as intestinal cancers.

Fiber also has many advantages and benefits apart from the digestive system, as it reduces the chances of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Fiber only comes from foods coming from plants. Here is a list of some foods that contain high levels of fiber:

• Seeds and nuts of all kinds
• Cereals
• Bread
• Legumes, including beans
• Fruit
• Vegetables

There is a type of fiber called probiotic fiber, and this fiber is one of the most important fibers that nourish the microbiome and represent a fertilizer for healthy bacteria in the intestine. It is not found in all the foods mentioned previously, but rather is found in certain foods, which we will tell you, my butterfly:

• Nuts such as almonds, cashews and pistachios
• Whole grains such as barley and oats
• Legumes such as beans, chickpeas, and kidney beans
• Vegetables such as onions and garlic

Madam, you should eat between 25 to 30 grams of fiber daily to ensure the improvement of your gut health.

Eating rich foods improves gut health

In the previous paragraphs, we talked about the importance of diet in improving gut health and the role of fiber in particular when it comes to bowel movement and speed. But we note, my dear, that the diversity of food in your diet contributes to the formation of a healthier and more diverse microbiome and thus performs its functions with greater quality, and therefore We advise you to eat at least 35 different foods each week. 

Avoiding processed food improves gut health

Eating fresh food that is close to its natural state without processing is one of the most important things you can do to improve your gut health.

You may say that it is rare to find foods that have not undergone some type of processing! You are right! So, my butterfly, choose foods that are less processed as much as you can, as these foods maintain their nutritional value more, and no sugar, salt, or unhealthy fats are added, or emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners, knowing that these substances if added to foods, may cause harm to your digestive system and constitute an obstacle to improving gut health.

Here we will mention a list of foods that are less processed, which are unprocessed foods, such as:

• Eggs
• Seafood such as salmon and tuna
• Lean red meat
• Poultry
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Whole grains
• Unflavored dairy products
• Honey is a healthy alternative to sugars

Here are some ultra-processed foods that you should avoid as much as you can:

• Salami meat
• Pork
• Lots of breakfast cereals and snacks
• Ready-made sweets
• Packaged snacks such as potato chips and chips.
• Sweeteners such as sucralose and aspartame

Drinking water and improving gut health

Drink plenty of water, as it is the best liquid we advise you to drink, because it helps improve your gut health, helps digest food, supports your body in the process of absorbing nutrients from foods, softens stool, and helps prevent constipation.

Drinking plenty of water can help diversify your gut microbiome and support its health.

In research conducted in 2022, researchers saw that people who drank plenty of water daily had fewer bacteria which led to infections in the digestive system.

Polyphenols-rich foods and gut health

Polyphenols belong to the group of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. They are found naturally in plants. They have several types, the number of which can reach 8 thousand. They are classified into subgroups according to their chemical composition. Flavonoids are among the most famous groups.

Absorption of polyphenols is limited in the small intestine, so they go to the large intestine and accumulate there, stimulating changes in the functions of the microbiome, reducing inflammation and the chances of diseases due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and preserving healthy cells and reducing their damage.

Polyphenols are found in various foods, including:

• Herbs and spices, such as turmeric, cloves, ginger, cumin, and cinnamon
• Nuts and seeds, such as hazelnuts
• Coffee
• Dark chocolate and cocoa
• Black and green tea
• Black olives
• Colored fruits and vegetables, for example, strawberries, cherries, and apples

Fermented foods and improving gut health

Sugars are broken down by bacteria found in fermented foods. These foods help support and improve gut health, including:

• Pickles of all kinds, such as cabbage, cucumbers and carrots
• Kimchi
• Yogurt
• Kefir (Indian mushroom)
• Kombucha tea (fermented drink)
• Tempeh, which is a traditional soy product grown naturally with a controlled fermentation process.

Studies and research related to fermented food are limited, but they indicate that fermented food helps improve gut health and brings many benefits to the digestive system.

Probiotics supplements and improving gut health

They are beneficial live bacteria found in foods, nutritional supplements, and drinks, and are similar to the beneficial bacteria found in the human body.

Probiotics supplements are famous for their many benefits to the health of the body, especially the digestive system. They treat and prevent diarrhea, reduce symptoms of the digestive system, relieve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, help reduce gas and bloating, support the body’s immunity, reduce weight, reduce fat, and many, many more benefits.

If your health is good, my butterfly, there is no need to take probiotic supplements to preserve your intestines. If you decide to take them, you should consult a doctor or nutritional consultant to find out whether probiotic supplements are safe for your body’s health or not.

Some foods naturally contain probiotics, including:

• Legumes
• Onions
• Garlic
• Grapefruit
• Asparagus

Garlick and improving gut health

Garlic contributes to increasing the number of good bacteria in the intestines, according to studies conducted on a group of mice in 2019.

Limiting alcohol consumption and improving gut health

Drinking large amounts of alcohol affects the microbiome in the digestive system, causes a malfunction in its work, and leads to gastritis. The inflammation can develop into ulcers, discomfort, and stomach pain. Drinking alcohol also leads to:

• Slow bowel movement
• Increased production of acids and gastrin
• Diarrhea
• Malabsorption

Collagen stimulating food and improving gut health

Collagen helps increase the freshness of the skin, but its role is not limited to that only, it also helps improve gut health. We advise you to eat foods that support its production in the body, such as citrus fruits, nuts, eggs, and broccoli.

Eating style and improving gut health

Eat slowly, and chew your food well. This routine may reduce your digestive discomfort, ensure that your stomach and pain do not have difficulty digesting and absorbing nutrients, reduce gas, pain, and bloating, and help improve your gut health.

Lifestyle modifications and improving gut health

Now, before you ask yourself, we will answer the question that came to your mind: How do I change my lifestyle and ensure that my gut health improves?

We advise you, my butterfly, to follow the following procedures:

• Exercise regularly, whether at home or in the gym. Regular cardiovascular exercises, such as cycling and walking, can stimulate the intestinal muscles, move the contents of the digestive tract, and support a healthy microbiome.
• Make sure to sleep adequately, 6 to 8 hours every night, because it can be a good option for improving your gut health!
• Take care of your mental health and well-being, stay away from everything that bothers you, and reduce your stress because mood greatly affects and constitutes an obstacle to improving your gut health. You can relieve stress by using relaxation techniques and tools, regular exercise, and social communication.
• Breastfeed your child, as it helps support and develop the microbiome, and improves his gut health, protecting him from various digestive diseases in the future.
• Reduce your intake of antibiotics if you want to improve your gut health. Although they are important in cases of inflammation and infection, they are harmful and can harm the intestinal microbiome, because they kill harmful and beneficial germs at the same time.
• Stay away from smoking, as it harms beneficial bacteria and leads to a decrease in their number, increases harmful bacteria, and causes stomach diseases and inflammation.
• Stay away from fatigue, stress, and bad conditions such as heat and cold, as they harm beneficial bacteria

When to See a Doctor

My dear butterfly, do not neglect yourself, and go and consult a doctor or healthcare provider who specializes in nutrition, to help you diagnose or treat the symptoms of your digestive system, if you suffer from:

• Change in bowel habits
• Pain without a justifiable reason
• Abnormal weight loss
• Blood in stool

And with this, my butterfly, we have concluded our article. We hope that you have benefited and learned more about how to improve gut health and that gut health is part of the health of the microbiome and is affected by many factors, including your diet, your mental health, the balance of fluids in your body, the number of hours you sleep, and the instructions that must be followed to ensure relief of your digestive symptoms.

You are not suffering alone! Many people followed the instructions and changed their eating routine, and were able to reach their goal and you will be one of them!!

Our team wishes you a speedy recovery and a long stay.

For more information and articles about fitness and women’s health, do not hesitate to follow Farashti magazine or Sarah’s Pop Fit programs and challenges via YouTube videos.

FAQs about Improving Gut Health

How do I improve my diet to ensure I improve my gut health?

You should increase the dietary fiber in your food, as it helps reduce your risk of gastrointestinal cancers, and contributes greatly to improving gut health, and eat more foods that are full of vitamins, such as vegetables and whole grains.

What foods are rich in polyphenols?

Herbs and spices, such as turmeric, cloves, ginger, cumin, and cinnamon. Nuts and seeds, such as hazelnuts, coffee, dark chocolate, cocoa, black and green tea, and black olives. Colored fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries, cherries, and apples

What tips do I follow to improve gut health?

Avoid stress, get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, eat slowly, reduce fat and sugar, and eat more fiber-rich foods.

How do I manage my stress to ensure I improve my gut health?

You can practice meditation, deep breathing, and muscle relaxation exercises.

What stressors hinder improving gut health?

Stress, depression, and bad mood

What foods contain fiber?

Citrus fruits, dried beans, oat bran, peas, and vegetables such as cucumber and lettuce.

Written by: Haidy Soliman

Translated by: Ph. Marah Mohamad

Sources:

Healthline

Forbes

Hopkinsmedicine

Womens health