The Science Behind Meal Planning for Better Gut Health

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The Science Behind Meal Planning for Better Gut Health

Surprisingly, your gut health is linked to the development of numerous diseases, adverse health symptoms, and general wellness. A healthy digestive system often boils down to having the right balance between “good” and “not-so-good” bacteria. While your DNA, environment, age, and hormones play a role, so does your diet.

Eating a lot of processed foods, sugars, and saturated fats can lead to an imbalance in your gut bacteria. On the other hand, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and “healthy” fats has the opposite effect. Essentially, your gut needs a combination of prebiotics and probiotics to perform at its best. Planning your meals according to the science behind better gut health can help your digestive system stay on track. Here are the details you need to know.

Probiotics

Probiotics are also known as “good” bacteria. Your digestive system contains a mix of bacteria you inherit, get from your environment, and consume through your diet. “Good” bacterial organisms keep unhealthy bacteria from taking over. You can help maintain an adequate number of beneficial bacteria in your system by eating foods with probiotics.

You’ll usually find probiotics in fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, and some types of cheese. You don’t always have to consume dairy versions of yogurt and kefir to add probiotics to your diet. Plant-based versions you buy from the grocery store or a healthy food delivery service will do.  

Pickles are another example of a fermented plant-based food. Try adding at least one fermented item to one of your meals each day. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can increase it to one item per meal. See how your body responds, as you may discover you have some food sensitivities. It’s also possible to enjoy yogurt smoothies, but you may find it hard to stomach the taste of sauerkraut.

Prebiotics

While probiotics help add to the number of “good” bacteria in your gut, prebiotics support their growth. Prebiotics create the type of environment in your digestive system that ensures healthy bacteria can survive. You’ll find prebiotics in many veggies, a few fruits, some grains, and even cocoa.

If you like sourdough bread, have a slice with your salad for lunch. You can add avocado to your greens to get even more prebiotics. Slice up a banana or apple and add it to your oatmeal. Flaxseeds sprinkled on a cup of yogurt kill two birds with one stone. You’ll feed your gut prebiotics and probiotics simultaneously.

Other ways to sneak in prebiotics include diced onions added to stir fries and placed on top of a veggie burger. For chocolate lovers, putting cocoa powder in oatmeal and yogurt can boost your daily prebiotic consumption. It doesn’t have to be complicated or require giving up all the foods you normally crave.

Mediterranean Diet

Following a Mediterranean diet can improve your gut health. Studies show the diet can decrease the number of “bad” bacteria while encouraging “good” bacterial organisms to flourish. If you’re not familiar with Mediterranean eating customs, they tend to emphasize fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins like fish.    

There is also an emphasis on foods with a high amount of antioxidants, which also helps reduce systemic inflammation. Items like olives and olive oil, which contain healthy fats, play a role in lowering inflammation and improving gut health. So do plant-based foods like grapes and berries.

In addition to beneficial fats and antioxidants, the Mediterranean diet tends to abstain from processed foods. A typical Western diet is full of ultra-processed foods, simple starches, sugars, and saturated fats. Examples include French fries, most white breads, soda, and even some protein bars. The Mediterranean diet aims for foods in whole or natural forms, whole grains, nuts, and fresh eggs.

Fiber

Planning meals with more fiber can support a healthy gut. You may have heard it takes longer for your system to digest fiber. Part of the reason for this is that “good” bacteria break down the fiber from foods like whole-grain bread. This breakdown process makes it harder for “bad” bacteria to thrive.

However, you don’t need to stick to whole grains to up your fiber intake. You’ll naturally increase it by eating more fruits and vegetables. These foods have fiber in them, although some have higher amounts than others.

Examples include apples, bananas, grapes, raisins, broccoli, peas, and cucumbers. It’s better to eat these foods fresh, but you can also thaw or heat frozen varieties. While juices can provide some fiber content, it may be lost during processing. Additionally, juices tend to have high sugar content. You also lose the skin, which is where a lot of the fiber is.

Meals to Improve Your Gut Health

Meal planning has more benefits than saving yourself time and money. Besides preventing unwanted pounds, healthy, balanced meals can result in better gut health. By improving the balance of “good” versus “bad” bacteria in your digestive system, you can reduce inflammation. Better gut health also plays a role in disease prevention, including mood disorders.

Other benefits include the reduction of unpleasant symptoms associated with conditions like inflammatory bowel syndrome or IBS. Meal planning can ensure you increase your intake of whole foods with plenty of probiotics, prebiotics, fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fats. Improving your gut health doesn’t have to be complex, even if the science behind it seems a bit perplexing. Following the Mediterranean diet, for example, can streamline your approach.