Foods for Gut Health & Digestion

Many people suffer with digestive health problems such bloating, acid reflux, constipation, IBD and indigestion.

Having poor gut health means that your body struggles to process foods which can lead to allergies, skin problems, inflammation and a weaker immune system.

The good news is that there are many foods that you can eat which support the healing of your gut, and also help you to absorb more nutrients. 

Let's take a look at these foods. 

1. Bone Broth

The number one super food for healing the gut and supporting digestion is bone broth. This is made from boiled animal bones such as chicken, beef or fish, and is rich in amino acids and collagen. These repair the gut lining and help to reseal any areas of damage. This is fantastic for treating leaky gut syndrome.

2. Fermented Vegetables

You also need to be eating lots of probiotic rich foods, which feed the friendly bacteria in your gut. We recommend sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha tea and miso. These help to fight off overgrowths of yeast in the gut, and help to create enzymes that better digest your food. 1 serving of fermented vegetables per day is enough, and will help your gut to absorb more nutrients from other foods that you eat.

3. Coconut Oil

Most vegetable oils are harmful to the gut and cause inflammation and damage to the lining of the intestines. Switch to using virgin coconut oil instead. This is packed full of lauric acid which is antibacterial, antimicrobial and antifungal. This helps to boost your immune system, heal a leaky gut and restore balance to the friendly bacteria. It is also rich in MCT's which are an easy to digest fuel for the body.

4. Cooked Vegetables

If you have poor gut health, you may find that eating raw vegetables irritates the gut and causes bloating. Lightly cooking your vegetables makes them easier to digest, such as steaming, sautéing and stewing. We recommend pumpkin, asparagus, kale, cauliflower and spinach. These are a good source of fiber to support gut health. Try to get a variety of different vegetables fibres into your diet. 

5. Probiotics

There are also some other fermented foods which are fantastic for your digestive system.  Sugar free dark chocolate is rich in polyphenols for healing the gut. We also recommend Organic European Cheese, Bulgarian Yoghurt and Kefir. All of these support your microbiome and are easy to digest. Avoid dairy however if you are lactose intolerant or have an enlarged prostate. 

6. Quality Protein 

Many commercial meats and farmed fish are pumped full of hormones and contain toxins which cause inflammation in the gut. You want to switch these out for healthy grass fed, pasture raised meats like beef, chicken and lamb. Wild caught fish are also amazing for your gut, and are loaded with omega 3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation.

7. Herbs & Spices

Herbs and spices are packed full of polyphenols and phytonutrients that heal the gut lining and restore normal digestion. Ginger is the number one spice for settling the stomach and healing the lining of the gut. Garlic is also excellent for destroying any harmful bacteria. Peppermint is excellent in a smoothie, along with cardamom, parsley, licorice root and fennel.

8. Polyphenols

You can also get some amazing polyphenols from nuts, seeds and berries. Blackberries are absolutely amazing for the gut, because they help to produce collagen and are loaded with anthocyanins and antioxidants. We also recommend pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, brazil nuts and a small serving of black coffee for these phytonutrients. 

9. Apple Cider Vinegar

Drink a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water before each meal. This helps support your stomach acids in breaking down foods, which helps you to absorb more minerals and proteins to heal the gut and bring back a natural balance to your entire body. 

As you can see there are some amazing foods that you can start eating to restore your gut health and improve digestion.

The fermented foods in particular help to feed the friendly bacteria in your gut, which is connected to the central nervous system and can also improve brain function.

Antibiotic drugs, artificial sweeteners, sugar and stress can all kill off friendly bacteria (probiotics) in your gut, so it's important to avoid these as much as possible.

If you have had a dose of antibiotics recently, we recommend taking a good probiotic supplement to restore some of your healthy microbes in your gut. 

Frequent snacking and eating little and often can also put stress on your digestive system, because the body is designed to rest and digest.

If this is the case, we recommend performing intermittent fasting by eating all of your calories in a 5 hour window during the day. This will help the gut to restore itself and purge any excess waste through the colon.