Gut health is an essential aspect of overall health. Individuals in good gut health tend to have less bloating, less gas, and improved mental well-being.
What is Gut Health?
Believe it or not, your gut microbiome is the foundation of your health.
Good gut health occurs when you balance the good (helpful) and bad (potentially harmful) bacteria and yeast in your digestive system.
If your gut isn’t healthy, then your immune system and hormones won’t function, and you will get sick.
Unfortunately, this is also how autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto’s Disease begin (ParkView Health, 2022).
How Your Gut Health Affects Your Whole Body
The following information explains how your gut health affects your entire body:
1) Gut Microbiome
This is where the bacteria in your digestive tract live. They assist you in breaking down food and converting nutrients into things your body can use. When they run out of food, they stop growing, so you'll only have what you need.
2) Unhealthy Balance
According to research, having too much of a certain type of bad bacteria in your gut microbiome increases your risk of developing Crohn's disease, Ulcerative colitis, and Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
3) Beneficial Germs
Your body contains a large number of bacteria. You have more of them than cells. Most are beneficial to your health. The ones found in your gut not only aid in digestion but they also work throughout your body and can benefit both your physical and mental health.
Signs That You Have an Unhealthy Gut
1) Upset stomach
All of these symptoms can point to an unhealthy gut. Gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and heartburn are among them. A healthy gut will have less trouble processing food and eliminating waste, resulting in fewer symptoms.
2) Unintentional weight changes
Having gained or lost weight without attempting to change your diet or exercise routine could indicate a problem with your gut. An unhealthy gut can hinder your body's capacity to absorb nutrients, control blood sugar, and store fat.
3) Autoimmune conditions
Numerous studies have discovered links between both the gut and the immune system. An unhealthy gut can cause inflammatory responses and interfere with the immune system's proper functionality. This can result in autoimmune diseases, in which the body attacks itself instead of harmful invaders.
4) Unhealthy Balance
According to research, having too much of a certain type of bad bacteria in your gut microbiome increases your risk of developing Crohn's disease, Ulcerative colitis, and Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Factors That Can Have an Impact on Our Gut Health
While many factors can make contributions to poor gut health, the following are some of the most common:
Stress
Stress causes an increase in gut motility and fluid secretion. This explains why you could experience diarrhea or frequent urges to urinate during or after a stressful event. Stress can both slow the emptying of the stomach and hasten the passage of material through the intestines.
Poor Nutrition
When your gut is not balanced, your body may have difficulty absorbing nutrients, storing fat, and regulating blood sugar. Bacterial overgrowth or a lack of nutrients can cause weight loss or gain. Your skin is irritated. Some skin conditions, such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis, may be linked to digestive issues.
Long-Term Use of Antibiotics and Antacids
Antibiotic use can have a number of negative effects on the gut microbiota, including decreased species diversity, changed metabolic activity, and the selection of antibiotic-resistant organisms, which can result in antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
How will a Vegan Diet Affect Gut Health?
Making the switch to a vegan diet is a significant lifestyle change. However, it's important to remember that it's also a big change for your gut. When it comes to gut health, eating a well-balanced diet should always be the first step.
A supplement can never compensate for a diet high in processed foods or low in nutrition, but there are a few to consider if you want to give your gut some extra support while eating a vegan diet.
The good news is that a vegan diet is higher in prebiotics, which is utilized as fuel by good bacteria in the gut. Prebiotics feed the bacteria that already live in the digestive tract. A probiotic supplement can aid in the growth of various healthy gut bacteria. Although some probiotics contain animal-derived ingredients, vegan alternatives are available.
Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes are likely to be rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods in a vegan diet. These foods can help to keep the gut healthy by reducing inflammation and damage.
The Vegan Diet and Gut Nutrients
When it comes to a vegan diet and gut health, there are a few key nutrients to consider.
Zinc is among the most essential. Zinc is a mineral that is mostly found in animal products. It's especially important in a vegan diet because copper's competing nutrient is naturally higher in a plant-based diet.
Zinc has numerous functions in the gut. It's an important nutrient for the immune system, and lacking it makes the gut vulnerable to bad bacteria. It can also reduce inflammation throughout the body, including the digestive tract. One recent discovery is that zinc aids in the maintenance of tight gap junctions, which protects against leaky gut syndrome.
Is it True That Vegans Have Better Gut Health Than Omnivores?
A large study review published in 2019 found that a plant-based diet benefits human health because it promotes the diversity of gut bacteria, which are the most prominent influence in our gut health.
A vegan diet has been demonstrated to promote more diverse and stable microbial systems. According to the study, vegans and vegetarians have much higher counts of certain bacterial organisms than omnivores.
How to Heal Your Gut with A Vegan Diet
Fortunately, there are ways to heal your gut. To do so, you must restore balance to the bacteria in your gut. You accomplish this by eating foods that promote the growth of healthy bacteria in your gut. A 16-Week Vegan Diet May Improve Your Gut Microbiome.
According to research, a vegan diet for 16 weeks can heal your gut health, assisting with weight loss and overall health. A diverse microbiome is a healthy microbiome. A plant-based diet is the most effective way to accomplish this. Following a strictly vegan diet is not necessary, but limiting meat consumption is beneficial.
"Vegan diets are potentially very healthy as they are high in fruit, vegetables, and legumes, and they are even better if you include nuts, wholegrains, beans, lentils, and chia, hemp, and flax seeds," says Dr. Phillips.
Furthermore, according to study, a vegan diet can help you lower your risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels, lower your risk of getting certain types of cancer, such as colon cancer, and manage diabetes by lowering A1C levels.
So here are some vegan meals high in gut-health boosting probiotics that may help you heal your gut:
Breakfast
Kefir, oat, and berry smoothie
Kefir is a fermented milk drink that tastes similar to yogurt but has a sourer flavor. However, water-based kefir that is vegan is available.
Although there isn't strong evidence that the bacteria in water kefir will reach the large bowel, where we usually think of probiotic benefits occurring, they can still benefit the microbiome in our mouth and esophagus.
Lunch
Salad with pickled vegetables
Including pickled vegetables in any meal is an excellent way to improve your gut health. Pickled carrots, cucumbers, radishes, and cauliflower are delicious probiotic-rich snacks or side dishes that are simple to make at home.
Dinner
Tempeh wrap with roasted vegetables and hummus
Tempeh is a traditional Indonesian food made of fermented soybeans that is high in probiotics. It is recommended as a meat substitute due to its high protein content.
Simple Healing Tips For Gut Health
- Consume a wide range of plant-based foods. Various plant-based foods support a healthy gut with a diverse community of microbes. You can enhance your gut bacteria by consuming various plant-based foods.
- Start concentrating on fiber. This is because fiber feeds the good bacteria in your gut. Legumes are ideal for boosting your fiber intake because they are high in fiber as well as prebiotics, which aid in gut health.
- Eat foods rich in prebiotics. These foods include almonds, bananas, artichokes, leafy greens, mushrooms, wholegrains, asparagus, kiwi, and many vegan foods
- Completely avoid processed foods. Processed foods are high in sugar, fat, and lack fiber, which is preferable for the bad bacteria in your gut but terrible for your wellbeing.
- Stay hydrated and drink plenty of water!
You are What You Eat
The transition from burgers and fries to lean protein and vegetables may appear difficult. However, it is not impossible. When planning a meal, it's useful to think in thirds. One-third of the plate should be vegetables, one-third lean protein sources, and one-third complex carbs like sweet potatoes, beets, quinoa, bran, and oats.
"You are what you eat," Zarabi explained, so what goes into your body affects your health outcomes. Consider what you're putting in your body. How many steps did it have to take to reach you? Choose foods that are close to nature, with only one ingredient. They're the best option for you.