Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU Extension, Lucas County
The Truth Contributor
Typically, the words “bacteria” and “microorganisms” are negative and make people think of illness and sickness. While some bacteria and viruses are “bad” and cause health problems, there are trillions of microorganisms that do “good” work. One of our human systems that relies on good microorganisms to function is the gut system or digestive system made up of our stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Scientists continue to learn more about the “good” microorganisms and the beneficial role they play in the body.
Gut health refers to the health of our gut microbiome—the bacteria that lines our digestive tract. Some of the types of bacteria in our gut microbiome are very good for our health, and help improve digestion, sleep health, brain health and can even prevent disease. Two words that are often associated with positive gut health and diet are Probiotics and Prebiotics.
The best way to add more probiotics and prebiotics to benefit your gut system is by eating a variety of foods, in moderation. To strengthen gut health, choose plant-based foods that are high in fiber like whole grains, fruits, vegetables and dried beans.
You probably already eat foods rich in prebiotics and probiotics, but let’s take a moment to review these foods. Probiotics are live microorganisms that help maintain a healthy gut microflora. Probiotics are good microorganisms, naturally found in fermented food. Some examples of fermented food include: aged cheeses such as cheddar, cottage cheese, and feta, buttermilk, Kefir (fermented milk beverage), Kimchi (fermented dish made of vegetables and varied seasonings), Kombucha (fermented tea drink), miso soup, pickles, sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), tempeh (soy product), and yogurt.
Prebiotics offer fuel for probiotics in the gut. For infants, prebiotics are naturally found in human breast milk. In food, sources of prebiotics can be found where you can find fiber, so think fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains! Some examples of foods that contain prebiotics include: apples, asparagus, artichokes, bananas, garlic, lentils, oats, sea weed, and sweet potatoes.
Fiber is not a microbe, but it interacts with the microorganisms and is essential for a healthy gut. Much of the starch in our diet, like white bread and past is quickly broken down and absorbed. But a fraction of that starch is resistant to digestion and acts more like a fiber, feeding the bacteria in our gut. This is called resistant starch, and it is recognized as being beneficial for supporting a healthy gut microbiome.
Some sources of resistant starch include potatoes and legumes. In addition, it has been found that all sources of starch can also become more resistant after cooking and then cooling in the fridge. So, it’s not a bad idea to make additional potatoes and pasta and store those leftovers for a day in the refrigerator. Whether you eat them cold or reheat them, they may have additional benefits for your gut due to the resistant starch. Resistant starch moves on through the digestive system to the large intestine. It is fermented and becomes foods for the gut microbes.
As usual, you are best getting the benefits directly from food and not a supplement. Foods contain so many different beneficial combinations that work together. Probiotic supplements are becoming popular at the store, but the best practice is to add the healthy foods into your regular diet. Occasionally, there may be times a health care provider may recommend a supplement but talk with them directly about your health needs.
In addition to choosing a variety of foods to feed the gut, there are healthy lifestyle choices that can work with foods to make sure the gut stays healthy. For healthy eating, and optimum gut health, consider:
- Enjoy your meals, without filling up too fast, by serving a smaller meal and eating slowly.
- Stop eating earlier in the evening. Your digestive system is more active in the morning and daytime so it doesn’t really need a bedtime snack.
- Eat around the same time each day.
- Hydrate regularly with water throughout the day.
For a healthy lifestyle, that provides many benefits, including supporting good gut health:
- Reduce the use of unnecessary antibiotics. Sometimes antibiotics are necessary but not only do they kill the “bad” microorganisms, they also kill the “good” ones. So unless it’s a health need (and prescribed by a health care professional), skip the antibiotics. This also includes home cleaners like soap that include antibiotics – they kill all the bad and good bacteria. Typically, washing hands with plain soap and warm, running water is the best recommendation for warding off the “bad” microorganisms that cause problems like colds.
- Getting enough sleep is good for your stress level as well as your gut!
- Exercise is good for all parts of your body, including your digestive system.
- Increase your time outdoors in Nature. Time in nature offers so many health benefits such as exposure to vitamin D, exercise and relaxation, and it also exposes people to positive microbes in the environment!
- Reduce Stress. Studies indicate that stress can reduce beneficial microbes in the body. Indirectly, when we are stressed, we don’t always eat as healthy. For example, if someone is stressed and making poor food choices, like high sugar and high-fat foods, that will not benefit the good gut organisms. Stress can also make it harder to digest our food. Use those stress reducing skills like exercise, mindfulness, and time for relaxing to turn down your stress level.
Information for this article is from UCLA Health, National Institutes of Health and Cooperative Extension