Over recent years, nutrition for gut health has risen in popularity, for a good reason too. Improving your gut health has many positive flow-on effects from improving uncomfortable digestive complaints like bloating and constipation to improving your mood.
When it comes to boosting your gut health, we can’t forget about the power of food! In this article, our gut health dietitian will be breaking down the top 5 foods we recommend adding into your diet for a healthy gut!
Oats
Oats deserve the title of one of the best foods to boost your gut health! Oats contain 3 different types of fibre which all play essential roles in improving your gut.
Oats are rich sources of both soluble and insoluble fibre which work together to promote regular bowel movements and a healthy colon. Insoluble fibre adds bulk to your stool whilst soluble fibre draws in water to help soften them.
They also contain prebiotic fibres which feeds the beneficial bacteria that live in our gut.
Luckily oats are a very versatile food making them easy to add into your diet. For example, rolled oats are great for making porridge and overnight oats, bulking up smoothies or mixing into bliss balls. If you’re not a fan of plain oats, bircher or toasted muesli are great alternatives.
Legumes
Legumes such as chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils and split peas are another gut-loving pantry staple. All are great sources of both soluble and prebiotic fibres to promote regular bowels and fuel your good gut bacteria.
If you’re new to cooking with legumes you might want to try adding beans or lentils into soups, curries or salads. You can also swap out mince for lentils and make a plant-based Bolognese sauce. If you’re a fan of Mexican meals, kidney beans make great fillings for tacos or burrito bowls.
Flaxseeds
Adding just a tablespoon or two of flaxseeds per day can do wonders for your gut health. As a gut health dietitian, this is one of our favourite strategies to use with clients struggling with constipation. The insoluble fibre found in flaxseeds helps to push everything through your digestive tract, keeping you regular.
The best ways to incorporate flaxseeds into your diet is by adding a tablespoon of the ground seeds into your overnight oats or porridge, or even in a smoothie.
Dried fruit
Dried fruit, particularly figs, dates and apricots are also a great source of prebiotic fibre. These are great for a snack on the go or you can add them into trail mix with other nuts and seeds.
For an easy way to get a boost of dried fruit into your diet, you may even want to try adding a bliss balls as a snack – which is packed full of healthy fibres as well as fats and protein to keep you full too.
Cacao
Cacao and its products (and yes that includes chocolate) also has some gut loving properties! Cacao contains polyphenols which have been shown to promote the growth of our beneficial gut bacteria whilst also reducing growth of our bad gut bacteria.
Plus, polyphenols also act as antioxidants meaning they are great for reducing inflammation in the body including our gut!
Cacao powder is a great pantry staple to add to baking. If you’re not an avid baker, you could try adding some cacao nibs on top of yoghurt or have some chocolate covered nuts for some extra gut loving probiotics.
About The Author: Kiah Paetz, Accredited Practising Dietitian Nutritionist
This article was written by the team, The PNW Clinic, Australia’s Leading Online Dietitian Clinic. We believe in nutrition that’s simple, sustainable and stress free. Our team of specialist dietitians is passionate about helping you build a healthy relationship with food, optimise your nutrition, and resolve uncomfortable digestive symptoms.
