The Foods You Need to Supercharge Your Gut Bacteria

When the friendly bacteria within your gut are healthy and happy, they protect your digestive tract and boost your overall health. They help your body to digest and absorb essential nutrients from food and synthesize certain vitamins that are difficult to obtain through food.

Your diet influences these microbes and determines whether the friendly or harmful strains flourish, so maintaining proper levels of the god bacteria are important.

Additionally, a healthy gut bacteria diet helps fight against foreign invaders, like influenza and toxic cancer-forming carcinogens. Your gut bacteria are important for immune system support as well as sending messages to your brain to help regulate metabolism.

Certain factors can cause your friendly microbes to become depleted, such as overuse of antibiotics, illness, and food allergies. If the balance within your gut begins to favor harmful bacteria, then you become at risk for serious health complications, like leaky gut and chronic inflammation.  

Thankfully, there is a way to change the balance to favor friendly strains, and you can even supercharge your gut in just twenty-four hours. You simply need to change your diet because these bacteria in your gut thrive in the presence of colorful, plant-based foods.

The Healthy Gut Bacteria Diet

As time passes, gut microbes develop strong colonies that effectively combat obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases (such as celiac’s disease), and even certain types of cancer. The more diversity you have in your gut, the better off your health will be.

Changing your diet to incorporate certain foods allows more beneficial strains to thrive. The healthier the strains you have are, the stronger your gut colonies will be and the more protected you are from serious disease and illness.  

Here’s how to increase good bacteria in your gut naturally:  

1. Broccoli: This, along with other cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower, kale, and cabbage, contain sulfur-containing metabolites, known as glucosinolates. These are broken down by your intestinal flora and release substances that reduce inflammation. 
These helpful substances also reduce your risk of bladder, lung, colon, liver, breast, and stomach cancer. The way these metabolites work is by attaching to carcinogenic intruders and escorting them out of the gut.

2. Bananas: The compounds present in bananas help to maintain harmony among a specific bacterial community known as phyla. These bacteria reside mostly in your stomach and intestines.
Bananas are the ideal prescription for upset stomachs. The high levels of potassium and magnesium present in bananas also help to reduce and control inflammation, which is essential for calming and soothing an agitated digestive tract.

3. Beans: All legumes help to release short-chain fatty acids, which are responsible for strengthening your intestinal wall lining. They also improve absorption of essential micronutrients and can support healthy weight loss due to the feeling of satiety they provide.  
Additionally, beans are full of fiber, protein, folate and B vitamins, which are all important in the regulation of a healthy gut and brain. 

4. Blueberries: The antioxidants, fiber, and vitamin K compounds that make blueberries a superfood help to enhance your gut bacterial diversity and, therefore, your immune function. They also help to strengthen your memory.

5. Polenta: Polenta is a corn-based, complex carbohydrate dish often served in place of pasta. It is high in fiber and has a fermentable component.
Corn, which is the main ingredient in polenta, is known for fostering a healthy gut. The insoluble fiber of corn travels through the gut to the colon, where it ferments into multiple strands of beneficial gut flora.

6. Fermentable foods: The top fermentable food trends you have likely heard of are tempeh and miso, and they are popular for a reason. Fermented plant-based foods are probiotics, which improve the health of intestinal cells, improve immune function, and reduce the risk of colon cancer.  
Fermentable foods such as tempeh, miso, kimchi, pickles and more can directly inoculate your gut with healthy microorganisms. Once they take hold, they improve the absorption of minerals and nutrients while boosting your overall health.

7. Jerusalem artichokes: These are high in inulin, which is a strong prebiotic compound.  Prebiotics are ideal for helping probiotics to thrive and flourish.  
Inulin is an insoluble fiber that moves through your body to the colon, where it ferments into healthy flora. Other foods that are high in inulin include bananas, onions, leeks, and asparagus. When you start eating Jerusalem artichokes, you should start off easy because they can cause distress to those with sensitive digestive systems.

Staying Healthy Naturally with a Gut Bacteria Diet

Your gut bacteria are critical to your overall health, and not just within your digestive system.  An unhealthy balance of gut microbes can seriously increase your chances of disease and illness.  

You should support your friendly flora as much as possible, and the best way to do this is to feed them what they like. The multiple benefits you will see from these gut bacteria supercharging foods will not only enhance digestive performance, but they also deliver nutrients and minerals to your whole body.  

So look into eating a bacteria-friendly diet and give them the superpowers they need to defend you from pathogenic and carcinogenic invaders.