The Best Eating Habits to Improve Your Gut Health

If you’re reading this, you probably already know the health benefits of a healthy diet: A balanced diet rich in whole foods can reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity, not to mention cancer.

Toward the top of that list is gut health. A healthy gut is a sign of good overall health and digestion.

Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria, which help with digestion — breaking down food and absorbing nutrients — as well as synthesizing certain vitamins and hormones. Your gut is also linked to your immune system, your mood and even your brain function.

To keep your gut healthy, focus on these five basic eating habits:

1. Avoid processed foods. The more processing a food goes through before you eat it, the more likely it is to contain harmful additives or ingredients that can damage your gut bacteria. The worst offenders are foods that have been pasteurized or sterilized during processing (think deli meats), but even packaged foods can be problematic if they contain trans fats or other additives that can upset the natural balance of bacteria in your gut.

2. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. A mix of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables can feed your good bacteria while keeping them from getting too hungry between meals.

3. Eat fermented foods: Fermented foods, such as yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and kombucha, contain naturally occurring probiotics that can help promote better digestion.

4. Chew your food thoroughly. This may seem like common sense, but it’s an easy habit to break if you’re busy or distracted by other things going on around you. Chewing more thoroughly helps your body digest foods more easily by releasing enzymes that break down carbohydrates, proteins and fats into smaller bits that can be easily digested.