Seven ways to take care of our gut
Times are tough. So our gut needs all the help we can give it. But how does one even begin to take care of this Very-Very Important organ (VVIO)? It's simple, just toss your plate a bit and begin eating the gut friendly way. Choice of foods can alter our microflora in a matter of days, for better or worse, so follow these simple pointers:
Include sprouts in your diet:
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These are almost like a predigested food so its nutrients are absorbed rather easily in the body, with minimal processing. They give our body much needed rest and invigorate us too. A win-win surely!
Embrace probiotics:
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With the way we eat, and the way pollution is, and the amount of antibiotics we keep pumping in, the good bacteria in our gut need to be replenished regularly to keep their number up. And probiotics is the way to go. Foods that deliver natural probiotics include blue cheese, kefir, miso soup or paste and sauerkraut. Sound too exotic? How about buttermilk and the pickles that our grandmas used to make at home (and we don't anymore!)… Both these desi probiotics are brilliant good bacteria sources. Luckily today we have lots of options in the market too: probiotic milk, yoghurts, even ice creams and yoghurts. These work brilliantly too!
Get your probiotics from fermented foods:
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One serving of fermented vegetables can contain ten trillion colony-forming units of beneficial bacteria. Try to include a variety of cultured foods and beverages in your diet, as each food will inoculate your gut with multiple type of different microorganisms. The ones you can easily make at home are: fermented vegetables, chutneys, and cultured dairy, such as yogurt, kefir, and sour cream. Idli, dosa batter, dhokla, appam, yoghurt and drinks like lassi and kanji are also common fermented foods.
Now dig deeper:
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Get acquainted to prebiotics - food for probiotics - too. The logic is simple - the more you can feed for your "good bugs", the healthier you will be. Excellent prebiotic sources are chicory and Jerusalem artichokes. Unfamiliar? Zero in on wheat, barley, rye, onions, garlic and leeks. Now you know why grandpa always-always had cut raw onions with his meals!
Target resistant starch:
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Resistant starch (RS) is the third, lesser known type of fibre that our food provides; other two commonly known ones are soluble fibre and insoluble fibre. It functions like soluble, fermentable fiber and helps boost the good bacteria on reaching the intestines. So basically it works like a super food for our digestive system. Green banana, slightly raw bananas, seeds, oats, peas, potatoes, yams, lentils (like chickpeas, kidney beans and more), corn, barley, cold pasta and cold rice are good RS sources.
Stay hydrated:
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Dehydration can lead to food and bacteria clogging and throw off the balance of bacteria in your gut (causing inflammation). Give your gut a hand and drink more water please!
Clean up:
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Finally you simply must eliminate all refined sugars to improve your gut flora. Instead, eat a lot of vegetables and other high-quality, ideally organic, unprocessed foods. Also try to eliminate these food triggers from your diet: caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine products, as they add to our gut troubles.