Do you know that your gastrointestinal tract is the home to billions of microbes, especially bacteria? This is called gut microbiome, and it has a close connection to your digestive health, as well as your overall health. So, to stay healthy, you need to know which foods are causing serious damage to your gut by killing the good bacteria residing in it. Scroll down as we are about to tell you about the 7 worst foods for gut health that you should try to avoid.
The Most Harmful Foods for Gut Microbiome
Good bacteria present in the gut assists the body in digesting food. Bad bacteria on the other hand, can cause multiple problems like irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and heart disease. Hence, helpful gut bacteria also play a key role in stopping the harmful bacteria from harming the body. So, to create a favorable environment in your gut for the helpful bacteria to thrive, you should bid adieu to an unhealthy gut diet. Wondering how?Here are some foods to avoid for healthy gut:
1. Artificial sweeteners
2. Fried foods
3. Processed foods
4. Factory-farmed red meat
5. Refined grains
6. Saturated fat
7. Refined sugar
1. Artificial sweeteners
Every individual’s gut health is unique. However, there are foods that damage gut health majorly by hampering the gut microbial composition. Artificial sweeteners top our list of such foods as they increase glucose intolerance and inflammation, thus increasing the risk of having heart ailments and diabetes.
2. Fried foods
Studies have revealed that people who have fried foods regularly do not have a diversity of gut microbiota and therefore, higher inflammation and toxin levels. On the contrary, people who refrain from having fried items frequently, have less levels of toxins in their body. This happens because fried foods are high in trans fat, which is the worst kind of fat. So, fried foods are among the worst foods for gut health.
3. Processed foods
Processed foods are high in unhealthy fats, and they disrupt the balance of harmful and helpful bacteria in the gut. Therefore, for maintaining a healthy gut and reducing inflammation in the gut, avoiding the foods that are loaded with preservatives will offer many health benefits to you.
4. Factory-farmed red meat
Where do you buy your meat from? Industrially produced meat is perhaps doing more harm to your health than good. That’s because factories producing meat in largescale administer strong antibiotics to the livestock to prevent diseases in crowded and confined spaces. So, in the gut of these animals, drug-resistant bacteria can be found. These bacteria can spread to the gut microbiome of humans.
5. Refined grains
There’s no denying that white flour and white rice are versatile ingredients that can be used to prepare a variety of dishes like bread, pasta, snacks, etc. But these are refined grains and the fiber content in these grains is low, So, using refined grains to prepare your meals will have negative impact on your beneficial gut bacteria. To improve your gut health, switch to brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, and multi-grain bread.
6. Saturated fat
If you want to do something about your poor gut health, then you must know that saturated fat is causing serious harm to your gut microbiome. A Harvard study confirmed that people who have saturated fat daily, have excess of Bilophila in their body. This microbe increases inflammation and affects your gastrointestinal health.
7. Refined sugar
There are n number of reasons why you must minimize taking refined sugar. One of the biggest reasons is that refined sugar kills the good bacteria in the gut, and this causes inflammation. Inflammation can lead to bigger health issues. Also, the body can digest refined sugars quickly and spikes the blood sugar levels.
Examples of refined sugars are high-fructose syrups, sucrose/ table sugar, agave syrup, and soda.
Best Foods for Gut Health
Now that you know all about the worst foods for gut microbiota, would you like to find out which foods can support the beneficial bacteria in the gut?
Well, the most important nutrient to support a healthy gut is fiber. Oats, beans, whole grains, bananas, lentils, and asparagus are foods high in fiber as well as probiotics – both are required for a good gut. Seafoods are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, and they are undoubtedly gut-friendly. Seafoods offer a range of health benefits like reducing inflammation, decreasing depression, etc. and the best ones to consume are sardines, wild salmon, and anchovies. Lastly, you should also have fermented foods regularly and the leading sources are yogurt, tempeh, kimchi, miso, kefir, miso, and kombucha.
The Takeaway
So, that was all about the best and worst foods for your gut. If you are too fond of fried chicken, doughnuts, and corn dogs, would you think twice before you savoring these delicacies? While relishing these dishes occasionally won’t cause any major damage to your gut, over-intake of unhealthy treats can have many adverse effects. So, choose your foods wisely to keep your gut happy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What foods are bad for gut health?
A: Foods that reduce the number of healthy gut bacteria and increase unhealthy gut bacteria are refined foods, processed foods, and fried foods.
Q. How do certain foods affect gut health negatively?
A: Certain foods affect the gut microbiome and human health by increasing inflammation, spiking the blood sugar levels, and affecting the gut lining along with the intestinal health.
