Top 10 Gut-Healthy Habits for a Happier, Healthier You

Did you ever consider why your gut helps make you feel good overall?

It not only plays a critical role in your digestive system, but it also plays a significant role in your immune system and even your mood. However, we tend to ignore the need to maintain it in good health.

You probably have come across the terms: gut health and microbiome, but what do they mean to you?

The reality is, with basic modifications to your everyday practices, you will make a difference in the way your gut operates.

This blog will look at 10 practical steps to get your gut really healthy.

Whether you need to optimise your digestion or just feel happier each day, these pieces of advice will help you to get on a healthy track towards your gut and a more exciting you! Let’s get started!

What is Gut Health?

Did you ever wonder how much your gut affected your overall well-being?

Not a mere digestive organ, your gut is home to a trillion microorganisms that are important in many other physiological processes.

Collectively, these microbes, bacteria, viruses, and fungi work together to support you in nutrient uptake and digestion, immunity, and change your mood. ^[1]

An unbalanced gut, on the other hand, can lead to digestive issues, drowsiness, and even affect your mood.

A happy gut is the key to living a healthy life, physically and mentally- everything, including digestion and the immune system.

Guts affect your health, and even simple lifestyle changes may have significant long-lasting impacts on keeping them in an optimal state.

Ways to Improve Gut Health: Gut-Healthy Habits

1. Eat More Fibre-Rich Foods

Fibre plays a crucial role in ensuring the healthy gut since it is the food of the beneficial gut bacteria, and it helps them to grow and become active.

A diet rich in fibre may promote regular bowel movements, manage constipation, and reduce gut inflammation.^[2]

Fibre is also known to balance the blood sugar levels, provide the feeling of fullness, and manage weight, as well as enhance the general performance of the digestive system.

A variety of fibre foods should be eaten, as having the most diverse microbiome possible should support the proper role of the gut and digestion. Some of the fibre-rich foods are:

• Whole Grains (oats, quinoa, brown rice)
• Fruits (apples, bananas, berries)
• Vegetables (carrots, spinach, broccoli)
• Millets (jowar, bajra, ragi)
• Green Leafy Vegetables
• Legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas)

By including these foods in your diet periodically, you will be able to maintain a healthy and functioning gut microbiome.

Aashirvaad Atta with Multigrains devised the My Meal Plan test and its high-profile nutritionists. The test identifies the amount of fibre you take in daily and creates an adequate diet of food that matches the requirements.

2. Include Fermented Foods

Fermented foods are also loaded with probiotics, good bacteria that may help to balance the microbiome and encourage the growth of healthy gut bacteria.

These foods may help in digesting the nutrients in a better way. Fermented food may also boost vitamin and mineral absorption, as well as a healthy immune system.^[3]

Typically, you can consume fermented foods regularly to increase the variety of your intestinal microbes, which makes them resistant to attacking microbes.

Some examples of fermented foods are:

• Yoghurt
• Kimchi
• Sauerkraut
• Kefir
• Curd
• Buttermilk

Eating a combination of these foods will keep your gut balanced and digestive disorders at bay.

3. Stay Hydrated for Gut-Healthy Habits

Water is essential in maintaining a healthy gut as it may help to break food down and absorb nutrients. It may also help the digestive tract flow to manage constipation.

Hydration may help keep the mucus coating in the intestines, which serves to protect against nasty bacteria and toxins.^[4]

It is essential to have plenty of water to maintain a healthy gut microflora, a healthy digestive system, and a healthy body in general.

To support gut health, aim to drink:

• Not less than eight glasses of water daily (higher in hot climates or when the person is active)
• Herbal tea (e.g., peppermint or ginger)
• Fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of water (e.g, cucumbers, melons)
• Tender coconut water ( natural electrolyte)
• Buttermilk/ chaas

Thus, one of the easiest ways to maintain your gut health is through hydration.

4. Limit Processed Food and Sugar

Eating processed foods and too much sugar may overwhelm the balance of good bacteria in the gut, resulting in the overpopulation of harmful microbes.

Most of these foods are usually unhealthy with respect to fats, additives, or preservatives that may affect the digestive system and gut system.

Excessive sugar and yeast, in particular, may cause inflammation and imbalance in the digestive system that encourages the development of harmful bacteria.^[5]

Therefore, for reestablishing gut microbiome balance, you may limit processed foods and sweetened snacks. Consider replacing:

• Sugary drinks and sweets with whole fruits, nuts, and seeds
• Processed snacks with whole grains and legumes
• Fast food with home-cooked meals using fresh ingredients

This may help you achieve a healthier and more balanced gut, as well as better manage your digestion.

5. Manage Stress for Gut-healthy Habits

Chronic stress can be catastrophic to the health of the gut, rearranging the balance between gut microflora and even affecting the digestive process itself.

Cortisol and other hormones associated with stress have the potential to influence gut motility, as well, causing bloating, constipation, or diarrhoea.^{[6] [7]}

In addition, stress may cause the gut lining to become weak and susceptible to inflammation and irritation.

Learning to cope with stress using relaxation methods is also essential to having a healthy gut. Some of the stress-relieving activities include:

• Spending time in the natural environment
• Having hobbies
• Yoga
• Meditation
• Walking or exercising in nature

Thus, stress management is known not only to cause a healthy mind but also a healthy gut microbiome and better digestion.

6. Get Enough Sleep for Gut-healthy Habits

Good gut health depends on sleep. Sleep deprivation can disrupt the bacterial balance in the gut, causing digestive issues and microbiome imbalances.^[8]

Insufficient sleep may also affect the efficiency of the body in absorbing nutrients and digesting food.

A regular sleep routine can manage the functions of the gut and aid in the recovery and renewal of gut tissues. Aim for:

• 7-9 hours of sleep each night
• Consistent sleep routine to adjust your own clock.
• Sleep friendly (dark, quiet, and cool)
• Reduce screen time before bedtime

Sleep is also a priority that can improve digestion, gut health, and overall well-being.^[9]

7. Exercise Regularly for Gut-healthy Habits

Exercise is not only healthy but also good for keeping our gut healthy. It may make the microbiome more diverse, and this is crucial to a healthy gut.^[10]

Working out may stimulate digestion as it causes the food to move through the digestive system, which may help manage constipation.

Exercise is also anti-inflammatory and anti-stressful, which is counterproductive to gut health. Aim for:

• At least an hour and thirty minutes of moderate exercise 5 days a week
• Sports such as jogging, bicycling, yoga, or walking
• Strength training to improve gut function

You can use exercise as a perfect way to maintain your gut and body in good shape.

8. Take Probiotics for a Gut-healthy Habit

Probiotics are the good bacteria that may promote gut health because they help keep the microbiome balanced.^[11]

Fermented foods are a good source of probiotics and contain living cultures that help to grow good bacteria. 

Probiotics could help enhance digestion, boost immunity, and manage digestive problems such as bloating and irregular bowel movements.^[12]

These foods should be included in your diet regularly to increase gut functionality and overall well-being. The following are some of the common foods that contain probiotics:

• Yoghurt with live cultures
• Kefir
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Miso
• Sourdough, bread, etc.

Since the gut and digestion are intimately connected, you can boost your digestive system and gut health by adding probiotic-rich foods into your routine.

9. Include Prebiotics in Your Diet for a Gut-healthy Habits

Prebiotics are dietary ingredients that help the host by specifically promoting the development of advantageous gut flora.

They serve as food for your gut’s beneficial bacteria, promoting their growth and preserving a healthy microbiome.^[13] 

Regular prebiotic consumption may strengthen immunity, promote gut health, and aid in digesting.

Because they provide these good bacteria the fuel they need to develop and thrive, these meals also contribute significantly to the efficacy of probiotics.

Prebiotic-rich foods include: 

• Asparagus 
• Garlic 
• Chicory 
• Onion 
• Honey 
• Banana 
• Barley 
• Tomato 
• Rye 
• Soybean 
• Human and cow’s milk 
• Peas 
• Beans

10. Do Not Take Unnecessary Antibiotics

Antibiotics play a crucial role in treating infections, but they may also damage healthy bacteria in the intestines, causing microbiome imbalances.^[13]

Excessive or inappropriate use of antibiotics may also cause stomach upsets, a poor immune system, and a risk of intestinal disease.^[14]

Take antibiotics only as prescribed by a medical physician, and remember to take the whole course. In case you worry about your gut health following antibiotic consumption, consider:

• Consumption of probiotic-rich foods to restore healthy bacteria.
• Talking with your physician about measures to promote gut health.
• Eating more nutrients and focusing on a healthy diet to restore your gut.

Thus, one of the benefits of maintaining gut homeostasis is reducing antibiotic consumption, which allows the gut to maintain a healthy state of operation.

10. Listen To Your Body and Monitor Your Digestion

Listening to your body and monitoring your digestive health is critical in keeping your gut healthy.

Symptoms like bloating, discomfort, irregular bowel movements, or others may be an indicator of an imbalance in your microbiome in the gut.^[15]

A food journal or a food-digestion track may help find some of your gut triggers, such as specific foods or stressors.

Listening to your gut helps you to keep a healthy gut microbiome by tweaking your diet and lifestyle. Digestion can be monitored in some of the following ways:

• A food and symptom diary
• Knowing the bowel movements or digestion
• Discussion of a problem with a health care provider

Tracking with your body will also help you take proactive measures toward a healthier digestive system.

Aashirvaad Atta with Multigrains and a team of qualified dieticians came up with the Digestion Quotient that will provide you with your score on digestion, based on 1 out of 100.

To find out what your Digestive Quotient is, take this short 2-minute quiz.

Signs of an Unhealthy Gut

An intestinal imbalance can take several forms when your gut is out of balance.

Understanding these signs in the early stages will allow you to act before they cause even serious health complications.

Digestive Issues

Some of the most common symptoms of an unhealthy gut are frequent bloating, gas, diarrhoea, acidity, GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), or constipation.^[16]

These are signs that the system of your stomach is not working correctly. Harmful changes in gut bacteria can lead to pain, frequent bowel movements, or an inability to digest foods properly.

Food Intolerances

When you start developing new food intolerances and food sensitivities, this can be an indication that your gut is not doing well.

The imbalanced gut microbiome is usually correlated with conditions such as lactose intolerance, gluten sensitivity, or a person’s inability to digest some food types.^[17]  

Overgrowth of the harmful bacteria may complicate the way the gut processes some foods.

Repeat Illness or Crippled Immunity

Your gut contains approximately 70 per cent of your immune system.^[18]

A poor gut may reduce your immune system, leaving you vulnerable to colds, infections, and other diseases.

And, when you get sick regularly or are slower to heal, it can be an indication that your gut is not doing its job of helping boost your immune system.

Skin Issues

Eczema, acne, or rosacea are sometimes associated with an issue with the gut.

A skewed microbiome is capable of causing inflammation that might be apparent on the skin.

There is a close relationship between the gut and the skin, and conditions such as leaky gut are capable of causing inflammatory reactions in your skin.^[19]

Disturbed Psychological Wellbeing   

The gut-brain axis is the system used to communicate between your gut and your brain, or in other words, the health of your gut definitely influences how you feel.^[20]

This can cause mood swings, anxiety, depression, or brain fog as a result of an unhealthy gut.

This is attributed to the fact that neurotransmitters such as serotonin are primarily produced in the gut.

Unexplained Weight Changes

A bad gut may affect your fat-storing and nutrient absorption processes.^[21]

This can result in unexplained weight gain or loss.

When your weight changes for no apparent reason, there is a chance that your gut microbiome is not in balance, which influences metabolism and fat storage.

Poor Sleep Quality

Gut health can be attributed to sleep disturbances or insomnia. The balance in the gut bacteria may disrupt the synthesis of sleep hormones, including melatonin.^[22]

And if you have trouble sleeping at night, your gut may be contributing to that.

Knowing the symptoms and addressing them through a balanced diet, stress management, and other healthy habits that do not harm the gut may help restore balance and improve overall well-being.

Such symptoms can be chronic, and, in this situation, it is advisable to consult a specialist individually.

Bottom Line

Improving our gut health is essential to our health, as it plays a vital role in digestion, immune function, and even mental health.

When your gut is imbalanced, it can result in a range of symptoms, including digestive discomfort, weakened immunity, and skin problems.

The key to good gut health is eating a balanced diet rich in fibre foods, fermented foods, and lots of fluids while reducing processed foods and sugar.

Stress, exercise, and sleep also have a positive impact on gut-healthy habits. However, it is essential to remember that everyone’s gut health can be different.

If you experience ongoing symptoms or any gut-related issues, it’s always recommended to seek professional medical advice.

Taking a holistic approach that combines healthy lifestyle habits and professional guidance. It is the best way to ensure that your gut-healthy habit is functioning optimally and contributing to your overall health.

Frequently Asked Questions