Dr Michael Mosley has shared five simple steps for improving your gut health. An unhealthy gut can cause issues like bloating, stomach cramps and heartburn - or even constipation or diarrhoea.
Not having any noticeable symptoms doesn't necessary mean you have good gut health either - how often you get sick, having a restrictive diet and medications you take can be factors. Research has found links between gut health and your immune system, your mental health and other aspects of your health and wellbeing.
Good gut health can be described as having a level balance between the "good" and "bad" bacteria and yeast in your digestive system, reported by the Daily Record. And improving it can be as simply as make some changes to your diet.
READ NEXT: Michael Mosley's 4 weight loss exercise tips that don't require a gym
Diet guru and broadcaster Dr Michael, author of the popular Fast 800 diet books, often shares advice on healthy and sustainable weight loss. He is an intermittent fasting and low-carbohydrate diet advocate who has appeared on numerous BBC, Channel 4 and ITV shows.
Now, he has shared some steps you can take every day to strike a better balance in your gut. Here are his tips to improve your gut health and and help you feel better in no time.
1. Broaden your diet
Michael often promotes the Mediterranean diet as one of the most effective ways to eat healthy while still feeling full after meals. This diet, which includes fruits, vegetables, oily fish, eggs and other proteins, can also improve your gut health.
Michael says that the genetic material that's in your gut, known as the microbiome, thrives and becomes more diverse when you eat a Mediterranean diet. This means eating plenty of healthy fats, non-starchy vegetables and legumes - and avoiding highly processed foods.
2. Add more fibre to your day
Certain types of bacteria in your gut can digest fibre, which could prevent serious conditions like diabetes and even some cancers, while also stopping you from gaining weight, so it's important to eat a high-fibre foods - try broccoli, chickpeas, asparagus, and small amounts of fruits like raspberries.
3. Increase intake of prebiotics and probiotics
Probiotics boost the growth of good bacteria in your gut, like fibre and carbohydrates, which the human body can't digest without certain species of gut bacteria. Probiotic foods include onion, garlic, leeks, asparagus and Jerusalem artichokes.
Prebiotics may sound similar but are very different. These are living microorganisms (usually bacteria) that can provide health benefits like improving your metabolism or immune system and can often be found in certain types of yoghurt and in fermented foods.
4. Eat fermented foods
Fermented foods, like kombucha, kefir, yoghurt and sauerkraut, are all packed full of healthy bacteria. With regular consumption, they can reduce the amount of bad bacteria present in your gut as they contain strains such as "Lactobacilli", which can be hugely beneficial to the body.
5. Get more sleep
As well as improving your health, getting better sleep and improving your overall 'sleep hygiene' can boost your gut microbiome. Studies have also shown that poor sleeping habits have a negative affect on your digestive system.
READ NEXT:
Scientists explain exact time of day to work out for best chance of losing weight
5-year-old girl dies from suspected Strep A in Nottinghamshire hospital
NHS data shows how many GP appointments offered by Nottinghamshire surgeries
Popular medication may increase risk of dementia, new research suggests
Nottinghamshire man who lost 20 stone 'couldn't look in the mirror' before weight loss
