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It seems in the last few decades more and more interest has been given to gut health. The term gut health means a number of different things that have a great effect on our overall health:

1. Gut health determines how our digestive system works in breaking down the food we eat. Whether we have problems with certain foods or have to completely avoid certain foods can be determined by our gut health.
2. Gut health can greatly determine what nutrition we absorb from the foods we eat. If we do not have a healthy gut, we might eat good vitamin and mineral containing foods and the vital nutrition might pass right through us.
3. Gut health can have a big influence on our hydration level. Vital fluids can be absorbed by a healthy gut or can be allowed to escape and be flushed out in our urine. If we have an unhealthy gut it can lead to dehydration even if we have reasonable intake of water.
4. Gut health can be a large factor in the health of our blood and circulatory system. If we are losing blood through our gut, we are headed for problems we don’t want in a hurry.

We don’t give it much thought, but the health and proper function of our gut greatly effects how healthy we live our lives. There are specific foods that promote gut health and really make life a little easier on us. Let’s review a few of these.

Six great types of foods that promote good gut health:

• Fresh vegetables – loaded with phytonutrients that are shown to lower cholesterol, triglycerides and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Aim for variety and a minimum of four to five servings of fresh vegetables a day.
• Whole pieces of fruit – fruit contains antioxidants which are tied to cancer prevention and brain health. Important to eat whole fruit, not fruit from a can or fruit juice.
• Herbs, spices and teas – turmeric, ginger, basil, oregano, thyme for spices and herbs. Plus green tea and organic coffee in moderation.
• Probiotic containing foods – these are foods that contain good bacteria that populate your gut and fight off bad bacterial strains. These foods include yogurt, kombucha, kefir and fermented foods such as sauerkraut.
• Wild-caught fish, cage-free eggs and grass-fed meat. These foods are higher in omega-3 fatty acids and great sources of protein, healthy fats and healthy essential nutrients like zinc, selenium and B vitamins.
• Healthy fats such as grass-fed butter, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil as well as nuts and seeds.
• This is number 7 but I couldn’t leave it out – red wine and dark chocolate in moderation.

From the list above, we can eat our way toward good health. These foods make it much easier to maintain our strength and stamina with optimal gut health.

Be Blessed.