Introduction
Good gut health is essential for overall health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, many of the most popular foods can wreak havoc on your gut health. Science has shown that certain foods can cause inflammation, disrupt the balance of bacteria in your gut, and even lead to digestive issues. If you want to keep your gut healthy, it’s important to know which foods to avoid. This article will discuss some of the most popular foods that are wreaking havoc on your gut health and provide healthier alternatives. Eating the right foods can help you maintain a healthy gut and improve your overall health.
Popular Foods Wrecking Your Gut Health, Says Science — Eat This Not That
It’s no secret that what you eat can have a major impact on your overall health. But did you know that certain foods can wreak havoc on your gut health? According to recent studies, there are some popular foods that can be detrimental to your digestive system.
Foods to Avoid
The following foods should be avoided if you want to maintain a healthy gut:
- Processed meats: Processed meats such as bacon, sausage, and deli meats are high in sodium and saturated fat, which can lead to inflammation in the gut.
- Refined grains: Refined grains such as white bread, white rice, and pasta are low in fiber and can cause digestive issues.
- Sugary drinks: Sugary drinks such as soda, energy drinks, and fruit juices are high in sugar and can lead to an imbalance in the gut microbiome.
- Artificial sweeteners: Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose can disrupt the balance of bacteria in the gut.
- Alcohol: Alcohol can cause inflammation in the gut and can lead to leaky gut syndrome.
Foods to Eat
On the other hand, there are some foods that can help promote a healthy gut. These include:
- Fermented foods: Fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, and sauerkraut are high in probiotics, which can help maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut.
- Fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, which can help keep your digestive system running smoothly.
- Whole grains: Whole grains such as oats, quinoa, and brown rice are high in fiber and can help keep your digestive system running smoothly.
- Nuts and seeds: Nuts and seeds are high in healthy fats and can help promote a healthy gut.
- Bone broth: Bone broth is high in collagen, which can help heal and seal the gut lining.
Eating a balanced diet that includes these gut-friendly foods can help keep your digestive system running smoothly. So, if you want to maintain a healthy gut, make sure to avoid the foods listed above and opt for the gut-friendly foods instead.
Your gut health is crucial to many other areas of health. In fact, if your gut health is off, you may even experience mental health effects like an increased chance of having anxiety or depression.
This is why it’s so important to take care of your gut so that you can live a healthy, well-balanced life. But where do you start, you may ask? While your gut health can be improved with things like hydration, plenty of sleep, and regulation of stress, your diet also plays a key role.
Continue reading to learn about some of the popular foods that may be wrecking your gut health. And for more healthy eating tips make sure to check out Popular Foods That Improve Your Gut Health.
Alcohol can be enjoyed every once in a while without too many consequences, but according to registered dietitian Morgyn Clair, MS, RDN, author at Fit Healthy Momma, heavier amounts of drinking can have lasting effects on your gut health.
“Not only have certain alcoholic drinks been shown to disrupt normal digestion, but studies have shown that moderate to heavy drinkers actually have fewer healthy bacteria colonies in their digestive systems,” says Clair.
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Foods with added sugar, like donuts, cookies, sodas, sugary juices, and other sugar-sweetened snacks can quickly damage your gut health and lead to other health complications along the way.
“Too much sugar can ‘feed’ the bad bacteria, which can compete for survival with the good bacteria,” says Clair, “and too much sugar can also cause an influx of water and disrupt normal digestion, causing bloating and other unwanted effects.”
This article published in Nutrients also says that sugar can mess with the microbiota balance and your gut and therefore cause some inflammatory effects in the body as well.
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While many people may reach for artificial sweeteners to save calories and help with weight loss, these may negatively impact your gut health over time.
A study published in Nature found that consumption of artificial sweeteners may actually be linked to developing a gluten intolerance because of the ways it can alter your gut microbiota. However, this study was done on mice so more research is needed on this development.
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Although they are a good source of protein, processed meats like bacon or sausage have been known to potentially cause problems for your gut health due to their saturated fat content.
A review from Clinical Nutrition found a link between total fat intake—specifically saturated fats—and a reduction in total bacterial number, bacterial richness, and diversity in the gut, which are all signs of poor gut health.
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Research shows that soybean oil, which is commonly found in things like margarine, certain salad dressings, some brands of mayonnaise, nutrition bars, and many frozen foods, may be harmful to your gut health.
A study published in the journal Gut found that a diet high in soybean oil, which is rich in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, decreased levels of two bacterial species, Faecalibacterium and Blautia, that produce health-promoting metabolites. It also increased levels of two bacterial species, Alistipes and Bacteroides, which have been related to imbalanced glucose metabolism.
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