The bacteria in your gut can affect your blood sugar and overall health.
Here’s how to build a flourishing gut biome.
(Collectively, experts call these your gut microbiota.)
Some of these bacteria are healthful.
Others, not so much.
(Here are3 surprising reasons your gut health is so important.)
How did those critters get there in the first place?
Some were passed on by your mother in utero and during childbirth.
But the bulk of these microbes came from the breast milk, formula and food you consumed during infancy.
The good news is, it’s possible to improve your gut bacteria through some of these same factors.
Here’s how to ensure your gut microbiome is flourishing.
However, some types of fiber are more advantageous than others.
Fermentable fiber is also added to certain foods like some cereals and snack bars in the form of inulin.
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Focus on Unsaturated Fat
Replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat isn’t justgood for your heart.
It may also protect against unhealthful gut microbes that contribute to insulin resistance.
For people with diabetes, this can be especially problematic.
This can help keep endotoxin sequestered in the gut and out of the bloodstream.
Get Moving
A growing body of research reports that exercise may help breed more favorable gut bugs.
Researchers aren’t sure exactly why exercise is so powerful, but they suspect several mechanisms are at play.
That makes your gut stronger and better equipped to speed up digestion and remove harmful microbes from your system.
Staying active is also believed to reduce body-wide inflammation that may contribute to insulin resistance.
And you don’t have to be a professional athlete to benefit.
Eat More Nuts
For a happier, healthier colon, snack on some nuts.
Because polyphenols are difficult to digest, the majority of them travel intact to the large intestine.
When they get there, beneficial gut bacteria may pounce on them and gobble them up for food.
Butyrate is so powerful it’s even believed to protect against colon cancer.
If you’re not a nut lover, not to worry.
Don’t Rely on Probiotics
If you love yogurt, kefir, or probiotic tea, dig in.
“The gut is like an Amazon jungle,” says Zhao.
Problem is, all the good real estate is already inhabited by your existing gut bacteria.
So there’s little space for the newcomers to set up camp.
That means they can stay for a while, but they can’t settle there permanently.
Even if they could, there are other considerations.
And consider probiotic foods to be the icing on the cake.
