While it might seem like gut health can be ‘boosted’ with a pill or liquid concoction sold by health companies, it’s a little more complicated than that. Supporting your gut health requires a multipronged approach that includes the foods you eat, how much sleep you get each night and how much fibre you consume.
Recent research commissioned by Kellogg’s found that 65 percent of Australians believe if they could see inside their gut, they would likely take better care of it. In order to find out how we can improve our gut health and maintain these positive changes, we turned to celebrity doctor, Ginni Mansberg.
“Gut problems are invisible problems — if we can’t see what’s going on, we don’t always know how to address it,” Dr Mansberg told POPSUGAR Australia. “If we could visualise our gut, we’d be more likely to take steps to keep it healthy.”
“The research report commissioned by Kellogg’s has tried to bring the gut to life for people through the analogy of the Great Barrier Reef to better help Aussies understand what we need to do to keep our gut healthy and thriving.”
Here are Dr Mansberg’s top four tips to do just that.
1. Eat a wide variety of plant-based foods
“Someone who has a healthy gut will have diverse microbes living in their gut. This diversity is key to optimising health. To increase microbe diversity, you should eat a variety of plant-based foods such as wholegrains, high fibre breakfast cereals, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds.”
2. Add prebiotics to your grocery list
“Prebiotics are soluble fibres that feed the good bacteria in our gut. Prebiotics promote an increase in the friendly bacteria, which boost the balance of our microbiome to help with digestion, keeping our gut lining healthy and even supporting our immune system. Some foods that are naturally high in prebiotics include fibre breakfast cereals, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds.”
3. Increase your fibre intake
“Increasing fibre, plant-based food and water in our diet is one of the best ways to keep us feeling energised throughout the day. High fibre breakfast cereals are an easy way to increase your fibre and helps you to feel fuller, which means we’re less likely to reach for chocolate or chips throughout the day.”
4. Get some sleep
“Getting more sleep can help keep our gut microbiome healthy, while a lack of sleep can cause a change in the ‘microbial community structure’. The more sleep we have, the better for our physical and mental health, as well as our appetite.”
Aussies can now dive in and explore the inner workings of the gut ecosystem with a free online VR experience, available via YouTube and STEAM.
