As we know, gut health is a complex topic that we’ve only just scratched the surface of throughout our Gut Heroes series. So we sat down with our team of nutritionists to answer a few common questions to help cut through and get back to basics!
But first, let’s introduce them. Above you’ll see our team of amazing nutritionists:
Molly, on the left, is our nutrition intern.
Catherine, in the middle, is a registered dietitian and our head of nutrition.
Caitlin, on the right, is a degree-qualified nutritionist.
1. What is a common misconception about gut health?
Molly
That achieving ‘good’ gut health is as simple as taking a singular probiotic. WRONG! Probiotics are often glamorised and publicised as a ‘one pill cures all’ when it comes to gut health management. When in reality, achieving ultimate gut health consists of various counterparts such as, well-balanced diet, exercise, sleep, mental and physical health, and stress levels.
Catherine
That fruits and vegetables are the only plant foods that help our gut. Not the case! Research has shown us that whole grains, seeds, nuts, legumes and even spices and herbs all contribute a healthy gut too.
Caitlin
That you need lots of expensive, fancy supplements to achieve good gut health. In reality, it’s the basics like eating a variety of plants foods, staying hydrated, exercising regularly, practising stress management, and good sleep that have the biggest impact.
2. If you could share one gut health related piece of advice, what would it be?
Molly
To not deprive your body of certain food groups, with the intention of managing your gut health. I cannot emphasise enough, the importance of consuming a well-balanced diet, when focusing on achieving maximum gut health.
Most importantly, I strongly encourage you to make a conscious effort to reach for the wholefoods, products, and fresh produce.
Catherine
Focus on variety! We often hear the advice to eat more fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds and legumes but I like to focus on eating the widest variety I can. A diverse diet means a diverse microbiome, which evidence has shown us is a crucial element of a happy gut. Also, try to give your gut a rest (and a chance to tidy up) overnight by not eating too late into the evening where possible.
Caitlin
Get back to basics! As mentioned, focus on including a variety of plant foods, as well as drinking plenty of water, exercising regularly, managing stress, and getting plenty of sleep. These simple steps are key to a healthy gut.
3. We are seeing an increasing amount of ‘gut friendly’ products on the shelves at the moment, from the likes of kombucha, probiotic yogurts and supplements etc. Are these all that good for you and your gut health, or is this more of a hype or trend?
Molly
Totally agree! Of course, all of these products have some level of health benefits (specifically gut health related), but marketing knows how to upsell and enhance a product to become more appealing for consumers. Despite these ‘gut friendly’ products having beneficial gut health qualities, it is important that consumers are reminded and encouraged to consume these products in conjunction with a well-balanced diet.
Catherine
Gut health is certainly trending! There is evidence to support fermented foods contribution to a healthy gut – such as kimchi, kefir, kombucha and probiotic yoghurts. However, I firstly encourage people to get the fundamentals of healthy, varied diet right first. These products can be thought of as the final touch, not the magic bullet.
Caitlin
Absolutely fermented foods and some supplements can be beneficial to gut health as they contain probiotics and prebiotics, which help increase and feed the beneficial bacteria in our gut. However, as both Molly and Catherine have mentioned, consuming these foods alone are not the solution to a healthy gut – we need to get the basics right first!
4. Is there certain foods I should avoid when trying to heal my gut?
Molly
Yes. Avoid processed foods. It’s as simple as that! Processed foods are often high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and additives, which commonly disrupt the balance of healthy bacteria within your gut.
However, everyone’s gut and gut microbiome are unique, and no gut shares the exact make up. Therefore, it is so important that we as individuals pay attention to our own bodies and how they may react (positively and or negatively), to certain foods – trying not to compare to other individual experiences with certain foods and food groups.
Catherine
All foods fit into a well-balanced diet, some foods are good for our physical health, and others for our mental and social health. However, the evidence does suggest that ultra-processed foods do negatively impact our gut health so as per usual, whole foods win!
Caitlin
Rather than focusing on what foods we can avoid, I like to think about all the amazing foods we can ADD to our diet for a healthy gut. While some foods, such as ultra-processed foods, can disrupt our gut health, the benefit of adding a variety of veggies, fruits, wholegrains, legumes, nuts and seeds to our diet far outweighs the potential negative effects of consuming some processed foods.
That said, when trying to improve gut health I would avoid ‘quick fix’ supplements such as detox teas and juice cleanses. These products typically don’t have evidence to show any benefit to gut health and may have negative side effects.
5. What do you wish you knew earlier about gut health?
Molly
The relationship gut health has with your overall health and wellbeing. In particular, I wish I knew the importance of the relationship between sleep and gut health and how these two factors correlate with each other.
Sleep and gut health are closely related and are both important for overall health. Sleep affects the balance of bacteria within the gut and the hormones which control appetite, whilst gut health state can affect the quality of sleep. Essentially, a healthy gut microbiome can improve sleep, while getting enough (and adequate) sleep, can promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria and balance of hormone levels.
Catherine
That gut health doesn’t have to be expensive, difficult nor complicated. A gut friendly diet is a healthy whole food diet – it’s as simple as that.
Caitlin
Gut health is so much more than what you do or don’t eat. Research shows a direct connection between the gut and brain, and therefore, high levels of stress can lead to unwanted digestive symptoms. Evidence shows practising mindfulness and stress management techniques can improve gut health, in some cases more so than diet alone! Most of us experience stress in our day-today life, so once you’re eating a variety of wholefoods, stress management can be a good next step to achieving optimal gut health.
We hope that helps answer a few of your burning gut health questions! If you’d like any further information, we encourage you to reach out to our team of nutritionists on [email protected]
