Gut health is the balance of microorganisms living in the digestive tract. Taking care of gut health, and ensuring there's the right balance of these microorganisms is key for mental and physical health, immunity, and much more.

All these yeasts, bacteria, and viruses are referred to as the gut microbiome or can be called the gut flora.

Most of the microbes have great benefits for human health, and some of them can be termed as essential. On the other hand, others may be harmful, and especially when they multiply.

In this piece, we explain 5 ways, supported by science, that can be used to improve the gut microbiome and boost the overall body health.

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1. Eat fermented food and take probiotics

Kimchi can help to improve the health of the gut.

To increase the useful bacteria, or probiotics present in the gut, some people opt to take probiotic supplements.

These can be obtained in chemists, health food stores as well as online.

When probiotics are taken, they can help develop a healthy gut microbiome and may prevent the inflammation of the gut, together with other problems.

Tamara Large runs a hotel in Queensland, and notes that part of her menu is geared towards a healthy gut. “When people stay at hotels they want to enjoy their food, no matter what type of cuisine it is. We want to provide healthy alternatives, and people seem to now be a lot more conscious of what they eat and we try to ensure that a number of fermented ingredients are used in the meals.”

Probiotics can be obtained naturally from fermented food.

By consuming the following foods regularly, the health of the gut may be improved: kefir, fermented vegetables, kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh and miso.

2. Consume prebiotic fiber

Probiotics usually feed on nondigestible carbohydrates referred to as prebiotics. This process usually promotes the multiplication of beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Prebiotics may boost probiotics and help them be able to tolerate more environmental conditions such as a change in temperature and pH.

People who are looking to improve the health of their gut may want to include more amounts of the following foods rich in prebiotic in their diet: bananas, asparagus, garlic, chicory, onions, Jerusalem artichoke, whole grains

3. Reduce the amount of stress

Sleep deprivation is going to affect the health of the gut. Being able to manage stress is key for many health aspects, such as gut health.

Factors that cause psychological stress disrupt microorganisms found in the intestines, even when the stress lasts for a short time.

In human beings, some stressors can harm the health of the gut, including: environmental stress like too much cold, heat, and noise, psychological stress, disruption of the circadian rhythm as well as sleep deprivation.

For telecommunications mogul Neil Royle, finding new avenues of reducing stress levels after work has produced noticeable improvements in his gut health. “All I want to do after a long day at work is sit on the couch and flick on the TV, but the frustrations about the day often linger in my mind. Now, I’ll just go for a walk around the block and plug into a podcast. Everyone’s ways of destressing after something are different and unique, so it’s about what works for you.”

Some techniques that can be used to manage stress include deep breathing exercises, meditation, and relaxing muscles progressively.

Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and sleeping well are also proven ways that can help lower levels of stress.

4. Consume fewer sweeteners and sugars

Taking too many sugars and artificial sweeteners is likely to cause gut dysbiosis, which is usually an imbalance of microbes in the gut.

The standard Western diet made up of a high amount of fat and sugar affects the gut microbiome negatively. On the other hand, this can influence behaviour and the brain.

Still, the artificial sweetener aspartame causes an increase in the amount of some bacteria strains that are related to metabolic disease.

Metabolic diseases are a group of conditions known to increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

The use of artificial sweeteners by humans can impact the levels of glucose in blood negatively, due to the effects they have on gut flora. Therefore artificial sweeteners are likely to increase blood sugar although they may not be necessarily sugar.

5. Exercise regularly

Exercising regularly promotes good heart health, loss of weight, or weight maintenance. It's also likely to boost the health of the gut, which may help control obesity.

Australian construction entrepreneur Daniel Halse says that exercise can be any way that you’d like. “Exercise means something different to everyone, and there’s so many ways you can go about it. Whether it’s a walk, jog, hit of tennis, you’re bound to find a way of exercising that you’ll enjoy.”

Adults are recommended to have at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week, combined with muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or even more days per week.

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