3 easy steps for better gut health

3 easy steps for better gut health

Happier gut, happier you. (Photo: Gettyimages)

Our bodies are hosts to a lot of lives, apart from our own. Today, we’re zooming into the gut microbiome, specifically, the ones living in our digestive system.

Our digestive system exists to break down food into a form our bodies can use, aid by the bacteria that exist in our digestive tract. A person has around 300 to 500 species of bacteria in the digestive tract—some good for us, some not. Accordingly to studies, there are links between good gut health and the health of our immune system, skin, cells, and it may even benefit us mentally!

Whether you’re a consistent chugger of apple cider vinegar and ginger, or don’t really know what to do to improve your gut health, we have here three simple steps you can start from.

Maintain good daily habits

Sporty muslim young woman drinking water while exercising outdoors

Remember to hydrate yourself often! (Photo: Gettyimages)

Get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, chew many times before you swallow your food. Turns out, all these habits that were instilled in us from young are beneficial against a lot of potential health problems we may face growing up, including digestive issues. It might have something to do with making sure your body is in its prime state to combat the issues that might come its way.

If anything, this is one more reason why you should maintain all these good daily habits.

Check for food intolerance/allergies, and change your diet if you must

Stomach issues medical concept. Photo of female doctor, empty space.

Stop self-diagnosing and get opinions from real doctors. (Photo: Gettyimages)

Stop second-guessing your allergies or food intolerance and get a professional opinion. Food that may be good for someone else could trigger an unpleasant experience with your body, such as dairy, gluten, nuts or even certain meats.

Once you’ve identified that for sure, you can then take steps to tweak your diet and include less of what don’t work for you, and more of what does.

Take prebiotics or probiotics

Kimchi cabbage in a bowl eating by use chopsticks, Korean homemade fermented side dish food

Fermented food such as the Korean kimchi contains high amount of healthy bacteria for the body. (Photo: Gettyimages)

Adding a prebiotic or probiotic supplement to your daily intake can help promote better gut health. But what’s the difference between the two?

For one, think of prebiotics like food for the friendly bacteria in your gut, which often comes in the form of dietary fibres. We can digest it, but the beneficial bacteria in our gut eat this fibre to produce healthy bacteria. Food like kimchi, garlic, banana, asparagus are good sources of such prebiotics.

Probiotics, on the other hand, are live bacteria (good ones) you can introduce into your system.

When looking out for probiotics, it’s good to find one that has “broad spectrum”, meaning it has different species of bacteria in the same product. Meanwhile, we are highlighting below some non-gelatin ones you can easily get your hands on to help with your gut health!

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The content on this page is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. You should always seek advice from a qualified healthcare provider on queries regarding a medical condition, and before choosing a supplement for the best health benefit. Any action taken by you in reliance on or in connection with this content is solely at your own risk.