Best Foods for Gut Health: What to Eat for a Healthier Gut

The best foods for gut health help nourish your gut microbiome and support digestion, immunity and overall wellbeing.

Whilst there isn’t a single ‘magic’ ingredient, many foods good for gut health, especially those rich in fibre and beneficial bacteria, can play an important role in supporting gut function. By understanding what foods are good for gut health, you can make simple changes to your diet to help maintain a healthier gut.

How to Get a Healthy Gut and Why It Matters

With an ever-growing amount of research highlighting the importance of gut health in overall health and wellbeing, many of us are looking for simple ways to understand how to get a healthy gut and support our gut microbiome.

The good news is that we can support gut health through our diet by making informed choices about the types of foods we eat. Including more foods good for gut health in your daily routine can help influence the composition and diversity of your gut microbes. As a result, eating a balanced diet rich in gut-healthy foods is a great way to support not only gut health, but also the immune system and brain function.

Best Foods for Gut Health to Add to Your Diet

There are several options when it comes to the . Including a variety of these foods can help support your gut microbiome and overall wellbeing.

Many of the best foods for gut health contain fibre, probiotics, or prebiotics.

Wholegrains
Plant-Based Foods
Fermented Foods
Prebiotic Foods

Wholegrains

Wholegrains deliver a range of important nutrients to the body, but one of the most beneficial for gut function is fibre.

Fibre is one of the key gut healthy foods that helps support digestion and plays an important role in feeding beneficial bacteria within the gut microbiome.

Because your body cannot fully digest fibre on its own, it passes through to the gut where it feeds beneficial gut microbes, helping to promote the growth of ‘friendly’ bacteria. This is why wholegrains are considered some of the best foods for gut health.

Next time you’re planning a meal, try adding a wholegrain option. Your gut will thank you for it. For example, you could add:

Oats
Quinoa
Wild rice
Rye
Millet

Plant-based Foods

Plant-based foods include fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, cereals and pulses, and are another great source of fibre, making them some of the best foods for gut health. Plant-based dietsare sometimes confused with a vegan lifestyle, which excludes all animal products such as meat, fish, dairy and eggs. However, you don’t need to be vegan to increase your plant intake, as you can easily include more plant-based options alongside a balanced diet that includes other food groups.

A diet rich in plant-based foods has been shown to support gut function by increasing the diversity of the gut microbiota. When choosing foods for good gut health, variety is key. Research suggests aiming for around 30 different plant-based foods per week to help support microbial diversity. Next time you’re in the supermarket, try adding a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables and include something new to your usual shop.

Fermented Foods

Fermented foods have been around for almost 10,000 years, but most of us are only just now becoming aware of them and their benefits to health. They are some of the most well-known gut healthy foods because they contain naturally occurring bacteria and yeast formed during the fermentation process.

Fermentation happens when microorganisms break down food components, creating the distinctive flavours and textures of these foods. This process of creating good bacteria is what makes fermented foods so beneficial for gut health.

Some popular examples of fermented foods include:

Live yoghurt
Kefir
Kimchi
Kombucha
Sauerkraut

Prebiotic Foods

Prebiotics are often confused with ‘Probiotics’ but they are not the same. Prebiotics are a type of fibre that acts as food for the beneficial bacteria in your gut. They pass through the digestive system undigested, where gut bacteria break them down. This helps support the growth and balance of beneficial bacteria, which is why they are considered important gut healthy foods.

Including more prebiotic-rich foods in your diet is a simple way to support gut health. If you are wondering what foods are good for gut health, prebiotic foods are a great place to start.

You can increase your prebiotic intake by including foods such as:

Onions
Garlic
Asparagus
Bananas
Oats
Artichokes
Chicory
Leeks
Leafy green vegetables

Including a wide variety of these foods in your daily diet is a simple way to support gut health and overall well-being. Remember, diversity is key; eating a broad range of foods helps ensure your gut microbiome receives a variety of nutrients.

It’s also important to remember that diet is one part of the picture. Factors such as physical activity, stress levels, sleep and overall lifestyle can all influence the health of your gut microbiome.

If you would like to learn more about how to improve gut health naturally, explore our expert advice. Alternatively, if you are looking for additional ways to support your gut health, our digestive health supplements may help support your gut microbiome as part of a balanced lifestyle.