We have a common misconception that all bacteria are bad. Well, what if I tell you that we have over about 40 TRILLION bacteria in our body, and most of them are in our digestive system, particularly our intestines. Collectively known as your gut microbiota, and they are hugely important for your health. However, certain types of bacteria in your intestines can also contribute to many gastrointestinal problems. So, a healthy diet for bed-ridden patients especially should be imposed to maintain a healthy digestion. This is the very reason why nutritionists, dietitians, and doctors alike formulate an effective healthy gut diet plan that would help improve the condition of your digestive system as well as help your gut bacteria.
Healthy gut diet plan: What you need to eat
Every person is different, but if you want to improve your digestion, it is imperative that you lose weight or at least maintain a healthy weight-and-height ratio to have a normal body mass index (BMI). For you to effectively look after your general health, there are some broad principles and steps that can be applicable to everyone.
Easy tips for a healthy gut
Eat a wide range of plant-based food. A healthy gut has various populations of microbes, each of which prefers different ‘favorite’ foods. Eating different types of healthy food would satisfy more bacteria.
Eat more fiber-rich foods. Most people eat less than they should because they do not know where to get more fiber. As part of your healthy gut diet plan, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains feed healthy bacteria and make it easy for your stomach and intestines to digest food. However, if your diet is generally low in fiber, a sudden increase can cause wind and bloating. To make this less likely, make gradual changes to your diet by adding one or two fiber-rich foods to your regular diet and increase your water intake.
Exercise. This is especially challenging for elderly patients who do not have the energy to perform body workouts. However, it is still beneficial for the body to move more. Enjoy brisk walking, careful climbing up and down stairs, and even performing aerobics or other forms f leisure exercise. What is important is your body still moves so you can up your metabolism and improve blood circulation.
Avoid highly-processed foods. These foods are rich in preservatives that often contain ingredients that either restrain ‘good’ bacteria or increase the number of ‘bad’ bacteria in your tummy.
Skip the high-sugar diet. This greatly affects the natural flora of your digestive system. High sugar content in foods can be linked to causing inflammation in a person’s body, and can sometimes cause stomach upset and diarrhea.
Add some probiotics. Probiotic foods and supplements like spirulina that can be found in live yogurt or other fermented or cultured food and drinks, for example, might encourage more good and healthy microbes to grow. Learn to love eating these types of food to help your gut.
Opt for olive oil. When cooking or making and choosing a salad dressing, use extra-virgin olive oil over other fats when you can. It contains the highest number of microbe-friendly polyphenols.
Antibiotics kill ‘good’ bacteria as well as ‘bad’. If you are sick and in need of taking antibiotics, make sure you compensate and eat lots of foods that boost your microbes afterward.
Do not overcook your food. When cooking your food compatible with your healthy gut diet plan, do not overcook your veggies. Overcooking them loses their natural crunch that bacteria like, and it is also found out that you can lose the natural nutrients of food from extreme heat. Avoid saggy veggies and opt for fresh salads and blanched greens.
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