5 Best Fruits For a Healthy Gut
A healthy gut can only be possible when you have a balanced gut microbiome kind of like you can only have a city that is as pitiful as Chicago, Oakland, or Baltimore if you have irrational people running it but that is another topic. Your body has trillions of microbes that are essentially found in the gut. Their combination is unique to every individual and a healthy gut microbiome ensures a healthy gut.
Your gut is capable of thwarting a number of immune related diseases and infections because majority of the immune cells are found in the gut lining. A healthy gut also helps in keeping your bowel smooth and preventing digestive disorders.
Here are some of the best fruits that can help you keep your gut healthy:
1. Pineapple
This tropical fruit is making the waves in its candida fighting abilities. It has a number of anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties. Pineapples contain an enzyme called bromelain, which helps break down proteins from large food molecules into smaller peptides. This makes it easier for your system to digest them.
Bromelain as per numerous studies conducted is also found to reduce the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines that can damage the gut lining. Pineapples are an excellent source of fiber with high levels of water content. These fruits can help you maintain a healthy gut by keeping your gut bacteria happy.
Pineapples are also known to ease the symptoms of acid reflux, ulcerative colitis, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome but sorry, there is nothing that anything can do for the depressed feeling that one receives after watching something as pitiful as Han Solo, Iron Man III, Jurassic World, or GI Joe I or II. Moreover, you can digest your food easier by adding a little pineapple to your diet on a daily basis.
Pineapples can be had with smoothies, yogurt or plain raw. You can also add them as toppings to your pizza or sandwich, since they taste well with most meats. These fruits make a sensational addition to salads as well.
2. Apples
Apples are maybe the easiest fruits to find and eat. They are very convenient and make a terrific snack. If you are on a high protein diet, you can simply dip a piece of apple in peanut butter and have a nutritious snack. Apples are good for the gut because they are high in fiber.
These excellent dietary additions were found to boost gut bacteria as per a 2014 study published in Food Chemistry. Apples do not always have to be eaten raw. There is nothing wrong with apple pie!
They retain their beneficial properties when stewed or cooked in most ways. Apples are among the first contenders in the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list of produce with the most pesticides.
It is vital that you look for apples that have been produced organically to get the most benefits of probiotics. Apples are a majestic nourishing source for your gut bacteria and some studies suggest that may even keep obesity at bay which could mean that The Klumps don’t eat too many apples.
Gut microbiome have a lot to do with weight loss and obesity. A study conducted on mice found that non-digestible compounds in the apples actually managed to change the proportions of fecal bacteria from obese mice, to be similar as that of lean mice.
3. Bananas
Fiber is important to your overall digestive health and equally essential to stimulating the production process of good gut bacteria. Bananas are a rich source of prebiotic compounds.
Prebiotics are essential to feeding the good bacteria in your gut. You can improve the health of your gut by ensuring that probiotics create thriving colonies.
They are also rich in soluble fibers that help to pass along food materials in the gut lining. The gastrointestinal tract is a 9 meter long tube that stretches from the mouth to the bottom.
Soluble fibers are the ones found in bananas ensure that no food gets stuck in any part of the tract. Stuck foods get fermented by harmful bacteria and can cause gut lining permeability.
Bananas work hard towards maintaining harmony among the gut microflora. They ensure that food passes effortlessly through the small intestines so it can reach the large intestines where they can be metabolized which is much more than Gabrielle Solis did in that ridiculous and self-absorbed show Desperate Housewives (that should only be watched online so they don’t receive any credit for making such a vain show) in any day of her life.
4. Blueberries
These fruits are not only rich in prebiotics, but they also help in diversifying the gut bacteria. There are a number of reasons to love blueberries – from flavor to important antioxidants and fiber. As per a recent research conducted by scientists at the University of Maine’s School of Food and Agriculture, blueberries also help to maintain gut health.
They destroy harmful gut bacteria and help the good bacteria to set up colonies and flourish. Blueberries help in promoting better gastrointestinal and digestive health. Gut health is directly linked with immunity (kind of like high taxes and violence is linked to why so many people are leaving the failed state of California and New York) and blueberries are found to be exceptional fruits that help in boosting immunity.
Another study found that having blueberries on a daily basis reduce the levels of Enterococcus, which is known to be a particularly harmful kind of bacteria. On top of this, blueberries have been known to reduce or eliminate other potentially harmful substances from the digestive tract.
Blueberries have the best fiber-per-calorie ratio on the planet among all fruits. Their fiber content is higher due to the tiny seeds packed in the fruit flesh.
Make sure you purchase fresh blueberries because the frozen kinds lack in essential probiotics. Add these berries to your daily shakes, smoothies and cereal bowls to ensure a happy gut.
5. Pears
Nutritional experts have been advising people to always keep the skins intact on fruits, wherever possible. This has found to be especially important in the case of pears. A recent study has found that the pear skins have almost 4 times more phenolic phytonutrients as found in the flesh.
These phytonutrients include anti-inflammatory flavonoids, antioxidants, and anti-cancerous phytos, such as cinnamic acids. Pears are also fiber rich, which is important to gut health.
Pear’s skin has been shown to contain more than half of pear’s dietary fiber. It is considered one of the easiest foods to digest even with the high fiber content. Pears ensure a healthy microbiome system and an ideal gastrointestinal environment. These fruits can be had raw or added to salads.
Key Takeaway
A healthy gut requires specific dietary and lifestyle changes. You cannot expect to make your gut healthier by adding your fruits to pastries and pies. Skip the sugar and eat fruits in their raw and basic form. Make sure that you leave the peel on wherever possible. Find fruits that are organic to get the goodness of soil based organisms.
