Your gut hosts billions of beneficial microorganisms that play an essential role in everything from immunity and digestion to mood. However, these microbes need nourishment in order to fulfill their roles effectively.

Nutrition-rich diets are essential. Your bacteria feed off of what you eat,” notes Collins, so a wide variety of food is the key to successful bacteria digestion.

1. Eat a Plant-Based Diet

Gut microbes play a pivotal role in many aspects of our health. They play a part in maintaining immunity, maintaining weight control and even having an impactful influence on mental wellbeing – this connection between gut and brain being known as the “gut-brain axis.”

To maintain healthy microbes in your gut, be sure to feed them well by selecting foods high in fiber such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds from a rainbow diet. These prebiotic-rich foods will feed both good bacteria while simultaneously starve off bad ones!

Include plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas and soy products into your diet as they contain low levels of saturated fat, omega-3 fatty acids and cholesterol-reducing benefits. A plant-based diet has also proven very successful at helping people lose weight as well as reduce their risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and other chronic illnesses.

If you choose to consume animal foods, try opting for fish, eggs and dairy that has been minimally processed, which are higher in omega-3 fatty acids that support your gut microbes.

Avoid highly processed food that has been deep fried in unhealthy oils and contains additives like salt, sugar, artificial sweeteners, and emulsifiers. Instead opt for whole food such as fresh fruit and veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts & seeds as well as dark leafy greens with no sweetened drinks as your go-to options.

Add probiotic-rich foods rich in bacterial cultures, such as yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha to your diet to give your gut an added boost of healthy bacteria. However, be careful of sugary treats as too many of these can actually kill off beneficial organisms, leading to worse results!

2. Eat Fermented Foods

Your digestive tract is home to trillions of healthy microorganisms that play an essential role in digesting food, warding off disease and even producing vitamins. Collectively known as your gut microbiome, they contribute greatly to overall wellness; more diverse your gut microbiome is, the healthier you are likely to be.

Fermented foods, like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kombucha can be one of the best ways to maintain a healthy gut. These fermented products contain probiotics and prebiotics – essential nutrients that nourish microorganisms living within your digestive tract as well as potential disease protection measures.

Fermented foods are created when microorganisms like yeast or bacteria are added to food sources and allowed to ferment, producing molecules with added flavor and health benefits, while helping preserve them and prevent spoilage. When milk fermented with lactic acid-producing bacteria becomes kefir.

Yogurt is made using yeast and bacteria, with often fortified varieties featuring vitamin B12, calcium, magnesium, folate, riboflavin, zinc and iodine for additional benefits. Furthermore, yogurt is known to contain Lactobacillus helveticus bacteria that has been linked with reduced anxiety and depression as well as improved digestive health.

Kimchi is another excellent source of probiotics and has been shown to increase immunity and reduce inflammation in the digestive tract, possibly protecting against diseases of the GI tract such as diabetes and improving mental wellbeing by stimulating serotonin production in your gut.

Increase the probiotics you are eating by snacking on sauerkraut – a fermented cabbage snack that’s crunchy and salty – studies have demonstrated its benefits in relieving symptoms associated with IBS such as bloating and gas, as well as improving gut microbiome composition.

Probiotics are easily added to your diet if you avoid ultra-processed foods that contain added sugar, unhealthy fats, artificial sweeteners and additives. Instead, opt for whole grains, beans, oats and oranges instead. ZOE offers at-home testing to get a breakdown of the bacteria living in your gut microbiome as well as personalized suggestions on what foods may improve health.

3. Exercise Regularly

Your digestive tract is home to trillions of beneficial microorganisms that work to digest food, fight off illness and produce vitamins. Collectively known as your gut microbiome, each day researchers discover new health effects linked to these bacteria – helping drive an estimated $35 billion industry for probiotic supplements.

But you can also support these bacteria through diet and lifestyle. One way to promote gut bacteria growth is with a whole foods diet rich in leafy greens, fermented foods, prebiotic fibers and prebiotic proteins – especially if eaten raw instead of cooked/over-processed!

Maintain a balance within your microbiome by having two to three bowel movements per day, to maintain optimal gut bacteria. Excess or deficit can have serious implications on both mental and physical wellbeing.

Probiotic supplements may also be helpful, though it’s essential that you find a high-quality product. Most probiotics sold in stores don’t feature high CFU counts and often consist of inferior strains; to avoid such missteps, look for brands tested for purity and supported by scientific research.

Your gut microbes need nutrients and polyphenols (micronutrients found in veggies, tea and more) in order to thrive, including nutrients and polyphenols (found in veggies, tea and more) which ensure friendly bacteria outnumber unfriendly ones. When your gut bacteria are flourishing properly they will naturally keep unfriendly bacteria under control.

Exercise can also help strengthen your gut bacteria. Exercise not only benefits your heart health but can also aid irregular bowel movements caused by imbalanced gut bacteria. Furthermore, sleep deprivation has been found to alter the composition of gut bacteria which in turn can lead to various health complications.

While some might see gut health as just another wellness trend, it should actually be taken seriously. Your digestive tract hosts trillions of beneficial microbes which play a crucial role in keeping both you and your mood at their best; taking better care of these microorganisms means being happier and healthier overall.

4. Sleep Well

Your gut bacteria are sending signals to your brain, with good ones making you feel happy, while bad ones can create stress and anxiety. Thus, maintaining a healthy microbiome is vital to our happiness; cultivating probiotic-rich diets, exercising regularly, and getting ample rest are some of the best ways to improve gut health while simultaneously improving mood.

Good news is, changing your microbiome is achievable within days by making just a few small and positive lifestyle adjustments. Simply by increasing fiber intake and decreasing stress levels and getting plenty of restful sleep over several weeks can significantly alter the makeup of your gut bacteria – and regular physical activity — even just 10 minutes of physical activity daily — will increase diversity and foster its growth!

Care must also be taken when selecting probiotics. When selecting them, look for a label stating how many “colony-forming units” (CFUs) there are per dose of probiotics; this will give a good indication of how many living bacteria will make it from manufacturer to your digestive tract alive and intact. These delicate organisms require careful handling so any disruption in packaging, delivery or storage could decrease their CFU count dramatically; additionally, stomach acid must not destroy their beneficial bacteria before reaching small intestine; only specially prepared pills with enteric coating can pass intact through with all their friends intact!

Dysbiosis, or an imbalanced microbiome, can create serious health complications. Dysbiosis has been linked with symptoms ranging from bloating and constipation to reduced immune function and even food allergies and autoimmune disease. Probiotics may help restore balance to ensure the good bacteria outnumber any harmful pathogens and avoid future health issues.

Integrating probiotics into your daily routine can dramatically improve digestive, immune and overall health. To get the best possible benefit from taking probiotics, select high-quality brands backed by research, testing and controlled clinical trials – without allergens or added sugar or fillers – as this will give you peace of mind when selecting one! To get started with living healthier today download Noom’s 5-minute quiz and unlock your weight loss program tailored specifically to you – now with GLP-1 options!