January is here – and many of us have made health-related resolutions to kick off the new year.
If you’re focusing on your gut health, chances are your algorithm has noticed and is trying to sell you a plethora of supplements and superfoods, all claiming to boost your gut health – often at a steep price.
However, a dietician has revealed seven simple steps you can take to genuinely improve your health, urging people to “start with ADDING healthy habits instead of removing a random list of foods”. Katey Davidson shared her must-do list on TikTok.
Katey warned that there are plenty of people on social media “that pretend like they know what they’re talking about,” but she was going to share “a bunch of things that are going to help your gut health”. She then proceeded to share her top six tips.
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She explained: “First, you need to get fibre in your diet. That is the number one key thing to do. Number two, make sure you’re drinking enough water. That helps with the fibre, and helps to promote your gut health.”
“Number three, you’re going to want to get prebiotics in your diet because this helps to feed your gut bacteria. Number four, you’re going to want to get probiotics in your diet, and you can get this through foods, as well as supplements.”
She emphasised the need to “manage your stress levels,” as it’s “crucial for gut health”. Katey also underscored the importance of “being more physically active.”
“This helps to improve the motility of your gut,” she explained. If you’re unsure about what ‘motility’ means, it refers to an organism’s ability to move independently using metabolic energy. “And finally, you’re going to want to get quality sleep.
Six ways to improve your gut health
- Eat plenty of fibre
- Keep hydrated
- Incorporate prebiotics into your diet
- Get plenty of probiotics too
- Manage stress
- Maintain an active lifestyle
These are all things you can do without having to remove a bunch of foods from your diet that you don’t actually need to,” she added, stressing the importance of “listening to qualified people”.
What the NHS says about gut health
According to the NHS, “Most of us need to eat more fibre and have fewer added sugars in our diet. Eating plenty of fibre is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer.”
They also share that to increase your fibre intake, you could:
- Choose a higher-fibre breakfast cereal such as plain wholewheat biscuits (like Weetabix) or plain shredded whole grain (like Shredded wheat), or porridge, as oats are also a good source of fibre.
- Go for wholemeal or granary breads, or higher fibre white bread, and choose wholegrains like wholewheat pasta, bulgur wheat or brown rice.
- Go for potatoes with their skins on, such as baked potatoes or boiled new potatoes.
- Add pulses like beans, lentils, or chickpeas to stews, curries and salads.
- Include plenty of vegetables with meals, either as a side dish or added to sauces, stews or curries.
- Have some fresh or dried fruit or fruit canned in natural juice for dessert. Because dried fruit is sticky, it can increase the risk of tooth decay, so it’s better if it is only eaten as part of a meal rather than as a between-meal snack.
- For snacks, try fresh fruit, vegetable sticks, rye crackers, oatcakes and unsalted nuts or seeds.
If you’re struggling with your gut health, or your diet and need more help, speak to your GP.