Your gut microbiome consists of billions of bacteria, microbes, and fungi and is very important in terms of your overall health. It helps to strengthen your immune system, control your digestion, and also plays a significant role in terms of your brain chemistry. 

If you are looking for ways to improve your gut health, you have come to the right place. We’ve put together various suggestions that should help to strengthen your microbiome and eradicate any gut health issues you are currently experiencing. 

As with anything of this nature, you may want to consider consulting a medical professional before making any changes to your diet and lifestyle.

Here Are 4 Ways To Improve Your Gut Health.

1. Drink More Water

If you struggle to have regular bowel movements and often wonder what causes constipation, the answer is that many things do. It may be medication, lack of exercise, poor diet, or in many cases, dehydration.

When you don’t drink enough fluid, your intestines can’t add enough water to stools. It can make them firm, dry, and compacted, which, over time, can lead to constipation. Drinking 2-3 liters of water a day should help alleviate this and can do wonders for your gut health.

2. Take a Probiotic Supplement

Probiotic supplements contain live good bacteria and yeasts that help restore the natural balance of bacteria in your gut, so if you are tired, constipated, or suffer from IBS or associated stomach pain, you may benefit. 

The type and number of bacteria in each capsule vary, so it is a good idea to do some research so you can find a supplement that’s best for you. It’s usually recommended to take them every day at night, and after a few weeks, you should see some noticeable differences.

3. Edible Probiotics

If supplements don’t appeal, many fermented foods contain lots of good bacteria, and if you are feeling particularly adventurous you can make your own! Kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, and sourdough bread, amongst others, contain valuable probiotics that are fabulous for our health. The fermenting process can take a while, but with a bit of patience, you can create an abundance of gut-healing foods that taste great and have many proven benefits. 

4. Eat Less Refined Sugar

Refined sugar is inflammatory and can seriously affect our gut flora, so if you eat it regularly, try and take steps to keep your consumption to a minimum. Inflammation can, over time, lead to developing many chronic illnesses, so the next time you are eager to reach for a bar of chocolate, grab a piece of fruit instead. 

Recommendations suggest that we consume no more than 30g of sugar each day, which may sound a lot, but when you start exploring how much sugar is in the foods we typically eat, it isn’t much at all. Keep processed foods to a minimum and instead eat a wide range of vegetables, fruit, legumes, grains, seeds, and nuts, and your gut will start and continue to thrive.