A healthy gut can help with fast weight loss
Gut health and weight loss often go hand in hand. According to the latest research, the health of your digestive system is not only the key to overall health but also the secret to weight loss.
Did you know that the number of microbes living in you exceeds the number of your own cells by a ratio of 10:1?
There are about 100 trillion microbes living deep in the large intestine, mostly bacteria, collectively referred to as the microbiome.
What do gut bacteria do?
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of strains of gut bacteria – some are beneficial, some are not – and we are only just beginning to discover their role in taking care of our health.
Healthy bacteria help:
• Digest food
• Protect against pathogens, such as viruses
• Provide essential nutrients, enzymes, and hormones
• Manage your metabolism
• Train your immune system
But they can only do all of this if the microbiome is in balance.
If not, digestive problems, lethargy, poor mood, weak immunity, and weight gain can occur.
The gut-weight connection
A key area of gut research is focused on weight loss.
Studies on obese and lean twin groups have shown that lean twins have a vibrant and diverse microbial community, while obese twins have far fewer beneficial microbes.
Gut microbes can alter how fat is stored, balance blood sugar levels, and how we respond to hormones that signal hunger and satiety. There is much you can do to improve gut health and lose weight. And it all starts with giving your gut some love.
Support your gut bacteria
The main goal of any gut-healthy diet is to increase the number and diversity of good bacteria in our digestive system.
Here are some ways you can do this:
1. Minimize stress
Research shows that stress reduces the number and diversity of gut microbes. Try to make time for activities you enjoy, whether it's yoga, painting, or reading a good novel.
2. Be active
Studies have shown that athletes have more gut bacteria than inactive people. Physical activity can increase the levels of different bacterial strains while also helping with stress and weight loss.
The role of diet in gut health
As we have discussed, diet is key when it comes to improving our gut health and losing weight.
Here are some ways to make your diet more gut-friendly:
1. Limit your consumption of sugar and processed foods
Excess sugar suppresses beneficial bacteria and allows unhealthy microbes to take hold. Processed foods are often high in sugar, salt, saturated or trans fats, additives, and preservatives. They offer few nutrients for gut bacteria to thrive on, so it is better to avoid them.
2. Stock your shelves with gut-friendly foods
A diet rich in foods containing non-digestible ingredients, also known as prebiotics, can increase the number of bacteria in the gut. These ingredients form fibers that pass through the digestive system and provide a feast for waiting microbes. They can be found in fibrous foods like bananas, asparagus, chicory, onions, garlic, and leeks, as well as many other fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
3. Increase your intake of natural bacteria
Try to eat more foods that contain live bacteria and yeasts, also known as probiotics – some are naturally fermented, while others contain cultures.
Avoid flavored and sweetened milks and drinks, as this can negate their effects. Instead, choose naturally fermented foods.
Here are some of the best probiotics:
• Live, natural yogurt
• Kefir – a fermented milk drink
• Kombucha – a fermented tea drink
• Kimchi – Korean pickled vegetables
• Sauerkraut – German pickled cabbage
• Other pickles
• Miso
• Aged, unpasteurized cheese
How do probiotics help with weight loss?
Probiotics and weight loss can be linked, and some studies have suggested that probiotics may reduce an individual's weight and fat mass, as well as improve fat and sugar metabolism.
They pass through the digestive system into the large intestine, where they replenish the number and strains of microbes living there.
Eat an abundant, varied diet
Good news for anyone who has struggled with restrictive, calorie-controlled diets in the past: when it comes to improving gut health and losing weight, you need to eat more!
Our modern, Western diet lacks diversity, but the fastest way to improve the microbiome is to increase the variety of natural foods.
In fact, research shows that dieters who eat a wider variety of healthy foods are more likely to lose weight and keep it off long-term and are less likely to develop metabolic syndrome.
So, eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, nuts, and seeds every day.
Buy new foods each time you shop, eat seasonally, try new recipes, and experiment with international cuisines.
Step out of your food comfort zone, and your gut – and your waistline – will thank you for it.
Read our article to see which foods are good for your gut.
Vitamins for a healthy lifestyle: Holland & Barrett vitamins
Sources:
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/gut-microbes-diet-interact-affect-obesity
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21040780 http://gut.bmj.com/content/early/2014/04/29/gutjnl-201306541
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4757670/
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/probiotics/
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/early/2016/06/28/jn.115.224683
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/early/2014/12/31/jn.114.199125
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2019/3862971/
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