Our stomach and intestines are extremely important in getting all the goodies out of the food we consume.  But how often do you think about the health of your digestive tract?  It’s something most of us don’t even think of.  We think about foods which affect the heart, pancreas (sugar levels), ect. Our digestive tract is powerful, sensitive, and crucial to our bodies.  Ask someone who has Crones, IBS, Colitis, or other issues relating to the digestive tract, and they’ll tell you how challenging these diseases can be to manage, and lets not forget painful.   This article is meant to bring a little more awareness to our digestive system and give you, the reader, some food for thought/information to digest.

Bacteria… back off!  The common reaction when we think of bacteria.  However, there is such a thing as healthy bacteria, in case you didn’t already know.  There are two very important things required to stimulate the growth of that good bacteria in our digestive system.  These are prebiotics, a special type of fiber, which helps encourage the growth of healthy bacteria, and probiotics, which are live bacteria/yeast, used to sustain the good bacteria already in the gut.

Fermented Foods

Fermented foods contain probiotics and are excellent foods for our digestive tract.  In countries such as Japan and China, they frequently start their days with a fermented food, usually Miso soup, which is believed to stimulate the digestive tract and provide an energy boost. 

Here are some fermented foods to add to your diet:

• Miso – fermented soybeans
• Kimchi – fermented and salted napa cabbage and Korean radish
• Kombucha – fermented tea
• Sauerkraut – fermented cabbage

Low Fructose Fruits and Vegetables

Sugars are a complicated and sometimes confusing subject.  With sugar getting lots of negative hype these days it’s important to note that our bodies require sugar to function properly.  For example, our digestive tract needs sugar to help with the fermentation process.  What’s most important is knowing the difference in sugars.  

Sugars are carbohydrates (carbs), which can be classified as complex or simple carbs.   Simple carbs are just that, a simpler chemical that our bodies can absorb/digest quickly.  This often causes blood sugar levels to spike, which is something we want to avoid.   Complex carbs have stronger chemical bonds which take longer for our bodies to digest and reduce the spike in blood sugar levels.  Complex carbs are what we want!

Some low fructose fruits and vegetables include:

• Berries
• Citrus
• Bananas
• Avocadoes
• Carrots

Whole Grains

Whole grains are a beneficial choice for our health in general as they offer plenty of nutrients, but more specifically they are great foods for our digestive tract.  They offer complex carbs, which when fermented by our gut, produce cells that help line the colon and in turn promote healthier immune cells. 

There are lots of whole grain options out there.  Adding whole grains to your diet can be as simple as choosing to eat whole grain bread, pasta and crackers, brown rice, and oatmeal, or adding barley to that soup you’re making.   Your gut will thank you for limiting refined carbs, such as white bread, white rice and so on.

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens pack a punch.  They provide us with a boat load of nutrients our bodies require daily.  In the case of gut health, they contain a beneficial amount of fiber and the proper types of sugar (complex sugars), which help to fuel the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut. 

Leafy greens you might want to add to your sandwiches or salads are:

• Spinach
• Kale
• Collard greens
• Beet greens
• Microgreens – these are the young shoots produced by the seeds of vegetables and herbs.

Honourable Mentions

A few other foods that help keep the digestive tract happy and healthy are:

• Almonds – High in fiber, full of fatty acids, and are a treat for the healthy bacteria due to their probiotic properties.
• Ginger – Helps to produce stomach acids which, in turn help stimulate the digestive system. 
• Chia seeds – These little seeds are high in fiber and help support the growth of healthy bacteria.