Restoring Gut Health

In today’s crazy busy, fast food world our poor old gut gets a serious kicking almost every day. And boy are we suffering for it.

Many of us struggle chronically with stomach ache, bloating, indigestion, reflux and more. All caused by a very unhappy gut.

But it’s worse than that. Scientists are now realising our painful, rumbling guts are the source of all sorts of other health problems ranging from chronic auto immune conditions to severe mental health distress.

The stupid thing is we didn’t really need scientists to tell us a healthy, happy gut is essential to a healthy, happy life.

I mean think about the expressions we use like “Oh it’s gut instinct” or “I can feel it in my gut” or “a kick in the guts”. We have always known our gut is important and somehow connected to our emotions and even our mind.

Scientists have just reiterated what our ancestors knew :

• gut inflammation results in inflammation throughout our body
• restoring gut health is our first line of defence when our immune systems are under attack

So we shouldn’t be surprised that we feel thoroughly rubbish when we’re struggling with stomach aches, indigestion, reflux and the like.

But what can we do practically to restore our gut health?

Well first off we need to stop doing the stupid stuff that’s trashing our gut – lack of rest, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, processed grains, stress, over dosing on antibiotics, pain killers, screen time etc – but we also need to tap into the enormous wealth of knowledge all food cultures have about gut healthy food.

And the good news is there are loads of simple, everyday foods that help restore gut health. I’ve got a big list of 55 of them for you here and most of them – I promise – don’t have fancy names or cost a small fortune in a health food store.

We really can make a difference to our gut health plus the rest of our body and our minds by working a mixture of these into our diet at every meal. They are packed full with the “good bacteria” our immune systems need to keep our body healthy and to fight off the nasty stuff.

So check out the list, find foods you like and can eat easily everyday and then do save the list for quick reference going forward.

55 Foods That Restore Gut Health

1. Bone broth
2. Fish stock
3. Yoghurt
4. Aged blue cheeses
5. Carrots especially grated
6. Apples
7. Banana
8. Garlic
9. Turmeric
10. Sauerkraut
11. Broccoli
12. Chives
13. Asparagus
14. Seaweed
15. Chickpeas
16. Dark chocolate
17. Green tea
18. Onions
19. Scallions
20. Rosemary
21. Ginger
22. Berries
23. Lacto fermented pickles
24. Grass fed butter
25. Leeks
26. Radiccio
27. Scallions
28. Tarragon
29. Chicory
30. Jerusalem artichoke
31. Dandelion greens
32. Olives in brine
33. Creme fraiche
34. Barley
35. Shirataki noodles
36. Sourdough bread
37. Salisfy
38. Kvass
39. Miso paste
40. Kimchi
41. Flaxseed
42. Tempeh
43. Amaranth
44. Buckwheat
45. Spelt
46. Rye
47. Pulses
48. Reishi mushrooms
49. Quinoa
50. Avocado
51. Coconut oil
52. Virgin olive oil
53. Tallow
54. Gelatin
55. Green plantain

I do hope this list helps you restore your gut health. I have definitely noticed a big difference by swapping out some of the toxic nasties – sugar, processed foods – and eating a diet rich in these.

Let me know how you get on.

And if you’re searching for more gentle, easy tips for a healthier less toxic life do check out my other posts on clutter free, non-toxic, slow living.