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Gut Bacteria

Optimize Gut Health With a Plant-Based Diet

A plant-based diet can improve health and prevent disease by feeding the good bacteria in your digestive tract.

Trillions of bacteria live in your digestive tract and play an important role in health. Of the thousands of species of gut microbes that live in your gut, however, some are healthy for your body—while others are not.

A healthful plant-based diet improves the health and diversity of your gut microbes, preventing and treating conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and inflammation associated with autoimmune diseases.1

How can I increase good bacteria in my gut?

1. Fill Up on Fiber.

High-fiber foods feed the healthy bacteria that improve immune function, reduce inflammation and chronic disease, and even help regulate mood. It is an essential nutrient to maintain regular bowel movements and keeps the cells that line your digestive tract healthy. Since fiber is bulky and helps to keep contents moving smoothly through your system, this reduces any contact that your cells would have with potential toxins. In addition, fiber acts as fuel for our healthy gut bacteria. Having well-fed, well-balanced gut bacteria is a crucial part of being healthy.2 As a result of breaking down fiber, our gut bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids that have many benefits, including strengthening the intestinal lining, helping with mineral absorption, balancing blood sugar, increasing feelings of fullness, contributing to weight loss, reducing inflammation, and influencing gene expression.3-5

2. Pick Prebiotic-Rich Foods.

Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers found in plant foods that feed healthy bacteria in the gut. The human body can’t digest these compounds on its own, so they travel through the gut undigested until they reach the colon where they are fermented by bacteria. Prebiotics have been shown to improve mineral absorption, decrease triglycerides, improve immunity, inhibit pathogens, improve glucose levels, reduce inflammation, reduce risk of cancer, and improve body weight.6-8 Good sources of prebiotics include whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables, specifically leeks, onions, garlic, asparagus, and spinach.

3. Try Probiotic Foods.

Probiotics are live bacteria or yeasts found in fermented foods that, when consumed, take up residence in the gut and improve health. Probiotics help to prevent constipation, improve your immune system, and even improve mental health.9-11 Healthy sources include sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, kimchi, and water kefir.

4. Avoid Animal Products.

Red meat, high-fat dairy products, and fried foods all reduce the growth of healthy bacteria and enhance the growth of “bad” bacteria linked to chronic disease.12

5. Limit Fats.

Avoid fried foods, saute with cooking spray or broth instead of oil, and use low-fat salad dressings, especially if you have diabetes or prediabetes. Most plant foods are naturally low in fat. High fat diets are associated with increased inflammation and unfavorable gut bacteria.13

6. Avoid Unnecessary Antibiotics.

While antibiotics can be lifesaving and necessary, they can also be overprescribed. Antibiotics not only kill the bacteria causing an infection in your body, but they also kill the good bacteria in your gut. Research has found that antibiotic use can reduce the diversity and function of bacteria in your gut and also make you more susceptible to C. difficile infection which presents as watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, and a fever.14 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates that 80% of antibiotics are actually used in animal agriculture, which also contributes to the rise in antibiotic resistance in humans, so avoiding animal products can further benefit your gut microbiome.15

7. Practice a Healthy Lifestyle.

Exercising, getting enough sleep, and managing stress can all have a positive impact on your gut microbes.16-18

Plant-Powered Prescription

  • Aim for 40 grams of fiber daily.
  • Eat a diverse range of food—try a new vegetable or fruit next time you go to the store!
  • Incorporate fermented foods into your diet, such as kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh, or miso.
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Boost Healthy Gut Bacteria With Plant-Based Foods

Guide to the Gut Microbiota

Guide to the Gut Microbiota

Do you have high cholesterol? Trouble losing weight? Indigestion? There’s a surprising link between all of these health problems—and it lives in your gut. Learn more about gut bacteria by downloading our free e-book. Fill out the form below and click on the “download” link after you click submit.

 

How Sugar Sours the Gut and Messes With Microbiome | Dr. Will Bulsiewicz

References

  1. Tomova A, Bukovsky I, Rembert E, et al. The effects of vegetarian and vegan diets on gut microbiota. Front Nutr. 2019;6:47. doi:10.3389/fnut.2019.00047
  2. Olvera-Rosales LB, Cruz-Guerrero AE, Ramírez-Moreno E, et al. Impact of the gut microbiota balance on the health-disease relationship: the importance of consuming probiotics and prebiotics. Foods. 2021;10(6):1261. doi:10.3390/foods10061261
  3. Seal CJ, Courtin CM, Venema K, de Vries J. Health benefits of whole grain: effects on dietary carbohydrate quality, the gut microbiome, and consequences of processing. Comp Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2021;20(3):2742- 2768. doi:10.1111/1541-4337.12728
  4. Tomova A, Bukovsky I, Rembert E, et al. The effects of vegetarian and vegan diets on gut microbiota. Front Nutr. 2019;6:47. doi:10.3389/ fnut.2019.00047
  5. Waddell IS, Orfila C. Dietary fiber in the prevention of obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases: from epidemiological evidence to potential molecular mechanisms. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2023;63(27):8752-8767. doi:10.1080/10408398.2022.2061909
  6. Chung WSF, Meijerink M, Zeuner B, et al. Prebiotic potential of pectin and pectic oligosaccharides to promote anti-inflammatory commensal bacteria in the human colon. FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2017;93(11). doi:10.1093/femsec/fix127
  7. Franco-Robles E., López M.G. Implication of fructans in health: immunomodulatory and antioxidant mechanisms. Sci World J. 2015;2015:1-15. doi:10.1155/2015/289267
  8. Belorkar SA, Gupta AK. Oligosaccharides: a boon from nature's desk. AMB Express. 2016;6(1):82. doi:10.1186/s13568-016-0253-5
  9. He Y, Zhu L, Chen J, et al. Efficacy of probiotic compounds in relieving constipation and their colonization in gut microbiota. Molecules. 2022;27(3):666. doi:10.3390/molecules27030666
  10. Yan F, Polk DB. Probiotics and immune health. Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2011;27(6):496-501. doi:10.1097/MOG.0b013e32834baa4d
  11. Venkataraman R, Madempudi RS, Neelamraju J, et al. Effect of multi-strain probiotic formulation on students facing examination stress: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2021;13(1):12-18. doi:10.1007/s12602-020-09681-4
  12. Bolte LA, Vich Vila A, Imhann F, et al. Long-term dietary patterns are associated with pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory features of the gut microbiome. Gut. 2021;70(7):1287-1298. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2020-322670
  13. Murphy EA, Velazquez KT, Herbert KM. Influence of high-fat diet on gut microbiota: a driving force for chronic disease risk. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2015;18(5):515-520. doi:10.1097/MCO.0000000000000209
  14. Patangia DV, Anthony Ryan C, Dempsey E, Paul Ross R, Stanton C. Impact of antibiotics on the human microbiome and consequences for host health. Microbiologyopen. 2022;11(1):e1260. doi:10.1002/mbo3.1260
  15. Summary Report On Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals. 2014. Accessed June 15, 2015.  http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ForIndustry/UserFees/AnimalDrugUserFeeActADUFA/UCM338170.pdf
  16. Monda V, Villano I, Messina A, et al. Exercise modifies the gut microbiota with positive health effects. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2017;2017:3831972. doi:10.1155/2017/3831972
  17. Benedict C, Vogel H, Jonas W, et al. Gut microbiota and glucometabolic alterations in response to recurrent partial sleep deprivation in normal-weight young individuals. Mol Metab. 2016;5(12):1175-1186. doi:10.1016/j.molmet.2016.10.003
  18. Madison A, Kiecolt-Glaser JK. Stress, depression, diet, and the gut microbiota: human-bacteria interactions at the core of psychoneuroimmunology and nutrition. Curr Opin Behav Sci. 2019;28:105-110. doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.01.011