12/04/2024
Gut-healthy diet
Sooner or later, everything we eat ends up in our gut -
and plays a part in determining how well it feels.
Here you will find the most important tips on how you can strengthen your intestinal flora and contribute to the well-being of your intestines and your general well-being.
Avoid anything that strains the gut
Avoid food additives. Even if there is no scientific evidence of a negative effect on the gut for every single additive, we should always avoid chemical additives in order to protect our intestinal mucous membranes and bacteria. As we know from toxicology, substances can sometimes drastically increase each other's harmfulness. What the mix of chemicals in our food does to our intestinal flora and our health has not yet been investigated in this complexity.
Negative effects on the gut have been directly proven for some preservatives, emulsifiers and thickeners:- Preservatives do not distinguish between good and bad and, like antibiotics, also kill beneficial intestinal bacteria. The preservatives E220, E222-E224 and E226, which are used in dried fruit, potato products and wine, among other things, can lead to nausea and irritation in the gastrointestinal tract.
- Emulsifiers, thickeners: Emulsifiers and thickeners that disrupt the gut include E442, which is often used in cocoa and chocolate, E440a, E440b, E460 and E463-E465. But who would suspect when they have diarrhoea that a thickening agent could be to blame?
- Chlorinated water: If drinking water is chlorinated to protect against germs, the disinfectant also kills off the desired bacteria in the gut. Of course, the same applies to the skin flora if you shower or bathe in chlorinated water.
- Pesticides & insecticides don't just kill "weeds" and "pests". Did you know, for example, that glyphosate is effective against a whole range of bacteria according to Monsanto's own patent (1)? The list of germs listed there that are sensitive to glyphosate is truly impressive and includes common intestinal organisms such as Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus vulgaris. The insecticide chlorpyrifos is also known to disrupt the intestinal flora (2). Even if such products have no longer been allowed to be sold in Germany since 2009, chlorpyrifos may well end up on our plates with tropical fruit etc. from conventional cultivation.
- Too much fat and sugar have been shown to promote intestinal dysbiosis and have an unfavourable effect on the intestinal mucosa (3).
- You should also avoid anything that you cannot tolerate for the time being. This could be, for example, foods to which you react with flatulence or foods to which you are allergic. Even foods that are actually healthy, such as raw vegetables and pulses, are not equally suitable for everyone. In some cases, a different preparation can help to make food more digestible.
- Probiotic foods: Yoghurt provides you directly with viable (lactic acid) bacteria, which have a beneficial effect on the intestinal flora and also benefit the immune system. Organic natural yoghurt that is as fresh as possible, not fat-reduced, and contains active or living cultures is ideal. The same applies to kefir, buttermilk and fermented vegetables such as fresh sauerkraut and pickled cucumbers, which have not simply been acidified with vinegar but have been allowed to develop their own acidity during fermentation. In cheese, the lactic acid bacteria content depends heavily on the variety. Valuable sources of bacteria are raw milk cheeses, Gorgonzola, mountain cheeses such as Gruyère or Appenzeller, mozzarella, cottage cheese and Parmesan.
- Prebiotics cannot be digested themselves, but contain substances that promote the growth and activity of our intestinal inhabitants because they serve as food for lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the intestine, for example. Foods that contain many of these substances, such as inulin and oligofructose, include apples, artichokes, bananas, chicory, leeks, parsnips, salsify, Jerusalem artichokes and onions.
- Fibre, which includes the prebiotics inulin and oligofructose, has a beneficial effect on the intestinal flora and counteracts constipation. They are mainly found in wholemeal products, pulses, dried fruit, fruit with skin and jacket potatoes. Artichokes, broccoli, fennel, pumpkin, beetroot, black salsify, spinach, sweet potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, white cabbage and savoy cabbage, for example, contain plenty of fibre.
- "Resistant starch" is another delicacy for beneficial gut bacteria. It can be found in beans, peas, millet and oats. Good to know: Resistant starch is formed when potatoes, rice or pasta are cooled. Prepared as pasta salad, potato salad or sushi, they are a treat for your gut bacteria. (4)
- A healthy amount of raw food naturally provides you with families of bacteria that colonise leaves, stems, roots, flowers and fruit. If you do not tolerate raw food well, you should take this into consideration and blanch the fruit or vegetables briefly, for example, to neutralise heat-sensitive allergens.
- Eat colourfully: A wide variety of fruit, vegetables, nuts and herbs strengthens your intestinal flora. Prof Tim Spector from King's College in London even recommends eating 20-30 different plants per week, with even small amounts counting (5).
You can avoid many harmful substances by buying organic food. Highly processed foods such as fast food, UHT milk, ready meals and anything with long lists of unpronounceable substances and E-numbers in the ingredients list are generally not recommended. The simpler the composition and the fresher the food, the better it is for your gut and your health.
Your gut flora will be happy about these foods
A healthy intestinal flora is characterised above all by a large variety of bacteria. By choosing your food, you can make a significant contribution to ensuring that many positive bacteria colonise your gut and feel completely at ease there.
Foods that strengthen intestinal flora
| Probiotic foods | Prebiotic foods | Fibre |
|---|---|---|
| Yoghurt | Chicory | Wholemeal products |
| Kefir, buttermilk | Parsnip, black salsify, Jerusalem artichoke | Oat bran, spelt bran, coarse meal, psyllium husks |
| Cheese, especially Gruyère, mozzarella, cottage cheese, Parmesan and raw milk cheese | Artichoke | Pulses |
| Sour fermented vegetables; sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers | Leek, onions, garlic | Fruit with skin (apples), dried fruit |
| Kombucha | Banana | Potatoes in their skins, celery |
What else?
- Drink plenty of pure water and herbal teas
- Nourish yourself with organic fresh food without additives
- Support yourself with dietary supplements
Drink enough - preferably water and unsweetened herbal teas. This allows fibre to swell better in the intestine and transport waste products out of the intestine.
With organic fresh food, you can provide your intestines with valuable vitamins, minerals, trace elements and secondary plant substances without burdening them with chemical sprays. Pay particular attention to vitamins that are necessary to maintain all mucous membranes, including the intestinal mucosa. These include biotin, vitamin A, vitamin B2 and B3 in particular.In addition, you can enhance your diet with nutritional supplements that focus on the gut and ideally do not contain any harmful additives. One example of this is the orthomolecular intestinal care developed by hypo-A with REHA 1, ODS 1A and ODS 2.
How we eatis not the only thing that matters.
Your gut is happy when you
- chew thoroughly
- eat in peace
- drink enough, i.e.h. at least 2 litres of water/day
- leave enough time between meals
- don't eat too late in the evening
- don't eat too much at once.
General advice on changing your diet
Any change in diet takes time. Your intestinal bacteria, digestive juices and other intestinal activities first have to get used to it. If you only eat wholemeal instead of white flour and raw vegetables instead of meat from one day to the next, you will inevitably overstrain your digestive system.
So take it step by step and listen to your gut.
Wishing you all the best for your gut health Your team at hypo-A
Literature
(1) https://patents.google.com/patent/US7771736
(2) Joly, C., et al: Impact of chronic exposure to low doses of chlorpyrifos on the intestinal microbiota in the Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME) and in the rat. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2013 May; 20(5):2726-34. doi: 10.1007/s11356-012-1283-4. Epub 08.11.2012
(3) Martinez-Medina, M. et al.: Western diet induces dysbiosis with increased E coli in CEABAC10 mice, alters host barrier function favouring AIEC colonisation. Gut. 2014 Jan; 63(1):116-24. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2012-304119. epub 18/04/2013
(4) Michalsen, A.: Healing with nutrition. Eat better, fast easier, live longer. Insel publishing house 2019
(5) Stern interview with Prof Tim Spector from King's College London, 09.01.2019: Healthy and slim with the help of gut flora: "We should eat like a gardener"
(6) Lecture by Prof Dr Dr h.c. Thomas C.G. Bosch on 2 December 2017: You think what you eat - Gut-brain axis: New perspectives of biology and medicine on the nervous system and intestinal neurotransmitters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd2wZGWnzIM