5 Pieces Of Expert Gut Health Advice We Think About Daily

While many people are quick to eliminate gluten or grains from the diet, fiber-rich foods are actually great for the gut. Unless there's an intolerance objectively identified by a health care provider, gastroenterologist Will Bulsiewicz, M.D., MSCI, once told mbg eliminating these food groups can do more harm than good. 

"When you narrow the diversity in your diet, you narrow the diversity in the gut microbiome," he explained. "When you broaden the diversity in your diet, you broaden the diversity in your gut microbiome." 

Rather than opting for the highest number of colony-forming units (which family functional medicine doctor Robert Rountree, M.D., calls "the sledgehammer approach"), figure out which strains will meet your body's specific needs.* "More doesn't necessarily equal better," Rountree once said. "They have to be targeted." 

There are thousands of known strains of gut bacteria, he explained, and each one serves a different function or functions (i.e., immune support, digestive support, etc.). For example, the strains in mindbodygreen's probiotic+ are backed by clinical research to ease bloating, aid digestion, promote regularity, and more.*

Being stressed out can disrupt gut health, leading to stress-induced poops or an upset stomach, all via the gut-brain axis1. Incorporating stress-management practices throughout the day (or first thing in the morning) can help lower these risks, experts suggest. 

"Sleepless nights throw off your gut rhythm by adversely affecting the balance of favorable and unfavorable bacteria2 and compromising the gut wall," board-certified internist Vincent Pedre, M.D., writes for mbg. Even people who are sleeping an average of eight hours per night but experiencing sleep fragmentation (aka waking up in the middle of the night), may notice negative effects on the gut.

This one may come as more of a surprise, but fostering a connection with nature is critical for gut health. Board-certified family physician Patrick Hanaway, M.D., leader of the COVID-19 Task Force at the Institute for Functional Medicine, explained during a mindbodygreen podcast episode that the soil our food grows in can help or hurt the gut microbiome.

"Pandemics are a reflection of this unbalanced relationship we have of trying to control nature rather than being in a relationship with it," Hanaway said. Lasting changes to the environment (soil health in particular) may take time, but it's important to pay attention to ways you can eat and live for the betterment of your own health and the planet's.