Swap crisps for popcorn and other ways to improve gut health

Scroll through Social Media or look at Supermarkets and you will see endless products that claim to improve your gut health.

It seems like everyone is talking about taking care of their microbiome – the trillions of tiny organisms that live in our digestive system – that influence everything from digestion to sleep.

Gut health is all about having the right mix of bacteria and enough fiber-rich food to keep everything moving and your body feeling its best.

The key to keeping the microbes happy is to feed them the right food and it’s easier than you think to maintain a healthy gut.

Instead of reaching for expensive probiotic shots or snacks, I recommend making these five quick food swaps to give your energy a boost.

• Swap the crisps for popcorn. Popcorn is a whole grain so it’s full of fiber that feeds the good bacteria in your gut and is much more processed than a bag of crisps.

• Swap sweets for dried fruit. It can be a difficult transition to make if you like sweets but dried apricots, the raisins or dates that can also bring the sweet spot while the sweet spots while the grass sweet grass you weight your gut and energy level will thank you.

• Add lentils or chickpeas to your bologses. Pulses are full of prebiotic fiber that acts as food for your gut microbes and they help you go on a diet without losing weight.

• Swap the flavored nuts for plain ones. Flavored nuts are usually full of salt and sugar while plain nuts give you healthy fats and fiber without the additives that can upset your gut.

• Swap ice cream for frozen berries and kefir. Ice cream may make your taste buds happy, but frozen berries with kefir (a tangy milk drink) give you natural sweetness, antioxidants and live cultures that help your microbiome grow your microbiome to thrive.

Of course there are many other foods that you can use to improve your Gut Health such as drinking Kombucha or eating fermented foods such as kimchi or sauerkraut, but there is no need to focus on abundance.

The most important thing for your gut and overall health is eating a variety of fiber-rich foods like fruits and vegetables.

And when it comes to supplements and probiotics, my advice is the same – there is no evidence that the big results can put the miraculous results that I see as a fad.

Additional Reporting by Yasmin Rufo