The more that we learn about the gut microbiome, the more awe-inspiring it becomes. With over 100 trillion microorganisms living, thriving, and dying in our gut, we truly are host to a dynamic world. The gut affects many systems in the body including cardiovascular, immune, kidney, digestive, and cognitive, and plays a role in many human diseases. And it’s not one-way. The body has a complex communication system where the gut talks to other parts of the body, and they respond. It’s why having a balanced and healthy gut is important to overall wellness. The good news is that there are many steps we can take to bring the gut back into balance and encourage the growth of beneficial microorganisms.

1. Get your probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. These microbes play a key role in keeping our gut in balance and preventing harmful bacteria from overpopulating. There’s two ways to get your probiotics – from food and through supplementation. Excellent food sources of probiotics include yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles. By adding these to your diet, you’re seeding your gut with healthy microorganisms. Taking supplements is another fantastic way to get your probiotics. Look for a brand that has between 1 and 5 billion colony forming units of a diverse group of probiotics.
2. Eat prebiotic foods. Like all living things, microorganisms need a food source to grow and flourish. Prebiotics are foods or substances that help to feed the beneficial bacteria and increase their populations. Food sources include asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, onions, garlic, leeks, unripe bananas, oats, and dandelion greens. You can also supplement with a host of prebiotic fibers, which can be found in certain drink supplements such as protein meal replacements.
3. Get your shut eye. Our gut microbiome, specifically gut diversity, can affect our sleep patterns (more on that here). But sleep can also affect our gut. Not getting enough sleep can increase the stress hormone, cortisol, which in turn affects our gut microbiome. Being tired also negatively affects our foods choice (think craving a donut when you’re crashing from four hours of sleep). To get a good night’s sleep, keep a regular sleep-wake schedule. You also want to make sure your last meal is at least three hours before bed, and that you take an hour to unplug from the digital world.
4. Keep your sugar intake down. The recommended daily intake for added sugar is 36 grams for men and 25 grams for women. But some experts advocate for lowering this further. Sugar can eliminate beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiome and starts a vicious cycle. Since sugar feeds harmful bacteria, the more sugar you consume, the greater the number of negative microorganisms, which cause you to crave more (you guessed it) sugar. Aim to bring your sugar intake down to below 20 grams per day, focusing on getting your sweet fix from gut-friendly fruits like berries. And make sure to read food labels to check added sugar content.
5. Build muscle. By increasing muscle mass, you burn more calories. That makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight, which supports gut health. Strength training is the gold standard of muscle building, but if you’re not a gym person, that’s not an obstacle. Bodyweight training including push-ups and push-up variations, bodyweight squats, and pull-ups are excellent muscle building options, as are certain dynamic programs like Ashtanga yoga. While recommendations from daily intake of protein varies, one study showed that for individuals building muscle, the ideal range is between 0.6 g/kg/day and up to 2.2 g/kg/day.
6. Up the fiber. Aside from promoting a healthy gut, fiber is a powerhouse when it comes to health benefits, including normalizing blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, and maintaining optimal digestive health. Legumes are at the apex of the fiber kingdom, with lentils and split peas leading the pack. Other excellent sources of fiber include raspberries, blackberries, broccoli, oats, chia seeds, and almonds.
7. Keep it moving. Clinical studies demonstrate that physically people tend to have healthier guts. It’s not necessarily about becoming one with the treadmill at the gym though. Exercise-focused activities like boxing, walking at a vigorous pace on a hilly landscape, or jumping rope are phenomenal ways to stay in shape. But so are home-maintenance tasks such as raking leaves, hand mowing, and gardening. The bottom line is that any exercise is good exercise. It’s better to go for a 30 minute walk every day, than vigorously sprint every other week. And you can keep it interesting. Include new things like pickleball, surfing, hiking, or playing Frisbee.
8. Skip saturated fats and go for healthy ones. Saturated fats, which are found mostly in animal products, as well as coconut and chocolate, are associated with gut inflammation. Eating healthy fats, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, can both reduce inflammation and protect the lining of the gut. High sources of omega-3s include mackerel, salmon, herring, and sardines, On the plant side, add in chia seeds, flax seeds, and walnuts.
9. Call it quits on stress. Stress has been implicated in a wide range of human diseases. It also can increase gut permeability and point the gut in the direction of dysbiosis. To keep stress in check, set aside an hour a day at least for stress reduction, finding what works for you. It might be curling up on the sofa with a good book, gentle yoga practice, listening to 60s rock, exploring adult coloring books, getting out in nature, or good old-fashioned meditation. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by stress, make sure you take care of yourself by seeking the advice of a mental health professional.
10. Choose red wine. Studies show that alcohol causes inflammation in the gut and can lead to gut dysbiosis (you can thank the liver for producing acetate which feeds harmful bacteria). Interestingly, moderate consumption of red wine had the opposite effect, increasing gut diversity and promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria including Bifidobacterium. That’s good news since red wine also has heart protective benefits. Don’t overdo it though. Drinking one glass of red wine per day is all you need.