But while the food we eat is important, there’s so much more we need to do to support our guts. Here are four ways to improve your gut health without changing what you eat.
1. Drink eight glasses of water daily to reduce bloating
More than half of our body weight is water and hydration levels really matter for the health of our whole body, from cell function to lubricating our joints. It’s especially important for our gut.
Food makes its way through your gut a bit like it’s on a conveyor belt. As it moves through the small intestine, it’s broken down and nutrients such as simple carbohydrates, fats and protein are absorbed. Fibre, however, resists digestion by your body’s enzymes. That’s why it passes into the large intestine, where it feeds your gut microbiome.
If you’re not hydrated, this conveyor belt can run slowly, triggering symptoms like bloating, sluggishness and constipation. Your gut microbiome thrives in a moist environment, with food passing along at a timely pace so it can regularly feast on fibre.
Drinking enough fluid is key for making stool soft and easy to pass. Six to eight glasses per day is what most of us need, though you will need more after exercise and on hot days (when you’ve been losing more fluid through sweat). Water, tea and coffee all count – it’s a myth that the latter two are dehydrating. Foods with a high water content, like watermelon, cucumber, tomatoes and berries also help to top up your hydration.
The best way to tell whether you’re hydrated is to look at the colour of your urine. It should be a pale yellow, straw-like colour. If it’s more akin to apple juice, that’s a sign you need to drink more.
Staying hydrated will also give you clearer skin and support your brain, which is 80 per cent water. It’s very sensitive to dehydration, and research shows that even slight dehydration makes people more tired, tense and less focused.
2. Walk for 10 minutes after eating to keep you regular
A post-meal walk, within half an hour of eating, is a simple but powerful way to boost your gut health.
It’s especially helpful if you are constipated or if you feel uncomfortable bloating after a meal. This symptom is caused by gas in our stomach and gut, which occurs either because you swallowed air while eating or as a by-product when food is broken down.
When you walk, your abdominal muscles and diaphragm contract in a way that supports the natural wave-like motion of your gut. Walking literally nudges the digestive tract, encouraging food, waste and gas to travel smoothly through your digestive system.
