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What is Gut Health and Why is it Important?: The Guide

Discover what gut health is and why it's important with Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s top tips.

What is Gut Health & Why is it Important?

We all know about the importance of eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep in order to stay as healthy as possible. But what role does your gut play in all of this?

From pro and prebiotics to fermented foods and fibre - there’s a lot of talk about keeping your gut balanced and healthy. But what exactly is gut health and why is it important? We’ve got all the information you need to know with some top tips from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

 

What Does Gut Health Mean?

Your gut contains hundreds of different species of bacteria, fungi and other micro-organisms (known as the ‘microbiome’). The ‘good bacteria’ helps to break down the food you eat, absorb essential nutrients and fight off any harmful pathogens. However, an imbalance of these micro-organisms can contribute to gut issues.

‘Gut health’ essentially refers to the balance of these micro-organisms, which contributes to the overall health of your digestive tract.

 

Why is Gut Health Important?

There’s a good reason why gut health is a topic on everyone’s radar at the moment - it plays an important role in a number of functions within the body, including:

  • Digestion
  • Immune responses
  • Brain health

So, how exactly can you prioritise your gut health to support your overall wellbeing?

 

How to Improve Gut Health: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Tips

There are a number of ways to support your gut health but, unsurprisingly, the foods you eat play a huge role. We spoke to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to get his take on some of the best things to include in your diet.

 

Diversity is Key

The general rule is; the more diversity in your microbiome, the better.

One way to help achieve this is to fill your plate with a huge range of colourful plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and wholegrains. The key here is to experiment with different types of foods, rather than sticking to the same ones each day.

From adding flaxseed and berries to your porridge one morning, to enjoying a gut-friendly smoothie the next - mixing things up is a great way to support your gut health (and help ensure you don’t fall into a rut with your meal planning!).

If you’re guilty of picking up the same foods every time you go to the supermarket, a fruit and veg delivery box is a great way to diversify your weekly meal plan, without even having to give it a second thought.

 

Add Live Cultures to Your Diet

Live cultures also play a huge role in maintaining the health of your gut. Although they might sound daunting, they’re naturally found in fermented foods like kefir, kombucha, kimchi and sauerkraut (to name a few!) and are a great source of good bacteria.

 

River Cottage Organic Kefirs

The range of River Cottage Organic Kefirs were made with gut health in mind.

The creamy and subtly tangy ‘traditional-style’ kefirs are made using 28 different live cultures, which Hugh believes is more than any other kefir on the market. So, as well as tasting fab, they’re brimming with good, gut-loving bacteria.

 

Which Foods Aren’t Good for Gut Health?

Maintaining a healthy gut balance isn’t just about the foods you add to your diet, it’s also about being conscious about the ones you might want to consume in moderation, including:

  • Ultra-processed foods
  • Fried foods
  • Sugary foods (or those high in artificial sweeteners)
  • Alcohol

Balance is key here, so instead of cutting out all of your favourite drinks and snacks, try to prioritise gut-friendly foods and incorporate others more sparingly.

From incorporating a range of fruits and vegetables into your diet to ensuring you’ve always got a tasty bottle of kefir in your fridge - there are a number of ways to help prioritise the health of your gut.

As well as kefir, River Cottage also offers their long-standing favourite organic yoghurts. Explore the terrific gut-friendly products today and make prioritising gut health an absolute breeze.