Busting 6 myths about gut health
Everywhere you look, there’s an article or opinion piece on gut health and what we should and shouldn’t be eating. One week, you’re told eating more fibre is good for you, the next, it’s not. It can be easy to get confused about how to keep your gut healthy, so to help you make sense of some of these ideas, we’re putting six common myths about gut health to the test.
Myth #1: Gluten damages your gut
Gluten-free options are becoming increasingly common, but unless you suffer from a gut condition such as coeliac disease, it’s unlikely that gluten will cause damage to your gut. If you are experiencing digestive problems when eating gluten, it could simply be due to a certain type of carbohydrate called fructan. Either way, it’s important to get it checked out by a doctor.
Myth #2: All bacteria are bad for our gut
There are certainly types of bacteria that can be harmful to our gut, including E.coli and Salmonella, but there are some bacteria that are essential to keeping our gut healthy. To keep us exposed to the good bacteria, we shouldn’t try to kill all bacteria we come across. We should instead engage in good food safety habits to minimise the bad bacteria.
Myth #3: We should be eating as much fibre as possible
Because the bacteria that live in our digestive system love to feed on fibre, it makes sense that eating more fibre will help to grow our good bacteria and prevent an unhealthy gut. However, loading your diet with fibre isn’t always the best way to go. This is because too much fibre too quickly can upset your digestive system, causing you to experience uncomfortable side effects like constipation and bloating.
Myth #4: Alcohol is bad for our digestive system
This myth is actually true. Alcohol increases the number of bad bacteria we have growing in our gut, and triggers the release of toxins that can contribute to health issues such as liver disease. To reduce the effect of alcohol on your gut health, try to keep your alcohol intake to a minimum.
Myth #5: We should be eating more fermented foods
The process of fermentation was originally used as a way of preserving foods, but now our supermarket shelves are stocked with fermented items like kombucha, sauerkraut, and kimchi. Because the fibres in these bacteria-rich foods help probiotics travel to the bowel to influence the bacteria there, we should be consuming fermented foods most days to maintain good gut health.
Myth #6: Taking probiotics while on antibiotics can kill good bacteria
The purpose of taking antibiotics is to rid the body of certain types of bacteria that are causing us harm. Unfortunately, they often kill off some good gut bacteria in the process. Lactobacillus probiotics are able to survive antibiotics which is why they are recommended to be taken alongside antibiotics to keep up the levels of good bacteria in your gut.
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