Superfoods for Gut Health: 5 Top Coaching Tips

What we eat plays a major role in our gut health and our overall well-being. Eating superfoods for gut health is key to feeling your best.

In this comprehensive guide we’ll dive into the best superfoods for gut health.

We’ll also provide five helpful coaching tips that you can use with your clients to help them incorporate superfoods into their diet. 

The Connection Between Digestive Health and Well-Being 

The gut microbiome is an ecosystem of microorganisms that live inside your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Keeping your gut microbiome balanced is essential for good health, optimal digestion and overall digestive health. 

Your gut microbiome includes diverse gut microbes and beneficial gut bacteria. These microscopic creatures play a critical role in nutrient absorption, digestion and immune system function. 

When you have poor gut health, this can disturb the equilibrium in your GI tract. This can lead to the overgrowth of harmful microorganisms and health complications that can impact on your quality of life, including:

• Gut inflammation
• Leaky gut syndrome
• Digestive discomfort (such as bloating and gas)

If left untreated, these health complications can develop into debilitating and life-threatening diseases such as:

• Inflammatory bowel disease 
• Celiac disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Colorectal cancer (CRC)
• Chronic liver disease
• Pancreatic disorders

The good news is that we can control the type of bacteria that live in our gut by the food that we eat.

Nutritious Superfoods for Gut Health

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” - Hippocrates

Over 1700 years later, Hippocrates' quote could not be more relevant. Our gut microbiota has a major impact on our overall well-being, and eating healthy superfoods for gut health is key to a healthy life. 

The term superfood was coined as a way to describe a food that is rich in compounds considered to be beneficial to a person’s health. These compounds include:

• Fiber
• Antioxidants
• Fatty acids

Poor gut health is linked to reduced diversity in the gut microbiome, which is believed to be caused by aspects of modern life including increased antibiotic use and modern sanitation. Our “clean” living is wreaking havoc in our gut, but this can be rectified by consuming certain foods that the “good” bacteria enjoy.

Repopulating your gut with healthy bacteria starts by eating the right foods.

Next we’ll explore our top superfoods for gut health.

Top Superfoods for Gut Health Revealed

Here we've collated the most nutritious and delicious superfoods for gut health and grouped them into several categories.  

Probiotics and Fermented Foods 

Probiotics are microorganisms such as live bacteria and yeasts that can be consumed as part of a healthy diet. The most common probiotics are the healthy species of friendly microbes that already live in your body. The most well-known and best researched probiotics include:

• The Lactobacillus genus, including L. acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, L. casei and L. plantarum.
• The Bifidobacterium genus, including Bifidobacterium longum and Bifidobacterium breve.

Probiotic-containing foods help fight off the less friendly microbes and boost your immunity against infections. 

Fermented foods are foods and beverages that have undergone controlled microbial growth, otherwise known as fermentation. Their superfood status is largely due to their high probiotic content, which contributes to a more balanced gut flora, and promotes better overall gut health.

Here’s a list of our favorite probiotic-containing foods that support healthy bowel function and optimal digestion: 

• Kimchi (Korean pickled cabbage)
• Greek yogurt (full fat)
• Tempeh (fermented soybeans)
• Kefir
• Fermented milk
• Fermented tea (kombucha)

Fiber-Rich Foods

The next superfood category on our list is dietary fiber. Plant-based foods contain dietary fiber, which passes relatively intact through our stomach, small intestine and colon, before being excreted as stool.

Even though our bodies aren’t able to digest or absorb it, fiber is essential for optimal gastrointestinal health.

Fiber-rich foods also help manage blood sugar levels and promote healthy weight management.

There two types of fiber and they are:

Soluble fiber: Dissolves in water and forms a gel-like material. It has been shown to lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels, and supports regular bowel movements.

Soluble fiber is found in:

• Apples
• Citrus fruits
• Carrots
• Psyllium
• Oats
• Peas
• Beans
• Brown rice
• Leafy greens

Insoluble fiber: Does not dissolve in water. It promotes the movement of material through your digestive system and increases stool bulk.

Insoluble fiber can help those who struggle with constipation or irregular stools.

Foods that contain insoluble fiber include:

• Nuts
• Cauliflower
• Green beans
• Potatoes

Prebiotics

Prebiotics (also referred to as prebiotic dietary fiber) passes through our GI tract undigested. Most prebiotics contain fructans and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), which feed the “good” bacteria that reside in the large intestine. 

Whilst all prebiotics are fiber. Not all fiber is prebiotic. For a fiber to be classified as prebiotic it must:

• Only feed a small number of “beneficial” bacteria.
• Pass through the GI tract with the absence of undesirable side effects such as excessive gas in the gut.

There is a growing body of evidence that shows that prebiotics enhance gut function and microbiome health.

Foods high in prebiotics include: 

• Chicory root
• Bananas
• Flax seeds
• Artichokes
• Jerusalem artichokes
• Chia seeds
• Cooked and cooled potato
• Cooked and cooled rice

Root Vegetables

Did you know that ginger root and other edible roots are renowned for their anti-inflammatory properties?

These fascinating superfoods can help ease digestive problems and support a healthy metabolism. They also possess the ability to sooth your digestive tract. 

Edible roots are the ultimate superfood for gut health. Research has shown that they:

• Reduce gut inflammation
• Improve digestion
• Are a potent antioxidant
• Alleviate irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms 
• Feed “good” bacteria as a prebiotic

Here’s our list root vegetables superfoods:

• Turnips
• Yucca (cassava)
• Yams
• Beetroot
• Radishes
• Ginger
• Turmeric
• Jerusalem artichoke
• Carrots

Berries

Berries are delicious and nutritious. Packed with health-promoting goodness, berries are an amazing superfood for gut health. Berries are loaded with fiber and a bucket-load of micronutrients including:

• Antioxidants to combat free radicals.
• Immune-boosting phytochemicals.
• Vitamins including vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A and the B vitamins.

Nutrient-dense berries to include in your life:

• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Goji berries
• Elderberries
• Acai berries
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Cranberries
• Huckleberries

Superfoods for Gut Health: 5 Top Coaching Tips

Understanding what to eat is one thing, but incorporating these nutritious superfoods into daily life is a whole different thing! This is where you as a health coach can step in. 

Here are our top coaching tips you can use with your clients to make eating a balanced diet simple and stress free:

1. Start Small: Sometimes a gradual diet change works best. Aim to include two or three superfoods into your meal planning, such as Greek yogurt for breakfast and ginger in your afternoon tea.
2. Experiment With Recipes: Planning a healthy delicious meal is loads of fun. You can search for recipes online, and bookmark your favorites. 
3. Balance Your Diet: Do your best to include a mix of fiber-rich foods, healthy fats, and prebiotics and probiotics sources in your meal planning. Kimchi and kombucha will add flavor and probiotics to your meals. 
4. Be Kind to Yourself: No one is perfect and we all have slip-ups. Be kind to yourself if you have a period of time where your nutrition choices haven't been the healthiest. When this happens, it's never too late to press reset.
5. Refer to an Allied Health Professional: Remember your scope of practice as a health coach. If there are any specific health concerns or conditions like chronic constipation or acid reflux, don’t hesitate to refer your client on to a medical doctor or a registered dietitian.

Conclusion

Superfoods play a key role in promoting gut health, supporting optimal digestion, and keeping a healthy digestive system. Incorporating superfoods into your diet will help you maintain a balanced gut microbiome and healthy bowel function.

If you’re a health coach, then our handy coaching tips will help your clients effortlessly fit nutritious superfoods for gut health into everyday life.