You’ve probably heard it can keep you regular. Insoluble fiber (which doesn’t dissolve in your GI tract) adds bulk to your stool, pushing it along so you don’t wind up constipated. Longer term, having consistent poops may also lower your risk of colorectal cancer, in part by just keeping stool from hanging out for too long in your colon, Dr. Kassim says.
Other kinds of fiber, like many soluble types (which dissolve partially in the gut to form a gel-like substance), can act as fuel for the probiotics living in your colon, Dr. Simoes says, allowing them to outnumber and overpower the bad guys. Indeed, research shows that a high-fiber diet allows supportive bacterial strains like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli to proliferate, while disease-causing ones diminish. As your good gut bacteria nosh on fiber, they produce short-chain fatty acids, which nourish the cells of your colon, Dr. Simoes says (and this also contributes to lowering your risk of colorectal cancer).
Just note: That breakdown process can create some gas, potentially making you feel a little bloated—so you should incorporate fiber gradually into your diet, Taneisha Grant, MD, a board-certified gastroenterologist at Yale Medicine and assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine, tells SELF. “Start by introducing five grams, and increase in increments of five each day,” she says. (For reference, that’s about a 1/2-cup of oats or half an avocado.)
2. Remix your plant foods.
Sure, changing up your everyday meals keeps life interesting and helps you avoid the dreaded food rut. But it can also meaningfully support your gut microbiome. It turns out, the greater the variety of plants you can work into your diet, the more diverse your gut flora will be, Megan Rossi, PhD, RD, research fellow in nutritional sciences at King’s College London and founder of The Gut Health Doctor, tells SELF. “An observational study found that people who ate more than 30 types of plants in a week had a more diverse gut microbiome than those who ate fewer than 10 types of plants,” she says, “even though they had very similar volumes of plants.”
The researchers speculated that the additional kinds of fiber present in the diets of the creative eaters were fermented by distinct types of bacteria—meaning, more strains could flourish. Versus the opposite outcome: “If, for instance, you were to just eat blueberries, then you’d only be feeding the gut bacteria that like blueberries,” Dr. Rossi says, “and neglecting the ones that like, say, quinoa or lentils or chickpeas.” Over time, then, only the blueberry-eaters would proliferate.
There’s also a variety of different phytochemicals (a.k.a. plant chemicals) that play a role here, including polyphenols, Dr. Rossi adds. They might be best known as antioxidants (which fend off cell-damaging molecules called free radicals), but newer research suggests they’re also fermented by your friendly gut bacteria, further supporting a healthy microbiome. Just another reason to load your plate with plants of any kind and color, she says.
3. Hydrate yourself well—for real.
Drinking enough water lubricates your GI tract so things can slip and slide with ease. You don’t necessarily need to aim for a hard-and-fast eight glasses a day, but it’s a good idea to keep a refillable bottle by your side and make an effort to sip it regularly, Dr. Simoes says. (A few signs that you need to drink more? Pee that looks more like apple juice than lemonade; having a dry mouth, lips, or skin; and yes, feeling thirsty.)
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