Published 13 May 2025
We often think with our stomach, go with our gut intuition and they say we are what we eat, but did you realise just how much of an impact what you eat and do has on your gut? Nutritionist Mel Bald chats with Healthier Together about 10 steps to supercharge your gut health.
Listen to the 25 minute podcast here.
What is gut health?
Gut health is the health of the microbiome of your gastrointestinal system, the long winding route that includes your stomach, intestines and colon. This system is responsible for digesting and absorbing nutrients from our food and excreting waste.
Your gut microbiome is a mix of different species of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in your large intestine. This contains trillions of microorganisms including good bacteria that are essential for a healthy gut, as well as bad bacteria that can be harmful to your health.
Each of us has a unique microbiome, with the diversity and abundance of the flora influencing our general health including immunity, brain health, nutrient absorption, sleep and weight. Good gut health means having a healthy gut microbiome.
How do we know if our gut is healthy?
There’s a number of things that might indicate bacteria in your gut is imbalanced:
- Digestive upsets like excessive flatulence, bloating, constipation and diarrhea
- Food intolerances
- Difficulty sleeping
- Fatigue
- Unintentional weight loss or gain
- Anxiety and depression
- Skin irritations such as eczema or psoriasis.
Your gut microbiome is not solely responsible for all of these symptoms, but like any ecosystem, the gut plays its part in supporting your body as a whole.
10 steps for good gut health
Healthier Together spoke with Mel Bald for 10 steps to supercharge your gut. We’ve put together an overview below but for more information, listen to the podcast here.
1. Eat a diverse range of plant foods
Eating a range of plant foods gives us a broad spectrum of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Each type of nutrient serves as fuel for different types of beneficial bacteria in our gut. Try to eat a range of vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, wholegrains (like buckwheat, rolled oats, brown rice), legumes (like chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans) and herbs. Eating seasonally is a great way to save on groceries and rotate the selection of plant foods you’re consuming.
2. Aim for 30 different plant foods in a week.
Start by exploring a wide variety of vegetables. Don’t stick to the same veggies all week, mix it up. Even doing things like picking different varieties of greens or different colours of carrots counts.
- Rotate the grains you’re eating. Rather than sticking to just rice, try out quinoa, buckwheat, farro, millet or barley. Again, even trying different colours of rice like red or black. Incorporate legumes into your meals.
- Add lentils or beans to soups or stews is a great way to get a greater variety of fibres in the diet.
- Make a mix of different nuts and seeds in a jar and have a handful of this daily to increase variety.
- Add herbs and spices wherever you can. Herbs are easy to grow, so just sprinkling some on each meal will bump up your number of plant foods for the week.
A great way to increase diversity of plant foods is to shop either at a vegetable grocer or farmer’s market to seek out different varieties of vegetables. The supermarket stocks the basics, but there are so many more varieties of vegertable out there. When you purchase seasonal produce it can be fresher, last longer in your fridge and have a better nutritional profile.
3. Regularly include fermented foods in your diet
Research indicates that probiotics in fermented foods play a role in increasing microbial diversity and decreasing inflammatory markers.
Foods like yoghurt (that have probiotics listed), kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and miso contain probiotics.
4. Limit the foods gut bacteria doesn’t like
You might already know that you should try and limit sugars, alcohol and ultra-processed foods for better health, but may not understand why.
Diets high in refined sugars can promote the growth of harmful bacteria in the gut. Excessive sugar intake can also reduce the diversity of gut bacteria, which is crucial for maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. Artificial sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame, and saccharin have been shown to negatively affect gut microbiota.
High alcohol consumption can disrupt the gut microbiome by increasing the permeability of the gut lining (often referred to as "leaky gut") and promoting the growth of harmful bacteria. This can lead to inflammation and a host of other health issues.
Ultra-processed foods, like packaged foods and snacks, often contain additives, preservatives, and artificial ingredients. These foods can disrupt the balance of gut bacteria and promote the growth of harmful bacteria.
The best bet for good gut health is to limit these products where possible and always opt for unprocessed foods.
5. Stay hydrated!
It’s something so easy that we’re all guilty of forgetting. Staying hydrated has such a huge impact on gut health. It is crucial for maintaining the mucosal lining of the intestines, which serves as a barrier against pathogens and toxins. A well-hydrated mucosal layer helps prevent harmful substances from entering the bloodstream and supports the overall health of the gut microbiome.
It helps to prevent constipation by softening the stool, making it easier to pass. Regular bowel movements are important for maintaining a healthy gut microbiome and preventing the build-up of harmful bacteria.
Hydration also helps reduce inflammation in the gut. Inflammatory conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), can be made worse by dehydration. Adequate water intake supports anti-inflammatory processes in the gut.
Aim to drink at least 8-10 glasses of water per day (or 2L). The exact amount can vary depending on individual needs, activity levels, and climate.
6. Manage stress
Back to the old adages but there’s a reason there’s so many stress-related sayings to do with your gut. ‘Giving me a stomach ache’, ‘losing your bowels’, ‘soiling yourself’ and more.
Stress can change the composition of our gut bacteria. It can decrease the overall diversity of the gut microbiota but has been shown to reduce the abundance of beneficial bacteria.
Stress can affect gut motility, leading to symptoms like constipation, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Having a ‘nervous poo’, for example, is a great demonstration of how the brain links to the gut.
These changes in gut movement can negatively impact the gut microbiome by altering the environment in which these microbes thrive.
7. Avoid the overuse of antibiotics
Antibiotics are really important at the right time and for the right conditions, but we want to avoid overuse where possible. Not only for antibiotic resistance, but a more immediate impact is that they can disrupt the gut microbiome by killing beneficial bacteria.
When taking a course of antibiotics it’s even more important to follow these steps for good gut health.
8. Add prebiotic foods to your diet
Prebiotics are non-digestible food components that promote the growth and activity of beneficial gut bacteria. They primarily consist of various types of fibre and natural compounds that humans cannot digest but serve as food for the beneficial bacteria in the gut. They help to promote regular bowel movements, strengthen the gut barrier, reduce inflammation in the gut and support metabolic health.
Although you’ll get small amounts of prebiotics in a lot of veggies and whole grains, the foods that are higher in prebiotics include onions, garlic, leek, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, barley, oats, red kidney beans, walnuts and semi-ripe bananas.
9. Add polyphenols to your diet
Poly-what? Polyphenols are a group of naturally occurring compounds found in plants and are known for their antioxidant properties. In terms of the gut, they have prebiotic-like effects that can promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. They are not fully absorbed in the small intestine and reach the colon, where they can be broken down by the gut bacteria.
There are delicious options when looking for foods high in polyphenols:
- Berries such as blackcurrants and blueberries
- Red onions
- Green tea
- Coffee (fresh, light-roasted beans have higher levels than medium-roasted beans)
- Nuts and seeds – chestnuts and flaxseeds are a great start
- Cocoa – even dark chocolate makes the list!
Chocolate and coffee? Sounds like the perfect combo, but remember everything in moderation, and look for options that are aligned with the other tips, like limiting sugar.
10. Exercise
Regular physical activity has been shown to increase the diversity of gut microbiota. The higher the microbial diversity, the better overall health and resilience against diseases. It has also been shown to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli – these organisms play key roles in maintaining gut health and supporting the immune system.
Regular physical activity also helps regulate bowel movements, reducing the risk of constipation and promoting a healthy digestive system. Regular movement supports the removal of waste and toxins from the body. And finally, exercise reduces stress, and we know that has a positive impact on the gut-brain axis.
Want even more?
- How diet and gut microbiota affect depression and brain health with Food and Mood Centre’s Professor Felice Jacka OAM
- Getting to the guts of it: more on food and your mood
- Stomach sense: How your gut influences your brain
Visit the Healthier Together series to listen to this podcast and others in full.
Find more nutrition advice from Mel Bald including healthy eating and recipes to try.
