Gut Health Diet Tips
Your gut health impacts everything from digestion and nutrient absorption to immunity, mood and inflammation. While some foods nourish and protect your gut microbiome, others can disrupt it, causing discomfort, bloating and long-term imbalance. Here’s a breakdown of both the best and worst foods for your gut, plus how Emma supplements can help keep things in balance.
The Worst Foods for Gut Health
1. Processed Meats
Hot dogs, sausages, bacon and deli meats are loaded with preservatives like nitrates, as well as saturated fats, both of which can promote inflammation and negatively impact gut bacteria diversity.
2. Refined Sugars
Foods high in added sugars like candy, soda and baked goods can feed harmful bacteria and yeast, allowing them to overgrow and crowd out beneficial species. Excess sugar also promotes inflammation in the gut lining.
3. Artificial Sweeteners
Sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose may disrupt the balance of gut bacteria and have been linked to glucose intolerance in some studies. While they don’t feed bacteria directly, they can still shift the microbiome in an unhealthy direction.
4. Fried Foods
Deep-fried foods like French fries, fried chicken and doughnuts are high in trans fats and can slow digestion, cause bloating and promote inflammation in the digestive tract.
5. Excessive Alcohol
Alcohol irritates the gut lining and can cause inflammation, reduce beneficial bacteria and increase the permeability of the intestinal wall, commonly referred to as “leaky gut."
6. Highly Processed Snack Foods
Chips, crackers and packaged pastries often contain refined flour, hydrogenated oils and artificial additives, which can harm gut health and offer little to no fiber for beneficial bacteria to feed on.
The Best Foods for Gut Health
1. Yogurt with Live Cultures
Yogurt containing “live and active cultures" is a rich source of probiotics, which help replenish beneficial gut bacteria. Plain, unsweetened yogurt is best to avoid added sugars that can counteract probiotic benefits.
2. Sauerkraut
This fermented cabbage dish contains Lactobacillus plantarum and other probiotics that aid digestion, reduce inflammation and support immune function. Raw sauerkraut (not heat-pasteurized) retains the most beneficial bacteria.
3. Garlic
Garlic is a natural prebiotic, meaning it feeds beneficial gut bacteria. It contains inulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), which encourage the growth of healthy microbes while suppressing harmful ones.
4. Bananas
Bananas, especially slightly green ones, are high in resistant starch, a type of fiber that serves as fuel for good bacteria and helps produce short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, which strengthen the gut lining.
5. Lentils
Lentils are packed with soluble and insoluble fiber that support regular bowel movements and feed healthy gut flora. They also provide plant-based protein and polyphenols, which can promote microbial diversity.
6. Blueberries
Rich in fiber and polyphenols, blueberries help fuel beneficial bacteria and reduce gut inflammation. Their antioxidants also support the overall health of the intestinal lining.
7. Almonds
Almonds are a good source of prebiotic fiber, vitamin E and healthy fats. Research shows they can increase beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in the gut.
8. Salmon
Salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory properties that benefit the gut lining. They may also help increase the diversity of the gut microbiome.
9. Kimchi
This Korean fermented dish, made from vegetables like napa cabbage and radishes, contains probiotics, fiber and antioxidants that support gut and immune health.
How Emma Supplements Support Gut Health
While whole foods form the foundation of gut wellness, targeted supplementation can help address deeper imbalances. Emma is a plant-based digestive supplement that combines science-backed ingredients to improve motility, balance the microbiome and strengthen the gut lining.
It's ingredients provide the following benefits:
- Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL) soothes and protects the digestive tract.
- Star Anise encourages bile production for smoother digestion.
- Quercetin tightens the gut barrier, reducing intestinal permeability.
- Berberine helps regulate microbiome composition and metabolic health.
- Chicory Root Inulin feeds beneficial bacteria to promote balance.
- Resveratrol supports healthy bacterial populations and gut lining integrity.
By addressing inflammation, microbial imbalance and digestion issues all at once, Emma offers a comprehensive way to keep your gut healthy, especially if diet alone hasn’t resolved your symptoms.
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