How to Fix Your Gut Health, According to Science
It’s never too late to heal your gut, even if you’re already clutching your stomach.
Nobody Googles “how to fix my gut health” when things are going well. It’s on the toilet, or after another meal that left you bloated and gassy. Here’s the tricky part — there’s no triage solution to gut health, meaning you can’t fix your gut by buying a single product off the shelf or changing one single thing.
When it comes to improving gut health, small and consistent changes rapidly build up to big improvements. This guide breaks down exactly what you should change, why it’s important, and the gut health benchmarks to look for.
TL;DR
To fix your gut health, you should eat more fiber and a wider variety of plants, add fermented foods, and cut back on the processed stuff. Small improvements in these areas alongside more exercise and better sleep will make a difference faster than you think.
Key Takeaways
- Fixing your gut health starts with replacement, not restriction.
- Swapping processed junk for high-fiber whole foods is your first step.
- From there, add a few fermented foods and cut back on ultra-processed foods and added sugar.
- Outside of the kitchen, prioritize sleep, lowering stress, hydration, and more movement.
How to Improve Your Gut Health, Step by Step
Your gut isn’t a dumping ground. It’s a diverse biological ecosystem that, when tended to, can improve quality of life across the board. But if you treat it poorly by upsetting that balance, the downstream consequences stretch far beyond your tummy. Whole-body improvement requires comprehensive change.
To improve your gut health, tackle these key areas:
More fiber, more plants: Dietary fiber is the primary fuel for your gut’s helpful bacteria. Variety is key here — studies show that people who get their fiber from more diverse sources have equally diverse and robust gut microbiomes.
- Increase your consumption of different fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Try to rotate at least one or two foods each week.
Get fermented: Fermented foods deliver live microorganisms straight to your gut. It may sound silly, but fermented foods have real clinical backing. Research displays “increased microbiota diversity and decreased inflammatory markers” in people who consume fermented foods on a regular basis.
- Sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, or kefir are all great fermented food options.
Reduce processed foods: Whole foods and leafy greens help your gut thrive — processed foods high in fats and added sugars do the opposite. You don’t need to eliminate these foods altogether, but they shouldn’t be the meat and potatoes of your diet.
- As a rule of thumb, stay away from fast food when possible and limit buying foods with long lists of preservatives.
Stay hydrated: Your whole body runs on water in one form or another. In the stomach, water helps line and moisten the lining of your gut, enabling fiber to move through your digestive tract uninhibited. We also know that sufficient water intake helps your gut eliminate pathogens.
- Fiber and water go hand-in-hand; too much of the former without enough of the latter can make gut symptoms like constipation worse instead of better. Aim for about 64 ounces a day.
Move regularly: Physical activity sends signals to your digestive system to remain active and engaged. It’s okay to “let your stomach settle” after a meal, but even low-intensity motion can go a long way.
- Try a 15-minute walk within 15 minutes of each major meal.
Prioritize sleep: Your body doesn’t build muscle during a workout, it happens overnight. A similar phenomenon exists with gut health; studies tell us that consistent sleep is restorative for the gut microbiome.
- Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night and try to wake up at around the same time each day, even on weekends.
Limit stress: This one is often easier said than done, especially if your gut is the thing stressing you out. That said, science depicts what’s called the gut-brain axis — the mechanisms are complicated, but there’s a clear two-way relationship between turbulence in the brain and what you feel in your stomach.
- Try to reduce stress as much as possible. You can keep anxiety about your gut health low by falling back on the other habits listed above.
Be mindful with antibiotics: Antibiotics can wipe out beneficial gut bacteria along with the harmful ones. They’re essential when a doctor prescribes them — but they won’t help a cold or the flu, so there’s no need to push for a prescription when they aren’t warranted.
Signs Your Gut Health Is Improving
A gut in distress won’t heal overnight, but it shouldn’t take months to notice improvements either. Common signs that your changes are making a difference include
- Regular and predictable bowel movements
- Less bloating after meals
- Fewer instances of gas or cramps
- Steadier energy throughout the day
- Less apprehension around eating
Consider keeping a “gut journal” in which you briefly record your symptoms and rank your overall discomfort. After 4-6 weeks, you should begin to notice positive trends in the data you’re keeping.
When to See a Doctor
Fluctuations are one thing, but persistent or severe gut issues definitely warrant medical attention. See a doctor if you’re experiencing persistent abdominal pains, blood in your stool, abrupt weight loss, or chronic diarrhea or constipation.
Milder versions of these symptoms may present as a result of poor dietary choices and can be resolved at home through simple, practical changes to how you eat. But if you’re having one or more of these red flags for a while, it’s best to get a qualified opinion from a physician ASAP.
Frequently Asked Questions
You fix your gut health by focusing on consuming a wide variety of fibrous, plant-based foods, eating more fermented foods on a weekly basis, and cutting back on processed foods. Gut health improvements take steady, consistent effort.
It can take several weeks to months to improve gut health depending on your starting point. Many people begin to notice progress within a few weeks, especially if they were only suffering from minor symptoms.
Signs of an unhealthy gut include frequent bloating, irregular bowel movements, excessive gas or cramping, and volatile issues with specific foods.
High-fiber foods help heal your gut by feeding your beneficial gut bacteria. You can also incorporate fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, or sauerkraut to help diversify your gut microbiome.
There’s no sure-fire way to “reset” your gut overnight. However, you can meaningfully move towards a healthier gut within just a few weeks by committing to simple dietary changes, more exercise, and better sleep quality.
Bottom Line on Fixing Your Gut Health
Fixing your gut isn’t about making one big change. As with just about everything related to your health, small adjustments build momentum over time. Eating a wider variety of fibrous foods and plants, sprinkling in some fermented foods, and pulling back on the processed stuff gives you the best chance.
Experts Who Contributed
- Jake Dickson BS-EXS, NASM-CPT, wrote this article.
- Lauren Keary, NASM-CNC, reviewed this article for accuracy.
