5 BEST FOODS FOR BOOSTING GUT HEALTH

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Are you worried about your gut health?

I want to share with you five of my favorite gut boosting foods.  I had to rely heavily on these foods for many, many months (and still do!) while I worked to heal my body from Hashimoto’s- an autoimmune thyroid disease.

You can read more about Hashimoto’s and my thyroid healing journey (An 8 Part Series!) in Part 1: What is Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?

Hashimoto’s is based on having poor gut health and inflammation along with many other possible dysfunctions in the our bodies.

Gut inflammation is the root of many diseases in our modern world such as IBS, Crohn’s disease, autoimmune disease, cancer, and many more.

These powerful foods can help to heal and strengthen your immune system as well as calm the intestinal inflammation inside of you.

MY 5 FAVORITE GUT BOOSTING FOODS

1. ORGANIC RAW MILK KEFIR

Kefir is hands down my favorite beneficial food for your gut.  It is one of the best sources of probiotics you can find.

Kefir comes in many different varieties from coconut water kefir to raw milk kefir.  

I prefer kefir made with raw milk due to the many added health benefits it provides, however, kefir in any form is a powerful way to boost your intestinal health.   

Raw milk kefir tastes very similar to yogurt and can easily be made into a delicious smoothie!

It is rich in probiotics and vitamin B12 which is created during the fermentation process using kefir grains.  

A glass of kefir will provide a higher content of probiotics than any of the probiotic capsules on the market that you take each day.  Also, it is much cheaper.

One 16oz glass of kefir will supply up to 5 trillion beneficial bacteria.  This is an incredible amount!

It promotes intestinal health by repopulating your gut with “good” bacteria and fights against “bad” bacteria when it is overgrown.

Kefir even has special bacteria strains in it that fight off Candida Albicans! You can read The BEST Green Smoothie Recipe to know the kefir smoothie I drank every morning (and still do!) while healing from Hashimoto’s.

You can get raw milk (real milk finder!) and easily make your own kefir using 1 TBSP Active Organic Milk Kefir Grains & Ebook: “Milk Kefir Unleashed” By Thomas Egbert .  These are the kefir grains I use at home.

2. ORGANIC RAW SAUERKRAUT AND FERMENTED VEGETABLES

Fermented vegetables are potent solution for boosting gut health.  

When I was trying to heal my leaky gut I relied heavily on raw organic sauerkraut to provide digestive enzymes as well and promote a healthy gut balance. 

You can read more about how I healed my leaky gut from Hashimoto’s by reading Part 7: Healing My Leaky Gut Stopped Hashimoto’s.

Sauerkraut is rich with live bioactive enzymes that promote digestion and boost immunity.

Lactobacilli plantarium is a major strain of the beneficial bacteria that is found in large quantity in sauerkraut.  It is a probiotic bacteria that is known to actively aid in digestion.

Raw sauerkraut, along with all fermented vegetables, contain beneficial microorganisms and vitamins known to reduce inflammation in the intestinal wall.  

They also help with balancing your gut pH level and can help with healing a leaky gut.  

Raw fermented vegetables are a must for promoting intestinal health.

If you decide you want to make your own sauerkraut or fermented vegetables there are plenty of guides to walk you through the process much like this one from Amazon:  Ferment Your Vegetables: A Fun and Flavorful Guide to Making Your Own Pickles, Kimchi, Kraut, and More.  

3. ORGANIC GRASS-FED BONE BROTH

Bone broth is a super food for healing and strengthening your gut.  It is high in collagen, gelatin, glycine, proline and glutamine.

These vital nutrients provide the sustenance for the growth and reconstruction of your intestinal wall.  This is especially important if you are trying to heal a leaky gut.

One of its main ingredients is gelatin.  Gelatin lines the mucous membranes of our GI tract and guards against damage by providing lubrication.

Collagen will promote gut health along with healthy skin and joints.   

Glutamine is an essential amino acid that is the primary nourishment for the cells in your gut lining.  It is known to reduce inflammation and is easily absorbed by your body.

Bone broth is highly nutritious by supplying readily absorbable forms of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur.

It is because of these benefits that bone broth is a top food for boosting your gut health.  Here is an Easy Bone Broth Soup Recipe that I like to use.

If you would like a better understanding for the many benefits of bone broth and a more in depth version on how to make it then you can read Nourishing Broth: An Old-Fashioned Remedy for the Modern World for many wonderful insights.

4. ORGANIC RAW KOMBUCHA

Raw Kombucha is my second favorite way of influencing gut health.  Kombucha is a fermented tea containing antioxidants and probiotics.  

Kombucha is easily made by yourself or available to be purchased.  If you choose to purchase your kombucha then you must be careful not to get one that has been pasteurized because this process kills all the beneficial bacteria and enzymes.  

Some companies will then add probiotic stains back in and market them as having live probiotics, however, this is not true kombucha tea.

Raw kombucha supports digestion by providing important beneficial acids, amino acids, and enzymes along with the probiotics and antioxidants.  

Once you start drinking kombucha it is very simple to get hooked on it!  

Kombucha is easily something you can make yourself as it can become expensive to purchase compared to how cheaply it can be made by following a guide like The Big Book of Kombucha: Brewing, Flavoring, and Enjoying the Health Benefits of Fermented Tea.

5. ORGANIC RAW MILK

Are you wondering why raw milk is on this list?  Raw milk can be a controversial topic at times surrounding its safety.  

However, raw milk provides many gut healing advantages that pasteurized milk cannot.

Raw milk is a living food that is full of “good” bacteria and probiotics that our modern diets do not provide.  

It contains 60 known enzymes that have strong reaching and necessary influences throughout our bodies as well as containing the needed enzymes to digest it.  

When I was trying to heal my leaky gut I found I couldn’t drink pasteurized milk without some very uncomfortable side effects, however, I had no issues at all when drinking raw milk. 

 

This is because of these enzymes present in raw milk to help with the digestion process.

If you are interested, you can read more about my battle with Hashimoto’s and my leaky gut in Part 6: The Leaky Gut Connection to Hashimoto’s. 

Milk that has been pasteurized has destroyed 100% of the enzymes, killed all the good bacteria and probiotics, and denatured the proteins.  Along with this, many of the vitamins such as A, D, E, C, B6 and B12 are altered, and completely or partially destroyed.

Beyond being a living and nourishing food, raw milk is also very anti-inflammatory.  It is full of nutrients such as omega-3s, CLA, and antioxidants.

If you find you are able to include raw milk in your diet you will enjoy many gut boosting benefits it provides.

An easy way to find raw milk in your area is by using the real milk finder for your state and city on www.realmilk.com.  

This website provides information as well as helps connect farmers and consumers who are interested in adding raw milk to their diets. 

However, don’t forget that there is a risk to consuming raw milk and be sure that you make a well informed decision about the involved risk.