As it turns out, a healthy gut is your greatest wellness ally. Thanks to fairly recent research into gene sequencing, we now have a better understanding of this astonishing bacterial population living within our gut. According to André Burckel, a French scientist and pharmacist-biologist, the microbiota can “send messages to the brain, with an impact on neurotransmitters which then act on mood.”

We’re in a period of increased gut health awareness, but it can also be pretty overwhelming to know where to start to nurture your microbiome. Should you really be on a super push for protein? Are probiotics the answer? Or prebiotics?

When your gut isn’t best pleased, it’s throwing the rest of your body off. So how can we optimize our microbiota? We tapped the experts for effective—but easy!—strategies for improving digestive health. Below are four simple rules for having a healthy gut.

Focus on the Right Foods

Directly influencing mood, sleep, and both the locomotor (musculoskeletal) and circulatory systems, as well as the body’s defense system, the effects of microbiota extend far beyond the intestines and their impact on digestion. You have to take the utmost care of it to feel good and keep a healthy gut.

In his book The Burckel Diet, for Microbiota Health, Burckel recommends incorporating five key components into your daily diet. First, resistant starches like wheat, beans, or bananas nourish the good intestinal bacteria. Secondly, beta-glucans, a type of soluble fiber that naturally occurs in things like oats and barley, increase the number of good bacteria, kill the bad, and lower cholesterol levels at the same time.

Then, Burckel suggests fructans, which are a type of carbohydrate that naturally occurs in certain cereals, legumes, and fruit and vegetables such as asparagus, chicory, and melon, all of which help balance the microbiota. He also emphasizes the importance of fiber—like that found in kale, figs, or almonds, which increases gut diversity and is used by your gut bacteria to create short-chain fatty acids—for brain health and metabolism. Finally, polyphenols, found in plant foods like dates, tea, spices, and cocoa, can act like a prebiotic and benefit gut bacteria, or can be converted by the gut bacteria into beneficial fatty acids.

Amy Shapiro, RD, founder of Real Nutrition, recommends eating a variety of plant-based foods and suggests following the Mediterranean diet. “Diversity matters,” she says.

Eat Raw

It’s a fact: Our hectic, stressed lifestyles, combined with an industrialized diet and reliance on antibiotics, put the functioning of the microbiota to the test. We now know that intestinal dysbiosis can lead to autoimmune pathologies, degenerative diseases, and even depression. The good news? We can take preventative measures and optimize the functioning of our microbiota with the help of dietary prebiotics—another unsung hero of gut health.

“There are nutrients and fibers found in fruits, vegetables, and fresh herbs [you can eat] raw. Or at least, cooked at less than 42° C (107° F), as heat destroys them,” explains Marie-Sophie L., a French chef who champions raw and plant-based cooking. In her book Raw Food, she provides a list of simple, “friendly” foods to incorporate into your diet on a daily basis: nuts (such as coconut, cashew, and macadamia) and seeds (chia, hemp, and buckwheat), as well as vegetables in all their forms, as juices, smoothies, or soups. She also emphasizes apples, which, when eaten regularly, can help support liver health due to their fiber, antioxidants, and malic acid content.

Incorporate Probiotics Into Your Diet

And can you enrich your microbiota with probiotics? It’s important to be considered and targeted according to your own flora and current issues. Dr. Valérie Leduc, a specialist in antiaging medicine, is a great believer in microbiota DNA analysis. “This analysis will enable me to draw up prescriptions for probiotics and dietary supplements, making them targeted and personalized.” To be continued.

Until then, consider eating a wholesome, varied diet with naturally probiotic-rich foods. Think fermented foods, like pickles, yogurts, kimchi, and kefir. “They are key for providing special probiotics to the diet,” nutritionist Cristina Barrous told Spanish Vogue.

“Growing evidence suggests that fermented foods change the metabolic activities in the gut, acquire new characteristics, and increase benefits in age-associated changes,” another recent study outlined. “A series of relevant benefits associated with fermented foods in healthy aging and longevity have been reported, including preventing allergic reactions, gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, and improving metabolic function and neuroendocrine effects.”

Tweak Lifestyle Habits

Shapiro emphasizes the importance of a healthy lifestyle in general to truly reset your gut. “Recent research makes it clear that gut health is a full-lifestyle conversation,” she says. “Which should include adequate sleep, regular exercise, and stress management as well, since they all impact gut health and function.”

Warning Signs of an Imbalanced Gut Microbiome

There are obvious signs of GI problems, says Shapiro, such as abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation. But she points out that an imbalanced gut can manifest in ways you might not even think about. Unexpected symptoms include inflammation that can cause acne, eczema, or skin irritations, fatigue, brain fog, or strong sugar cravings. She also adds that there is a connection between gut health and the immune system, and a weakened immune system is another sign of an imbalanced gut microbiome.

“The good news is that the gut is responsive to change. But like anything else, there is no single fix,” she says. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, consider adjusting your diet and turning to a registered dietitian or your doctor to figure out a diet plan that’s safe and works best for you.

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