People don’t often think about health of their gut. After all, people eat a lot of bad food and drinks. Your intestinal health refers to the balance of microorganisms living in your digestive tract. It is necessary to maintain the right balance of these microorganisms in your bowels. It is vital to your physical, immunity, and mental health. There are nearly 100 trillion different types of bacteria, yeasts, and viruses, also called gut microbiome. Some microbes are beneficial, even essential, for human health, but others are very harmful. Luckily there are a few things that you can do to enhance the health of your bowels. Here are a few suggestions.

Eat Fermented Foods

Eating fermented foods can improve gut health. Some of these foods are fermented vegetables, kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh, and miso. Believe it or not, fermented foods can help you clear out your intestines of harmful bacteria while providing the beneficial bacteria that everyone needs. They can also help with any inflammation and other gastro-intestinal problems.

Take Probiotics

Taking daily probiotics can do some of the same things eating fermented foods can do if you don’t like pickled ingredients. In order to boost the beneficial bacteria, which are also known as probiotics, you can take supplements. Probiotic supplements are suggested by research support a healthy amount of microbiomes in the gut. They also prevent guy inflammation and digestive issues, probiotic supplements are available in health food stores, drug stores, and even online.

Avoid Sugar

In the United States, we adore sugar. We eat a lot of it. We add it to our coffee. We add it to our food. Eating too much sugar can cause dysbiosis of the gut, which is an imbalance of microbes. According to the site MoneyPug, which is used to find the best health insurance, a study from 2015 suggested that the standard Western diet negatively affects the guy because it is high in sugar and fat. This can not only affect your internal health, it can have an impact on your brain and behavior.

Artificial sweeteners are no better. The artificial sugar aspartame increases the number of bacteria strains linked with metabolic disease, which refers to a group of conditions that increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease according to a recent study. In addition, some artificial sweeteners can negatively affect your blood glucose levels due to their impact on increased blood sugardespite the fact that they aren’t real sugar.

Eat Prebiotic Fiber

Prebiotics are carbohydrates that are non-digestible. Probiotics feed on bad bacteria, encouraging the multiplication of beneficial bacteria in the gut. A study from 2017 has suggested that prebiotics may help probiotics become tolerant to certain environmental conditions, including pH and changes in temperature. These include foods rich in prebiotics, such as bananas, garlic, onions, asparagus, and whole grains can enhance gut health. Eating fiber is always good for you, but it can also help get rid of unwanted bacteria in your digestive tract.

Cut Down on Stress

Reducing stress is another way to cut down on bacteria in the gut. Stress can disrupt microorganisms in the intestines, even if it is short-lived. Environmental stress such as heat, cold, or noise also has an effect on the health of your bowels. Sleep deprivation can also negatively impact your bowel tracts. To cut down on stress, manage it with meditation, deep breathing techniques, mindfulness training, yoga, and muscle relaxation. It is also key to exercise regularly, sleep well, and eat a healthy diet.

There are plenty of ways to both negatively and positively impact your gut. Start with the basics. Eat well with lots of fibers and fermented foods. Exercise regularly. Get enough sleep. Reduce stress. Once you have all done that and still need to decrease the bacteria in your gut, you can take probiotic supplements.

Anyone can have too much bad bacteria in their digestive tract. You simply need to pay attention to what is going on in your stomach. When you do so, you will take steps to not only lessen bad bacteria, you will feel better overall. It is really quite simple—treat yourself better and your body respond. Use these simple techniques to lessen bad bacteria and multiply good bacteria that leads to a healthy gut.