How to Heal Your Gut
To heal your gut, add probiotic-rich food like yogurt, cottage cheese, fermented foods, and kombucha to your diet. Alternately, you can take a probiotic supplement to increase the good bacteria in your gut, which help with digestion. Eat 2 to 3 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, and try to include beans and whole grains a few times a week to encourage good bacteria to grow. Additionally, avoid processed grains and foods that are high in sugar or saturated fat, which can harm your gut.
Add yogurt and cottage cheese to your diet. Yogurt and cottage cheese contain high amounts of probiotics that can help increase the good bacteria in your gut. Purchase yogurt products that have the label “active cultures” on it. For the best results, choose natural, plain yogurt instead of flavored yogurt. Flavored yogurt tends to be high in sugar, which can decrease the amount of good bacteria in your gut. Instead, sweeten your yogurt with fruit like bananas, blueberries, strawberries, and peaches. You can even make your own yogurt. Eat non-dairy fermented foods if you are lactose intolerant. Pickled foods are the non-dairy version of fermented food. Like yogurt, pickled foods contain high amounts of probiotics. Add pickled foods to 1 to 2 meals per day to help increase the good bacteria in your gut. Add foods like pickled cucumbers, garlic, radish, beets, and corn relish to your meals. Sauerkraut, kimchi, natto, tempeh, fermented tofu, and miso are also fermented foods. Take a probiotic supplement if you do not like pickled foods. Another great way to increase the amount of good bacteria in your gut is to take a probiotic supplement. Take the supplement per the instructions on the bottle. Contact your healthcare provider if you are taking other medications, or if you are unsure how often you should take the supplement. You can purchase probiotic supplements online or from your local health food store. If you have an immune disorder, speak to your healthcare provider before adding probiotics to your diet. Consume drinks high in probiotics. Drinks like kefir, whey, kombucha, and apple cider vinegar are all high in probiotics. If you are also eating foods that are high in probiotics, only consume 1 probiotic drink per week. If not, then it is ok to consume more than 1 probiotic drink per week. Though most people can't “overdose” on probiotics or have too many, cut back if you develop bloating or diarrhea. Consume 2 to 3 servings of fruit per day. Fruits are high in prebiotics and other beneficial nutrients. Eat 1 cup (175 grams) of fruit at breakfast, lunch, or after dinner. Fruits that are especially high in prebiotics are bananas and blueberries. Other fruits to include in your diet are strawberries, blackberries, oranges, peaches, mangos, apples, and pineapples. Eat 2 to 3 servings of vegetables per day. Like fruit, vegetables are also high in prebiotics. Add 1 cup (175 grams) of vegetables to each meal. If not each meal, then at least 2 meals. Vegetables that contain high amounts of prebiotics are onions, garlic, asparagus, leeks, and Jerusalem artichokes. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, kale, and cauliflower also contain high amounts of prebiotics. Include beans in your diet. Beans like black, pinto, and kidney beans also contain high amounts of prebiotics. Add 1 cup (200 grams) of beans to 3 to 4 meals per week. Beans not only contain prebiotics, but they are also a good source of protein, fiber, vitamin B, and folate, which can also promote gut health. For example, add black beans to a salad, or make red beans and rice for dinner. If you have irritable bowel syndrome, avoid eating beans as they may be difficult for you to digest. Switch from processed grains to whole grains. Whole grains like barley, oats, and wheat are all great sources of prebiotic fibers. Instead of eating processed grains like white bread, eat whole grains like wheat bread. For example, use wheat bread to make your sandwiches, whole wheat noodles for pasta dishes, or use wheat flour to make baked goods. Replace animal protein with plant protein for 1 to 2 days out of the week. Animal protein, particularly red meat, takes a long time to digest and may decrease the amount of good bacteria in your gut. To help your gut heal, go vegetarian for 1 to 2 days out of the week. Eat plant-based sources of protein like legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains instead of meat. Make sure to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables on these days as well. Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time so you don't go hungry on these days. Reduce your consumption of foods that are high in saturated fat. Eating less saturated fat can help heal an unhealthy gut. Foods high in saturated fat include ice cream, butter, fatty meats, cakes, pastries, and pies. Before you buy a product, check the nutrition label to see how much saturated fat the product contains. Products that have more than 5 grams (0.18 oz) per 100 grams (3.5 oz) of saturated fat are high in saturated fat. Cut back on foods that are high in sugar. Sugar also nourishes bad bacteria in your gut. Foods high in sugar include candy, sweetened tea and coffee, soda, alcohol, syrup, honey, and fruit juice. Check products' nutrition labels before you buy them. Products that have more than 22.5 grams (0.8 oz) per 100 grams (3.5 oz) of sugar are high in sugar. Instead of eating chocolate for dessert, eat a fruit salad. Additionally, reduce the amount of sugar you put in your tea and coffee. Restrict the amount of processed foods in your diet. Eating a high amount of processed foods can also lead to the growth of bad bacteria in your gut. Limit processed foods like chips, bread, cereal, pasta, lunch meat, bacon, sausage, and fast food. Eat lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, and unprocessed foods instead. To make eating at home fast and easy, devote a day, like Sunday, to cooking a large amount of food. Place the cooked food in airtight containers in the freezer. Once you are ready to eat, just reheat the food in the microwave or the oven. 
Add yogurt and cottage cheese to your diet. Eat non-dairy fermented foods if you are lactose intolerant. Take a probiotic supplement if you do not like pickled foods. Consume drinks high in probiotics. Consume 2 to 3 servings of fruit per day. Eat 2 to 3 servings of vegetables per day. Include beans in your diet. Switch from processed grains to whole grains. Replace animal protein with plant protein for 1 to 2 days out of the week. Reduce your consumption of foods that are high in saturated fat. Cut back on foods that are high in sugar. Restrict the amount of processed foods in your diet. 