The most important foods for a healthy gut
Strengthen your gut for the whole year! Discover the most important foods and tips to support your immune system and gut flora.
Strengthen the microbiome - here's how!
It's amazing how many foods can help our gut perform at its best
Most people consume fewer vitamins and minerals in autumn and winter because the abundance of fruit, vegetables and wild herbs is not as plentiful as in summer. This is not beneficial for health, as the body needs at least the same amount of these substances in the cold months. If you have caught a cold or flu, then your active helpers from Team Immune System and Team Gut Flora (microbiome) need even more support.
Another reason: the decisive processes all happen in secret. In the gut, in the immune system, in the blood and in all cells that are involved in some way in controlling our defences. As long as we are healthy, the immune system does not appear. We often overlook this. But this does not do justice to the value of the immune system, which includes our intestinal flora. Hardly any other system in your body has such a great influence on your health and quality of life as your immune system. Although it appears to be passive, it needs energy and vital substances at all times of the year in order to be ready for action.
1. the simple solution
The simple solution, both in the event of an emergency and in the autumn months when you want to get fit for the winter, is to take nutritional supplements. Food supplements can help the body in challenging times to prevent deficiency symptoms and support the immune system in its tasks.
Our suggestions on what is particularly suitable and can help you:
Blueberry powder, green food, fermented drinks or the wide range of Vimergy products.
The holistic solution is to focus your food choices on the purpose of strengthening and prevention. We now know how the gut, including gut flora, brain and immune system are interconnected.
This means that everything that happens in the gut has a significant impact on many other areas and organs of the body, including the brain. The gut and brain have formed a dedicated line and communicate with each other constantly. Through this so-called gut-brain axis, we can influence our mood, sleep, appetite and even the sensation of pain. For this reason alone, your choice of food is important. Otherwise the gut-brain-immune system network will suffer.
This solution is also "holistic" because we can obtain a much larger quantity of health-relevant substances (secondary plant substances such as polyphenols, catechins, carotenoids, flavonoids) from food than from dietary supplements.
What specifically helps you?
a) Foods rich in fibre
Fibre is the favourite food of intestinal bacteria and has long been much more than just "ballast". Some bacteria prefer more cereal fibres, others vegetable fibres and others resistant starch. This means that we have already named three main groups of dietary fibres. The first group includes wholemeal cereals (e.g. Urbrot), oat bran, but also psyllium, chia- and linseed. The second group includes all vegetables, leafy greens and pulses, whether fresh, dried (e.g. crackers) or in powder form (e.g. barley grass powder). The third group includes starch-rich foods that are either unripe (e.g. bananas) or that have been allowed to cool down after cooking, which changes the starch structure (e.g. potatoes, some cereals and pulses). (1)(2)
Recent findings indicate that dietary fibre and SCFAs have a variety of positive effects on our energy metabolism. This happens not only by improving the intestinal environment, but also outside the intestine by directly influencing various tissues. (5)
Prebiotics are found naturally in various vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, chicory, Jerusalem artichoke, garlic, leek, onion, artichoke and yacon root; pulses such as lentils and beans; soft fruits such as raspberries and blackberries; and wild herbs such as dandelion. (6)(7)
Among these foods, chicory is the high-flyer. Not only does it contain the most inulin, it is also the undisputed leader in fructooligosaccharides. The bitter substances also ensure the release of the hormone gastrin. This stimulates the motor function of the stomach and small intestine and the production of stomach acid as well as bile and pancreatic juice. (8)
c) Foods that bring bacteria with them
You all know this group and probably use it to a greater or lesser extent. These include yoghurt (preferably homemade), kefir, kombucha, natto and lactic acid fermented vegetables such as the classics sauerkraut and kimchi. These provide us mainly or exclusively with Lactobacillus bacteria, which are famous for their ability to produce lactic acid.
Alternatively, such bacteria can also be ingested via special intestinal preparations (probiotics).
Here you will find everything you need for fermentation
And when the season is over, we have a large selection of dried berries. They are popular in many diets due to their richness in vital nutrients and low sugar content.
An excellent supplement or alternative to herbs are our sprouted seeds with which you can Keimlingand eat them fresh.
Our suggestions: Complement smoothies, desserts, bowls and other dishes with our protein from Plantforce. The following are also rich in protein spirulina and chlorella-products, the Choco Green protein bar from Lifebar and our rich selection of nuts.
3 Shandilya S, Kumar S, Kumar Jha N, Kumar Kesari K, Ruokolainen J. Interplay of gut microbiota and oxidative stress: Perspective on neurodegeneration and neuroprotection. J Adv Res. 2021 Sep 17;38:223-244. doi: 10.1016/j.jare.2021.09.005. PMID: 35572407; PMCID: PMC9091761. - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p...
4. Cummings, John H.; Macfarlane, George T.; Englyst, Hans N. (2001). "Prebiotic digestion and fermentation". Am J Clin Nutr. 73 (suppl): 415S-420S. doi:10.1093/ajcn/73.2.415s. PMID 11157351.- https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(23)06507-3/fulltext
5 Kasubuchi M, Hasegawa S, Hiramatsu T, Ichimura A, Kimura I. Dietary gut microbial metabolites, short-chain fatty acids, and host metabolic regulation. Nutrients. 2015 Apr 14;7(4):2839-49. doi: 10.3390/nu7042839. PMID: 25875123; PMCID: PMC4425176. - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p...
6th information sheet on probiotics and prebiotics - https://www.hs-fulda.de/filead...
7. fructans & fructooligosaccharides: food tables - https://foodintolerances.org/d...
8 Van Loo, J., Coussement, P., De Leenheer, L., Hoebregs, H., and Smits, G. (1995). On the presence of Inulin and Oligofructose as natural ingredients in the western diet. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 35, 525-552.
9 Rao R, Samak G. Role of Glutamine in Protection of Intestinal Epithelial Tight Junctions. J Epithel Biol Pharmacol. 2012 Jan;5(Suppl 1-M7):47-54. doi: 10.2174/1875044301205010047. PMID: 25810794; PMCID: PMC4369670. - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p...
10 Prudden JF, Balassa LL. The biological activity of bovine cartilage preparations. Clinical demonstration of their potent anti-inflammatory capacity with supplementary notes on certain relevant fundamental supportive studies. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 1974 Summer;3(4):287-321. doi: 10.1016/0049-0172(74)90003-1. PMID: 4275322. - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.go...
11 Samonina G, Lyapina L, Kopylova G, Pastorova V V, Bakaeva Z, Jeliaznik N, Zuykova S, Ashmarin I I. Protection of gastric mucosal integrity by gelatin and simple proline-containing peptides. Pathophysiology. 2000 Apr;7(1):69-73. doi: 10.1016/s0928-4680(00)00045-6. PMID: 10825688. - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.go...
12 Perna S, Alalwan TA, Alaali Z, Alnashaba T, Gasparri C, Infantino V, Hammad L, Riva A, Petrangolini G, Allegrini P, Rondanelli M. The Role of Glutamine in the Complex Interaction between Gut Microbiota and Health: A Narrative Review. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Oct 22;20(20):5232. doi: 10.3390/ijms20205232. PMID: 31652531; PMCID: PMC6834172. - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p...
13. Bone Broth Benefits for Joints, Skin and Gut Health - https://draxe.com/nutrition/bo...
14. Chicken Soup for UNMC's Soul - https://www.unmc.edu/newsroom/2021/05/25/chicken-soup-study/
15. 5 best healing herbs for the gut - https://www.mayr-kuren.de/die-...
16. herbs for stomach and intestines - https://heilkraeuter.de/krank/...
17. recent publication of the Berlin Charité proves: Myrrh strengthens the intestinal barrier - https://www.presseportal.de/pm...
18 Veldhoen, Marc; Brucklacher-Waldert, Verena (2012): Dietary influences on intestinal immunity. In: Nature reviews. Immunology 12 (10), pp. 696-708. DOI: 10.1038/nri3299.
19. intestinal mucosa - https://praxisklinik.com/fachw...
20 Collazo N, Carpena M, Nuñez-Estevez B, Otero P, Simal-Gandara J, Prieto MA. Health Promoting Properties of Bee Royal Jelly: Food of the Queens. Nutrients. 2021 Feb 7;13(2):543. doi: 10.3390/nu13020543. PMID: 33562330; PMCID: PMC7915653. - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p...
21st US National Library of Medicine - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p...
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