Why Eating a Gut-Healthy Diet Is Better Than Probiotics

When someone talks about the gut microbiome, they’re talking about the community of microorganisms that live in your digestive system.

And while it can be strange to think about microscopic, living organisms hanging out inside your body, you need them, and they will help your body feel good when you take care of them.

Taking care of your gut can be tricky, though, especially in an age where you’re constantly marketed supplements or quick fixes to “heal” your gut. If you’re wondering what actually works, here’s what to know.

Supporting your gut health through your diet

The most important way to support your gut health? Your diet. Promoting a healthy microbiome involves adding the right foods and nutrients to your diet.

“People focus on the nutrients their body needs when they eat, but they haven’t focused as much on the nutrients their microbiome needs,” says Christopher Damman, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Digestive Health Center at UW Medicine – Montlake.

Adding the four phonetic Fs into your diet can help with this:

• Fiber: foods such as whole grains (like oatmeal), nuts, seeds, beans, fruits and vegetables
• Healthy fats: foods like olives and avocados, plus oils high in monosaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, like omega-3
• Phenols: foods that are typically colorful fruits and vegetables, like blueberries, red peppers and purple cabbage
• Fermented foods: foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, brined pickles and kimchi

“Eat foods that your microbiome likes to snack on, like fiber,” says Damman. “Fibers are carbohydrates that our body can’t absorb. They make their way down into the last part of the small intestine and colon, where they promote the growth of our own natural biomes.”

If you’re eating a diet heavy in ultra-processed foods, on the other hand, your gut is being starved of nutrients that are removed from your food during its processing.

Finally, fermented foods contain live bacteria, many of which are found in probiotics. Damman encourages his patients who ask about probiotics to enjoy some yogurt or sauerkraut instead — unless they’re looking to treat a specific condition.  

Other ways to support your gut health

Damman says that other lifestyle choices can also support a healthy microbiome.

Exercise  

It is well established that exercise makes your immune system function better, and a healthy immune system creates a good environment for your gut microbiome to thrive in. Even a short walk or quick workout can help, especially with digestion.

In addition, when your stool has what it needs to move through your digestive tract (i.e., you’re not constipated), the microbiota in your gut can better do its job. 

Sleep  

Damman says that getting a good night’s sleep and reducing stress have a positive impact on your gut health.

Sleep is crucial to many of the body’s functions, including supporting a strong immune system. When you aren’t getting enough sleep, it can also disturb your gut microbiome, making you more susceptible to bloating, inflammation or worsening conditions like irritable bowel syndrome.

Mindfulness 

Speaking of reducing stress, Damman says mindfulness is a great way to achieve that.

The practice can help calm your nervous system and reduce anxiety, which puts less strain on your gut. A mindfulness practice doesn’t require joining a yoga studio or paying for different apps (although you could, and it can be helpful) —  it can be as simple as beginning to focus on your breath and bringing your attention to the present moment.

Can supplements help gut health?

Probiotics, often referred to as healthy bacteria, are found in a dizzying array of supplements said to help your gut. But do they actually do anything? Damman says it can be hard to know.

“There are plenty of over-the-counter probiotics that you can get either in the refrigerated section or off the shelf at a pharmacy or supermarket,” says Damman. “The problem with a lot of those is they’re not highly regulated. So, you don’t really know what you’re getting.”

If you want to add probiotic supplements to your diet, Damman first recommends that you talk with your doctor about how you can do so effectively (and in an evidence-based way).

Another word you might have seen on gut-health-promoting supplements and products is “prebiotics.” Prebiotics are simply substances that feed your gut bacteria — most commonly fiber, which, again, is much easier to get from eating the four F’s.

Care for your gut

Damman says that the gut is almost like the gateway to the whole body’s health, so it is important to care for those little microorganisms.

In other words, don’t just feed yourself; feed the little microbes that coexist with you. This partnership is a great way to maintain a healthy gut and body.

Barbara Clements contributed to this article. A version of this story originally appeared in the UW Medicine Newsroom. This article was originally published on July 26, 2023. It has been reviewed and updated with new info.