While there is no one, single diet that works completely perfect for everyone, there are some little changes you can make to reduce inflammation, cut back on calories, and increase satiety to temper snacking. So, rather than doing a complete overhaul of your diet and changing every aspect of your eating plan to only consume “clean” foods, you can slowly transition your habits to help contribute to your weight loss goals in time for summer.
To learn more, we spoke with Trista Best, a registered dietitian at Balance One Supplements. She said that the one diet change you should make to reduce inflammation and lose weight is to eat more probiotic foods. Probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and tempeh can help reduce inflammation in the body because probiotics are live microorganisms that are beneficial for gut health and weight loss. Find out more about probiotic foods below!
READ MORE: A Dietitian Tells Us Why You Should Put Fermented Foods On Your Plate Every Day For A Healthier Gut
Eat More Probiotic Foods To Reduce Inflammation And Lose Weight
If you know anything about gut health, you likely know a thing or two about the importance of probiotics. Probiotics are live microorganisms that provide health benefits when consumed, particularly for gut health. Probiotic, fermented foods can help repopulate the "good" bacteria in your intestines. Then, that bacteria can help you lose weight and reduce inflammation.
"Eating more probiotic-rich foods can help reduce inflammation in the body," Best explains. "Probiotics are live microorganisms that are beneficial for health, particularly for gut health. The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in regulating inflammation throughout the body."
"When the gut microbiome is imbalanced, it can lead to chronic inflammation, which is linked to a wide range of health problems, including autoimmune diseases, heart disease, and certain types of cancer," she continues. "Probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and tempeh contain live beneficial bacteria that can help restore balance to the gut microbiome." These "good" bacteria in these probiotic-rich foods can help reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the body (which can contribute to chronic inflammation). And, besides kefir, there are other probiotic-rich beverages you can drink for a healthier gut and flatter stomach.
"Probiotics can help improve gut barrier function, which can help prevent harmful bacteria and toxins from entering the bloodstream and causing inflammation throughout the body. Incorporating more probiotic-rich foods into your diet is a simple and effective way to support gut health and reduce inflammation," Best says. And, if you don't like any of the probiotic-rich foods and beverages that Best mentioned, you can also take probiotic supplements every day for a balanced gut and faster weight loss.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, everybody's personal wellness and weight loss journey is different. The biggest key to sustainable weight loss and a healthy gut is finding the diet plan that works for you and your daily life. A heavily restrictive diet will not do your body any good in the long run. Instead, focus on maintaining a balanced diet and consuming more probiotic-rich, fermented foods, and drinks to benefit your gut healthy and help with weight loss!
