Your diet plays an important role in every area of your health, from fitness to brain function–so it’s no surprise that it can also make a major difference in your digestive health. While there are plenty of foods you can eat regularly to maintain a healthy gut microbiome (hello, probiotic-rich Greek yogurt!) there are also a few mistakes that could put you at risk for a myriad of digestive issues.
To discover some of the worst diet habits that could disrupt the balance of good and bacteria in your gut, we spoke to health experts Meg Gerber, functional medicine dietitian; Meghan Punda, nurse practitioner and functional nutritionist from Nourished + Well; and Lisa Richards, nutritionist and creator of The Candida Diet. They told us that skipping meals, eating processed foods, and loading your coffee with the wrong ingredients are all mistakes you should avoid if you want to keep your gut health in tip-top shape. Learn more below!
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1. Skipping meals
Whether you’re busy and can’t find the time to cook yourself a nutritious meal or you’re trying to save on calories by skipping breakfast, there are several reasons you may choose to forego food from time to time. However, experts warn that this is a bad idea for multiple reasons–one of them being the fact that it can take a toll on your gut health. Gerber says skipping means “can lead to poorly managed blood sugar,” and notes that breakfast, in particular, is especially important to eat every day. “If we do not eat our breakfast, our body registers this as unsafe and therefore does not prioritize gut repair, optimal digestion, and health hormone output,” she says. “By not eating, it turns down the dial of metabolism to protect itself and can cause sluggish digestion.” Over time, this can not only lead to a range of gut issues, but could ultimately lead to weight gain.
2. Eating processed foods
While ensuring you’re eating enough meals every day is essential, it’s also important to consider what you’re putting in your body. Whenever possible, you should always opt for whole foods that can provide your body with the nutrients it needs to thrive. Processed foods, on the other hand, are terrible for your overall health–and that includes your gut health. "Processed foods are often loaded with preservatives, unhealthy fats, and sugar," Punda says. "They lack nutrients and essential fiber and can disrupt the balance and health of the gut microbiome." The highly processed ingredients in these foods will feed the bad bacteria in your gut, resulting in dysbiosis, which can trigger issues like irritable bowel syndrome and even serious diseases like diabetes and cancer.
3. Adding sugary ingredients to your coffee
If you enjoy a daily cup of joe (or 2, or 3…), you probably have a preference for how you take it–with sugar or without, loaded with cream or black, etc. Unfortunately for those of us who love more than a bit of sweetness in our coffee, though, all of those sugary and creamy ingredients can really throw a wrench in your digestive health. "Adding milk or creamer to coffee is a practice done by most coffee drinkers to enhance the flavor and creamy nature of the often bitter and acidic drink," Richards notes. However, she warns that “adding creamer is also a way calories, sugar, and fat sneak into our diet and it adds up quickly,” not to mention the fact that those processed ingredients can damage your gut. Refined sugar, in particular, is one ingredient you should definitely stay away from if you want to avoid digestive issues, as Richards says it’s “highly inflammatory as well as a food source for bad gut bacteria.” And it isn’t just your digestion that could face repercussions from this mistake. “Inflammation and an overgrowth of harmful gut bacteria will result in negative health effects in many areas of the body,” she warns.
The bottom line
Ultimately, maintaining optimal gut health comes down to several factors, from getting enough exercise to managing your stress levels. It’s also important to remember that if you’re experiencing chronic digestive issues, the best thing to do is to speak with a professional in order to get to the root of the problem. However, your diet plays a major role in your digestive health, so making sure you don’t frequently make these mistakes is always a good idea.
