6 Tips To Support Your Gut This Summer ☀️
Can you believe we're already halfway through 2024?!
Many of us started the year with positive intentions to improve our gut health and overall health, which can often fall by the wayside in the summer, so I wanted to share a few easy ways to support your gut health all summer long!
💦Hydrate
While it's important to stay hydrated with the heat and humidity that come with summer, make sure to steer clear of the sports drinks that are filled with synthetic colorings and artificial sweeteners which have damaging effects on the microbiome.
For example, Red Dye 40 is a synthetic coloring that's found in most red and pink sports drinks, including Gatorade.
Research shows that Red Dye 40 alters the microbiome, increases inflammatory cytokines, and “induces a subtle and low-grade inflammatory response specific to the colon” which drives the development of Inflammatory Bowel Disease including Chron's and Ulcerative Colitis.
In addition to the synthetic colorings, artificial sweeteners also disrupt the microbiome. Some of the most common artificial sweeteners that are found in sports drinks (and diet soda) include aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium (labeled as “acesulfame” on Gatorade's ingredient list).
Research shows that these artificial sweeteners contribute significant changes in the microbiome that lead to to gut dysbiosis and promote the growth of pathogenic bacteria including Clostridial species, Enterobacterials, and Actinobacteria.
A study published in Nature also found that consumption of non-caloric artificial sweeteners "drives the development of glucose intolerance" by inducing alterations to the microbiome, which ultimately results in elevated blood glucose levels and inflammation.
Instead of reaching for sports drinks that contain harmful dyes and artificial sweeteners, try adding fresh lemon juice to your water which naturally contains electrolytes, making fruit-infused waters, or opting for natural electrolyte mixes such as LMNT.
🫛Support Your Local Farmer's Market
Taking a weekly trip to your local farmer's market is a great way to support not only your community, but your gut health as well!
Getting enough fiber each day is essential for a healthy microbiome, since it acts as the “fuel” that the good bacteria need to grow and survive.
Research shows that diets that lack fiber (<15 grams per day) are associated with gut dysbiosis, leaky gut, inflammation, and increased risk of disease. In contrast, high fiber diets (30 grams or more per day) are associated with increased gut diversity, lower inflammation, lower body weight, and better blood glucose and cholesterol levels.
Stock up on the many different types of produce that are available throughout the summer which are full of fiber and antioxidants to reduce inflammation and promote a healthy microbiome.
🫐Pick Berries
Berries are a great source of prebiotic fiber to support gut health, and are also rich in antioxidants that reduce inflammation.
Anthocyanins are the primary type of antioxidant found in blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, that have powerful brain-protective properties.
Research shows that anthocyanins protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease by destroying free radicals, reducing neuro-inflammation, and even clearing amyloid plaques from the brain, which are a marker of Alzheimer's disease.
Take advantage of the gut and brain promoting properties of berries this summer by picking (or buying) fresh local berries!
🍹Sip on Gut-Healthy Summer Drinks
Try adding kombucha to your summer mocktails or cocktails for a dose of probiotics!
Kombucha is a fermented tea that naturally provides probiotics to support your microbiome.
Make sure to look for kombucha that has 0 grams of added sugar, since many brands are loaded with sugar (up to 18 grams of added sugar per bottle).
My favorite is Synergy kombucha which has no added sugars and 9 billion CFU's of probiotics.
Here are a few kombucha mocktail and cocktail recipes to try:
Blackberry mocktail mule made with ginger kombucha, lime juice, and and blackberry jam (or sub mashed blackberries to reduce the sugar)
5 kombucha mocktail recipes including lavender lemon, mango orange, watermelon lime, orange ginger, and strawberry guava
3 kombucha cocktails including kombucha mule, gin Campari kombucha, and whiskey mint kombucha
🍦Make Probiotic Pops or Ice Cream
Incorporating yogurt or kefir into homemade popsicles or ice cream is a great way to enjoy a cool summer treat that also has probiotics for gut health.
Here are a few ideas for inspiration:
There are plenty of dairy-free yogurts and kefirs available in most grocery stores as well, so any recipe that calls for regular yogurt or kefir can be substituted for a dairy-free version.
🏖️Carve Out Time For Fun & Relaxation
Stress is a major contributor to gut dysbiosis, leaky gut, and inflammation, so make it a priority to carve out more time for fun this summer!
Laughing, connecting with others, and relaxing all regulate the parasympathetic nervous system and reduce inflammatory markers which is key to a healthy microbiome.
Whether that's going to the beach, reading a book in the sun on your patio, going to the fair or a summer festival, or grilling out with family or friends, schedule time for fun and relaxation into your calendar.
Here's to a healthy and fun-filled summer!
Sources:
Red Dye 40: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10502305/
Artificial sweeteners: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13793
Anthocyanins: https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=129903
Fiber on gut health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9787832/, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8153313/