Avoiding certain types of food such as grains, dairy, coffee or going fully vegan won’t necessarily improve your gut health unless you have a known sensitivity or allergy (12,13).

On the contrary, eating a diversity of food, limiting processed foods and increasing fiber intake will help preserve and improve your gut health (12,13). Grains are often portrayed as your gut’s enemy, but they actually contain a lot of fiber which is beneficial for your gut bacteria (a.k.a your microbiome) (13).

Too much fast food, sugar, processed foods, and alcohol can disrupt your microbiome, just like stress and not enough sleep can (14,15).

Here are a few signs, you have a healthy gut (14,16):

• Your bowel movements are regular, easy, and not painful.
• Your stools are soft/firm and sausage-shaped (you can use the Bristol Stool Chart: 16).
• You are passing stools once every one to three days.

Don’t forget, being a little bloated once in a while is normal and shows that your good gut bacteria are doing their job (12).

Sources: https://tinyurl.com/SUFGutHealthMyth