Best Foods for Gut Health and Weight Loss [Functional Medicine Diet Guide]
Gut health is vital to a healthy mind, body, and spirit. Your gut is far more than just the center of digestion; there are over 20 active hormones made and found within your gastrointestinal tract that influence your mood, energy levels, metabolism, and much more.
The regulatory power of hormones is something that many people often overlook when exploring their weight loss options. Functional medicine prioritizes understanding the gut-brain balance and striking a harmonious balance to support a healthy weight and lifestyle.
A 2021 study in mSystems journal by the American Society for Microbiology found that baseline gut health can directly influence a person’s ability to lose weight. While the study found those born with certain genes had a greater ability to grow good gut bacteria at a faster rate, that doesn’t mean people without those genes are at a loss.
You can support your weight loss efforts by eating a gut-healthy diet. Consuming foods that are rich in gut-nourishing bacteria can promote a faster metabolism, higher energy levels, and a better mood.
What is Gut Health and Why Does it Matter So Much?
Gut health refers to the balance between good and bad bacteria in your gut. A lack of beneficial bacteria can lead to a variety of uncomfortable and unpleasant symptoms.
Signs of poor gut health include:
High stress levels that fuel inflammation
Difficulty falling or staying asleep at night
Upset stomach; symptoms include bloating, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea
Unanticipated weight gain or loss despite a consistent diet
Chronic fatigue that makes you always feel tired and unmotivated
Skin conditions like acne and psoriasis
Getting sick more frequently due to a weakened immune system
All of these signs can point to a need for a diet reboot that refreshes your gut health and gives your body a supportive boost of probiotics. These are good bacteria that help improve the communication between your body’s other microorganisms.
These microorganisms, called microbes, exist in the trillions throughout your body. There are over 10,000 species in your body that help regulate key functions, like digestion, fat storage, and nutrient absorption.
Gut health is important to ensure your body can function properly, maintain a healthy metabolism, and help you avoid all the negative side effects of poor gut health.
While weight loss interventions, such as diet and exercise, are still the most important when it comes to lowering your body mass index (BMI), it’s equally important to look at your gut health and see how what you’re eating may be interacting with the rest of your body.
The old adage, “You are what you eat,” isn’t entirely true. A better phrasing would be, “You feel what you eat.” Diets high in processed ingredients, sugar, fat, and sodium are more likely to have negative results on your weight, mood, and energy levels.
Likewise, a diet that’s rich in fiber, gut-nourishing bacteria, and fermented foods can lead to a healthier weight, stable metabolism, and more consistent energy levels throughout the day.
The impact of diet on the mind and body is so significant that nutrition has begun being used to treat depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders.
Losing Weight With a Healthy Gut Microbiome
Gut health can be achieved through a natural diet, but probiotic supplements can also be beneficial weight loss interventions. Functional medicine doctors may prescribe such supplements to help restore a healthy gut biome and introduce a high volume of good bacteria into your system.
Gut microbiota have a strong influence on your metabolism; they impact how your body breaks down food, which ultimately influences how it is absorbed, stored, and excreted. Notably, the gut microbiome houses metabolites, tiny molecules that convert into secondary metabolites that perform specialized digestive tasks.
Because these metabolites are highly responsive to what you eat, dietary interventions can be a highly effective way to alter your gut microbiome and aid weight loss.
Inflammation and Its Influence on Weight Gain
Poor gut health leads to chronic inflammation, the presence of white blood cells in tissues to protect against a virus or bacteria. While inflammation is an essential and important process, chronic inflammation has many negative side effects.
Potential complications of chronic inflammation include persistent fatigue, body pains and muscle aches, depression, anxiety, mood swings, gastrointestinal problems, and weight changes.
Inflammation can contribute to weight gain by impacting your body’s ability to process insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas that regulates your blood glucose (sugar) levels.
High inflammation means less insulin and higher blood sugar levels. In turn, the body stores more fat in the liver, which further worsens the insulin resistance. The cycle can repeat indefinitely, leading to both additional weight gain and more severe inflammation.
The Gut-Brain Axis and Appetite Regulation
Those with chronic inflammation may also have a more difficult time feeling full and regulating their appetite. This is caused by leptin resistance. Leptin is an appetite-influencing hormone that tells your body when to eat and when to stop.This hormone is made in the white adipose (fat) tissue around your internal organs.
The gut-brain axis is a communication channel that sends signals to your brain and back. It can tell your body when to produce hormones, how much to make, how to process food, when to burn fat, and much more.
Those with leptin resistance due to inflammation may struggle to feel full. Your body may send hunger signals even when it doesn’t need food, causing you to eat more and gain more weight.
At the same time, leptin resistance triggers a slower metabolism, which causes your body to store and retain weight rather than convert it into energy.
Eating a gut-healthy diet can help combat inflammation, restore hormonal balance, and support you on your weight loss journey.
Foods That Can Improve Gut Health
Find Major Digestive Improvement with Fiber
Fibrous foods like broccoli, chickpeas, lentils, and whole grains promote good digestion and support a strong gut biome. Fiber also acts as fuel for probiotics, allowing them to perform their job better, multiply, and thrive.
Eating more fiber is a great way to start improving gut health and altering your diet. If you currently eat a diet that’s high in fat, swap it out with fiber to feel fuller and improve your gut function.
Dietary fiber can also improve stool, which reduces the likelihood of constipation. Being able to pass waste regularly improves your metabolism and allows your body to digest food more easily.
By aiding better digestion, fiber can also help you lose weight and, in turn, lower inflammation.
How does fiber improve gut health and aid weight loss?
Simply put, fiber helps you stay fuller for longer. Many high-processed diets are filled with “empty” calories, meaning they don’t have any nutrients your body needs to thrive. Someone can eat thousands of calories a day and still have nutrient deficiencies; in fact, this is often the case with people struggling with obesity.
High-processed diets that are based on carbohydrates, oils, and sugars, lack the fiber and vitamins your body needs to have a healthy metabolism and immune function.
A high-fiber diet can be especially helpful at losing belly fat by slowing the rate of sugar absorption into your bloodstream.
When it comes to fiber, natural food is always the best source. Supplements may offer isolated fiber, but they aren’t combined with the same supporting minerals and vitamins as whole foods.
Fiber is also an important source of prebiotics — probiotics that haven’t fermented yet.
When considering a weight loss diet, prebiotics are important because they serve as a food source for probiotics.
Probiotic Foods: Introducing Good Bacteria
Probiotics start off as prebiotics, then undergo a fermentation process that turns them into good bacteria. But you don’t always have to wait for this to occur — you can introduce some probiotics ready for action with a handful of foods.
Fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, miso, tempeh, and kombucha are all great sources of probiotics. The best part is that you can find fermented foods for any flavor palate, making it easy to incorporate great-tasting ingredients into your diet.
Top probiotic foods to incorporate into your diet
If you’re looking to get more probiotics into your everyday diet, these are the top 10 best foods to try.
Kimchi: A popular Korean side dish made from fermented cabbage, kimchi is not only tangy and delicious but a great source of probiotics. You can enjoy it as a solo side dish or incorporate it into other dishes, like kimchi rice.
Tempeh: An alternative to tofu, tempeh comes from fermented soybeans and is commonly used as a protein in plant-based recipes.
Greek yogurt: Delicious, versatile, and accessible, pure, unsweetened Greek yogurt is a great base for diet-friendly salad dressings, dips, and bowls. It delivers a good dose of probiotics with each serving, and you easily enjoy it daily.
Sauerkraut: This zesty German dish made from cabbage is not just great for topping hot dogs; it can be enjoyed as a side dish, on a sandwich, or even in a salad.
Kombucha: This popular drink from fermented tea is available in a wide variety of flavors and carries a strong biome of probiotics that can support gut health. Just be mindful of added sugars in some brands.
Sourdough bread: Sourdough bread is the best bread for weight loss because it is hearty, filling, and includes probiotics from yeast.
Miso: A Japanese paste from fermented soybeans, miso is most commonly used in soups, but it can be incorporated into sauces, salad dressings, and other dishes as well.
Pickles: Fermented cucumbers are one of the most well-known and easy-to-find sources of probiotics. They are also low in calories and a good source of vitamin K. Be mindful of sodium levels, however.
Olives: Italian olives are a good source of probiotics, and green ones may be able to help reduce inflammation, as found in a 2016 pilot study.
Green peas: Peas are a source of the probiotic Leuconostoc mesenteroides, which can improve metabolic function.
Prebiotic Foods: Fueling Your Gut Microbiota
As we mentioned earlier, prebiotics are a great way of promoting good gut health by providing nutrition for probiotics. After they undergo the fermentation process, prebiotics evolve into probiotics. When you already have probiotics in your gut, prebiotics help the good bacteria flourish.
Incorporating prebiotic foods into your meals
To give your gut a health boost, these top 10 prebiotic-rich foods are great choices. You’ll find that most prebiotic foods serve as additives to a recipe rather than making up a whole meal themselves.
Garlic: Not only is it a tasty cooking ingredient, but garlic can also help you get a good dose of prebiotics. Toss a few cloves into your next meal!
Dandelion greens: These lesser known greens are as tasty as they are nourishing. They are rich in fiber and also rich in antioxidants that help reduce inflammation
Bananas: Bananas are rich in potassium, fiber, and resistant scratch, which has prebiotic effects in the GI tract.
Oats: Classic oats are a good dietary staple that offer prebiotic perks through beta-glucan fiber.
Apples: Apples are rich in pectin, a prebiotic-rich, soluble fiber that can help reduce inflammation and promote good gut bacteria.
Cocoa powder: Natural, unsweetened cocoa powder is easy to add to many dishes, and it contains anti-inflammatory properties. It can help grow healthy gut bacteria while reducing the quantity of harmful bacteria. Just be mindful of its high sugar content.
Yacon root: Yacon root is similar to a sweet potato, and it contains high concentrations of phenolic compounds, which may be a good source of antioxidants. It also is rich in inulin fiber and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), which promote good gut health.
Seaweed: Seaweed makes a tasty, low-calorie, low-fat snack and has a high quantity of fiber that encourages healthy gut microbiota.
Corn: Whole-grain corn can be enjoyed on or off the cob, incorporated into salads, and serve as a good source of soluble prebiotic fiber.
Onion: Raw or cooked, onions are an excellent source of prebiotics, antioxidants, and secondary metabolites called flavonoids.
Polyphenols: Promoting a Diverse Gut Microbiota
While the high volume of probiotics is essential to a healthy gut and weight loss, diversity is equally important. One of the best ways to ensure your body has enough microbiota diversity is by consuming enough polyphenols.
Plants produce special compounds called polyphenols that act as natural antioxidants. Examples include flavonoids, phenolic acid, or polyphenolic amides.
Which foods are high in polyphenols?
Food made from plants is naturally going to contain polyphenols, though some have higher quantities than others. The foods highest in polyphenols include:
Berries: Blackberries, elderberries, black currants, strawberries, and raspberries are all great sources of polyphenols.
Cocoa powder: 100 grams of cacao powder contains 3,448 mg of polyphenols, and dark chocolate contains more than milk.
Black and green teas: Black tea and green tea both contain polyphenols, so you can enjoy incorporating them into your diet as part of your weight loss strategy. Green tea is also rich in antioxidants, which help fight inflammation.
Coffee: Filter coffee can be both a good start to your day and excellent source of polyphenols; organic beans tend to boast higher content than non-organic roasts.
Flaxseed: A 100-gram serving of flaxseed meal contains 1,528 mg of polyphenols.
Nuts: Chestnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds are all good sources of polyphenols that you can enjoy alone or incorporate into cooking.
Beans: Nutrient-rich beans make excellent dietary staples, not only for their high-fiber content but their high volume of plant-compounds and other nutrients. Black and white beans are excellent choices for soups, salads, and even roasted and enjoyed on their own.
Soy: Tofu, tempeh, and miso also contain polyphenols, along with a good serving of fiber.
Lifestyle Tips That Improve Gut Health
Diet has and always will be one of the most important considerations when it comes to weight loss. Eating a balanced, nutritious diet will also play a role in cultivating beneficial gut bacteria.
Most importantly, you should consider which foods you eat and how they will have an impact on your microbiota. If a meal is heavily processed, laden in fats and oils, then it will likely cause more inflammation and provide little nutrition.
Foods rich in added sugar are also not a good choice for a healthy gut. While it is okay to indulge once and a while, it’s best to avoid any added and refined sugar, instead opting for fruit as a natural sugar source.
You should also consider three key areas when addressing your gut health: stress, movement, and sleep.
Stress and Its Impact on Gut Health
High stress levels result in excess cortisol hormone flooding your system. Too much cortisol triggers inflammation throughout the body. Lowering stress levels can promote healthy gut bacteria by reducing inflammation and preventing a leaky gut barrier.
Research has found that stress and depression can lead to a “leaky gut,” which fuels and exacerbates inflammation while reducing the presence of probiotics in your GI tract.
Take extra measures to lower sources of stress in your life. When it comes to dealing with unavoidable stressors, consider practicing mindfulness, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques.
The Importance of Regular Physical Activity
Exercise not only aids weight loss but supports a healthy metabolism and strong immune system. Scientific evidence suggests that routine physical activity can increase beneficial gut bacteria, leading to a healthier gut biome.
How Adequate Sleep Improves Gut Health
Sleep is a vital process that restores the body, promotes cellular regeneration, and heals tissue. Sleep is also an excellent de-stressor for the body, which can reduce the risk of a leaky gut, fortify the gut barrier, and prevent inflammation throughout the body.
Aim for six to eight hours of restorative sleep each night, and create a relaxing wind-down routine that makes it easier for you to get restorative sleep each night. Avoid relying on alcohol or medication, as these negatively impact your health.
Instead, practice deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation exercises to help you feel at ease before bed.
FAQs
Can Improving Gut Health Really Help with Weight Loss?
Yes, eating a gut-healthy diet can make it easier for the body to lose weight. A faster, healthier metabolism, combined with regular exercise, can help you lose weight faster and avoid weight gain in the future.
What Are the Signs of an Unhealthy Gut?
Signs of low healthy gut bacteria include gas, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, aches and pains, mood swings, depression, anxiety, high stress levels, and insomnia. If you notice any of these symptoms, consider reaching out to a functional medicine doctor and discussing the potential causes.
How Long Does It Take to See Results from Gut-Healthy Eating?
On average, it takes 2-3 weeks to notice changes in your body after switching to a gut-healthy diet. You should also ensure that your diet is supported by exercise to see maximum benefits.
Can Gut Health Impact Food Cravings?
Yes, poor gut health is linked to insulin resistance and leptin resistance, which can cause your body to feel hungrier. By improving your gut health for weight loss, you may be able to regulate your appetite better and avoid cravings that lead to overeating. Many patients also find that by addressing their gut health, they can resolve nutrient deficiencies that often cause them to crave high-fat, high-sugar foods.
Conclusion
Taking care of your digestive system is more than just getting rid of excess pounds — it’s a chance to learn more about yourself and how to properly nourish your body through healthy foods and lifestyle choices. If you would like to learn more about how a functional medicine approach can aid your weight loss journey, consider a Holistic Health Code membership!