Whole nutrient dense foods are important not only for our overall health and wellbeing, but they also have a direct link to our gut health as well. Eating processed foods can cause inflammation in our gut and alter our gut microbiome. This can lead to digestion issues such as constipation, bloating, and discomfort. You might be wondering why having a healthy gut and good digestion is so important? “Gut health also affects your mental health, weight, blood sugar, and liver,” (Mikstas, 2022). When we are eating whole nutritious foods, we not only are promoting a healthy digestive tract and are physically feeling our best, but we are also optimizing the performance of other organs and functions within our bodies.
Not only is eating a nutrient dense diet important but eating a variety of foods is just as important. Eating a well–balanced macronutrient and micronutrient dense diet will allow our bodies to absorb more nutrients leading to better health. “In contrast, a more diverse gut microbiome was tied to healthy dietary patterns (high–fiber vegetables like spinach and broccoli, nuts, and healthy animal foods such as fish and eggs) and was linked to measurements tied to lower risk of certain chronic diseases,” (Anderson–Haynes, 2021). Eating a variety of whole foods exactly as our ancestors did (in their natural unprocessed form) allows the body to absorb as much nutrients as possible. Heating, drying, and processing foods can cause vitamins and minerals of foods to be destroyed. “Beyond the well–known effects of dietary fiber on gut health, other nutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and small compounds such as dietary polyphenols (with their antioxidant properties) can also act on the gut microbiota. In other words, the food you eat is the main fuel for your gut microbes,” (“Diet & Gut microbiota,” 2022). Not only is food fuel, but we need to make sure we’re eating whole nutrient dense foods because we are what we eat.
For many, eating whole nutritious foods is only half the challenge. Creating sustainable lifestyle changes can be difficult and overwhelming. It is the job of the Nutrition Therapy Practitioner to help guide their clients to recommendations using a decision sharing approach. Many are unaware of the lifestyle changes that can help support gut health. “Roughly half of young adults feels they’re too rushed in the morning to eat a healthy breakfast, and about a third find it hard to find the time to sit down and eat a meal (Escoto, Laska, Larson, Neumark–Sztainer, & Hannan, 2012). Not thoroughly chewing our food can lead to poor digestion due to lack of digestive enzymes being released. Although sitting down to eat and properly chewing our food may seem simple, many do not know how impactful these small things are for our guts. As an NTP, guiding those to make healthier choices and transition into a whole nutrient dense food diet is so important. NTPs must educate our communities on the importance of limiting sugar, emulsifiers, fillers, and processed foods in general to help promote optimal gut health which in return will support total homeostasis within the body.
