How to maintain a healthy gut.

Your diet plays a huge part in promoting and maintaining the health of this vital organ.

Foods which help to restore intestinal health:

• The famous yogurt, a probiotic known globally for providing healthy gut bacteria.
• Cultured soy yogurt for the lactose intolerant, which is also fortified with vitamin D and calcium to give the same benefit as dairy yogurt.
• Sourdough bread.
• Fermenting products such as pickles, and kefir, which come with built-in probiotics and beneficial bacteria.
• Sauerkraut, which is fermented cabbage, may not be the tastiest vegetable around, but is loaded with beneficial gut bacteria.
• Researchers at the Louisiana State University recently found that dark chocolate is fermented in the stomach into anti-inflammatory compounds which are beneficial to both the gut, and the heart.    
• Bananas, lentils and asparagus are also powerful probiotics.
• Lean meat and skinless chicken are excellent as well.
• One of the best ways to maintain gut health is to combine a good-quality probiotic supplement with your diet, and take it on a daily basis.

Foods to avoid:

• All sugars and refined foods made from flour, including processed foods.
• High fat meats and fried food, even the popular French fries!
• Chilli peppers, which give chronic heartburn and negatively affect IBS.
• Alcohol, which is full of sugar and high in acid.
• Caffeine rich drinks like tea and coffee, sodas and energy drinks. Opt for decaff if you do want to have coffee – and no sugar of course!
• The lactose intolerant folk must also avoid full-fat dairy products which will aggravate the bowel and cause inflammation.

 
Manage your stress.
If your lifestyle is stressful, take some steps to manage and reduce your stress for your gut’s sake! Stress itself cannot cause stomach ulcers or chronic bowel disease, but if you are stressed by events in your life, it can cause the colon to react in a way which may at times give you diarrhea or constipation.

Try and handle your stress in a responsible way, and never pig out on junk foods to make yourself feel better. It can negatively affect other digestive diseases and make everything in the gut worse.
 
Conclusion.
You can cure yourself of many ailments which affect your daily life. The power of probiotics, and a healthy diet with gut-healing foods can make this possible and restore your health from the inside out. :)