7 Foods to Eat for Better Gut, Skin + Metabolic Health

Why am I bloated? What’s causing my acne? Why can’t I lose weight?

If you’ve ever found yourself googling any of the above, chances are your gut isn’t working well, which likely comes down to three key problems — the root cause of nearly every gut issue.

We call them “The 3 Gut Health Problems.”

1. Leaky gut: when your gut becomes damaged, toxins leak into your blood and mess up your immune system.

2. Dysbiosis: when the 70 trillion microbes (your gut microbiome) in your gut stop supporting health and start supporting disease.

3. Poor gut function: when your gut doesn’t work well enough to digest food or clean itself properly and stay in good working order.

Factors of modern living—diet, certain medications, alcohol, exposure to household and agricultural chemicals, and chronic stress — makes it easy for these three issues to take hold — and in doing so, they can quietly rob us of the vibrant health that should be our birthright.

So what can you do about it?

Food is one of the powerful tools available to you to help fight against these problems and reclaim gut health.

The 7 foods on our “hit list” are foods that support your fight against “The 3 Gut Health Problems.”

You’ll probably not like, or have access to some of the foods on our list. Don’t worry – if you ask  these 3 questions, there’s a good chance you’ll be making a great choice for your health. Ask your food:

• Where are you from?  [Are you local? Do I even know where you’re from? Do I even know how you’ve been made/processed?]
  
  
• What do you have in you?  [What ingredients do you have? Do I even know what’s in what I am about to eat?]

• What will you do to me? [If I eat this food, will it bloat me? Is it difficult for my gut to digest? Is it “good” for me? Does it have a lot of vitamins + minerals? Do I trust the source?]

These foods are typically easy to digest, low in fermentable fibres (FODMAPs), and foods that give the most (either with nutrients or energy), and take the least (low in digestive inhibitors, hormone disruptors or gut damaging additives).

STAPLES

1. Collagen, gelatin, bone broth
2. Ripe fruit, especially tropical fruit (i.e. papaya, melon, oranges, berries, cherries, kiwi)
3. Shellfish (like Oysters) for zinc [or use this to up your zinc intake]
4. Organ meats like beef liver [use this if you can’t stand the taste]
5. Eggs, egg whites
6. Coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil
7. Fish and meat for protein and nutrients

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

• Avocado
• Organic coffee, tea [can be useful for supporting energy production]
• Fermented dairy (i.e. kefir - start slow. Read this article to find out if you should give this one a miss for now)

These foods tend to be inflammatory, or irritating to the gut lining, especially in sensitive individuals. It’s best to minimise them.

• Seed/vegetable oils: canola, soybean, sunflower, grapeseed, etc
• Ultra-processed foods (foods with additives, gums, emulsifiers)
• Alcohol, especially beer and wine
• Baked goods and gluten-containing foods
• Grains/wheat (best to minimise in the early days of your gut healing journey).

Good question!

There are foods which some people do fine with these, others find them problematic.

The following foods can be included in a balanced diet, but may require preparation, moderation, or individual tolerance testing—watch for symptoms like bloating or fatigue.

• Cooked onions/garlic (Low FODMAP amounts): small, well-cooked portions only
• Ripe apples or pears: peeled, stewed (moderate FODMAP)
• Sourdough bread: true long-fermented versions only
• Oats and grains: soaked and well-cooked
• Beans and legumes: sprouted or pressure-cooked only in small amounts
• Cruciferous vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli (well-cooked and in moderation)
• Dark chocolate: small quantities
• Other vegetables (eat well-cooked only for now).

Keeping things simple, repeatable, and realistic is important.

You have a lot of years of eating left, and practicing a strategy that is sustainable is better than committing to something extreme for a short time.

The good news is making meals that are good for your gut can be easy, and may require less ingredients, time and preparation than you expect.

A great gut health meal can consist of only 3 or 4 ingredients, especially when you use high-quality ingredients.

Add a good source of protein and a good-quality fat. If you’re planning on being active, add additional carbs, and look for opportunities to introduce fibre and polyphenols.

A meal should make you feel full, warm, and good after eating. It should fill you up enough that you can get to your next meal without snacking.

If you are snacking or eating late at night, you’re not eating enough at meal times.