There has been a lot of research surfacing about bacteria and its importance in gut health. Not only does good gut bacteria assist your immune system in fighting disease and protecting us from “leaky gut” syndrome, but they also play the role of providing us with vitamins and nutrients that are essential to our health. So, how do we keep our gut flora flourishing? Check out our list of 6 types foods that can increase good gut bacteria.

1. Fermented Foods: While there are ample probiotic supplements on the market, probiotics are naturally present in fermented foods like kimchi, kefir, kombucha, miso, sauerkraut, and tempeh.
2. Fiber-Rich Foods: Foods rich in fiber include fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
3. Pre-biotic Rich Foods: Prebiotic foods also promote beneficial microbes in the gut and can be found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
4. Diverse foods: Consuming a diverse range of foods can lead to a diverse microbiota. The more species of bacteria you have, the greater number of health benefits they may be able to yield.
5. Polyphenol rich foods: If you needed another reason to drink red wine and eat dark chocolate today, here it is. Red wine, dark chocolate, almonds, onions, blueberries, grape skins, green tea, and broccoli are high in polyphenols which can be digested by gut bacteria.
6. Foods that do not contain artificial sweeteners: Artificial sweeteners are said to negatively affect gut bacteria, but aspartame in particular has been proven to be linked with higher rates of disease and negative changes in microbiota.