Derval O'Rourke: Gut health is important — here's how to improve yours

Poor gut health can be linked to a lack of variety in foods, increased processed foods, and stressors in daily life

Derval O'Rourke: The food that we eat is one of the major things that has an impact on our gut health.

Over the past couple of years there has been a surge in the discussion regarding gut health. There are new reports regularly coming out about how important our gut is for helping to regulate not only digestion, but how much it affects overall health and wellness.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve been interested in learning more about my gut health and how a healthy gut can aid in feeling well. This week I will be chatting about gut health, as well as sharing a delicious Red Lentil Dahl recipe.

What is Gut Health?

Gut health refers to your gut microbiome composed of millions of different bacteria, fungi and microbes that help your body regulate your immune function, appetite, digestion and the processing of nutrients which all work together to improve your overall health, energy levels and mental faculties.

While research is still ongoing in this area, there are a variety of factors that we know impact gut health such as your diet, stress levels, alcohol consumption, lack of prebiotics in the diet, lack of regular physical activity, smoking etc.

With this in mind, it’s important to note that while there are general things that everyone can incorporate into their daily lives to help maintain gut health, a lot of this is individual. The tricky thing about gut health is that everyone’s bodies are different and react differently to different stimuli.

There have been studies which show that even identical twins, who have the same DNA, react differently to the exact same foods.

A lot of the dietary factors that impact gut health have been attributed to a lack of variety in foods, increased processed foods, and stressors in daily life.

Food and Gut Health

The food that we eat is one of the major things that has an impact on our gut health.

Foods that will help your gut health include: whole, plant-based foods (we should be trying to eat a big variety of plants each week), fibre-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and pulses and fermented foods. We should also be trying to eat less processed foods.

As Irish people, our natural diets are quite familiar with whole foods and fibre-rich foods, but the presence of fermented foods is not always completely familiar to us.

While there are some that we eat and enjoy in our diets such as yoghurt, apple cider vinegar and aged cheeses, there are a lot of other great fermented foods that offer our bodies additional beneficial bacteria to aid in the maintenance of our gut health. These include: miso (originally a Japanese and Chinese fermented soybean paste that is full of gut-friendly bacteria, a great accompaniment to fish and vegetables), kombucha (a fizzy, fermented tea and bacterial culture drink with essential minerals and vitamins, and a delicious alternative to soft drinks) and kefir (a fermented drink containing live yeasts and bacterias, a great option with oats or smoothies and which can be made from milk or water).

There is no one rule that fixes everything in terms of gut health. Finding an approach that works well for you may take some trial and error, and this might be something that you need to vary.

The important thing is to take a look at your diet and see if you can make changes to help your gut. It is always a good idea to talk to a doctor or nutritionist about how best to look after yourself. If you are interested in reading more about this topic, Eat Yourself Healthy by Dr Megan Rossi is an interesting resource.

Wellness Tip: Try to incorporate some new foods into your diet. This could be trying a vegetable you haven’t in a while, or trying a new fermented food. Remember - variety is the key.

Fitness Tip: Make sure you are getting enough quality sleep. Sleep deprivation can really impact your athletic performance and mental performance too.

Red Lentil Dahl

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

A delicious and healthy recipe that can be loaded with whatever vegetables you have on hand to increase the nutritional value

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• ½ onion, finely diced

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1 thumb size piece of ginger , grated

• 1 medium red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

• 3 tsp cumin

• 1 tbsp medium curry powder

• 200g red lentils washed and drained

• Juice of 2 limes

• 1 tin chopped tomatoes

• 500ml boiling water

• Bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Method

1. In a large pot melt the coconut oil.

2. Add the onions and sweat off gently on a low heat for about five minutes.

3. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli, cumin and curry powder and cook for roughly another two minutes.

4. Stir in your lentils, lime juice and chopped tomatoes.

5. Add the water and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer for another 15- 20 minutes, adding more water if necessary.

6. Serve topped with heaps of fresh coriander and a good dollop of natural yoghurt!