What exactly is meant by a 'healthy gut' - and how do I get one?
What exactly is meant by a 'healthy gut' - and how do I get one?
[Published on www.1news.co.nz 6th July 2025 and discussed live on the TVNZ Breakfast show on 7th July 2025]
Your digestive tract or 'gut' has a huge impact on your physical health and mood, and there are easy ways to look after it.
Google "gut health" and you will get endless recommendations of things to eat, drink and stir into your smoothies as well as promotions of supplements you 'should’ be taking to get things right on the inside. There is so much information, it can make your head spin.
With one in seven people in New Zealand struggling with irritable bowel syndrome, bowel cancer causing more deaths than breast and prostate cancer combined and an estimated 100,000 people likely to have coeliac disease in our country (many of whom aren't even aware of it), it's not surprising that the gut is a hot topic. The challenge is trying to figure out where to realistically start to improve things for yourself.
As tempting as it might be to think you can sort your bloating, get things "moving" again or keep yourself healthy on the inside by grabbing a bottle of probiotics or some apparently gut-healing powder online – that approach is unlikely to cut it.
Instead, learning what goes on inside your body can help you spot which things could be working better and what you need to do to get back on track.
What does a ‘healthy gut’ even mean?
Gut is short for gastrointestinal (GI) tract or digestive system which basically is the tube that starts at your mouth then heads to the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine (colon), rectum, and anus where the waste from the process of digestion is passed out.
Many things influence the health of your gut, with two of the key ones being how easily food (or what is originally food) passes through it, and what is living inside it.
When it comes to food passing through, ideally it's not too fast and not too slow (constipation). This allows your body to break down the food and absorb the nutrients it needs from it, then pass out what it doesn’t need.
As I wrote in my last column, while there is variation in the rate of digestion and the number of times you have a bowel movement in a day or week, it warrants further medical investigation if you're regularly going more than three times a day or less than three times a week.
An important thing to remember is that even if you get a lot of nutrients going into your gut, you're not necessarily absorbing them all. In conditions like coeliac disease, IBS and IBD (Chrones and Ulcerative Colitis) it can be harder to absorb the goodness from your food, which can put you at risk of deficiencies.
The all important microbiome
Beyond the flow, there's also an amazing ecosystem of trillions of tiny organisms like bacteria and other microbes that live in your gut collectively. This is your microbiome. It helps your body digest food, takes in some vitamins, and plays a vital role in your immune system.
While everyone's microbiome is different, a bit like our fingerprints, it's definitely an advantage to have a healthy, balanced microbiome because the approximate 2-4kg of organisms that live in the gut can impact your mood, your sleep, your weight, your brain health, your hormones and more.
5 ways to keep your gut healthy
1. Chew your food: This is such an under-appreciated free tool to help improve your digestion! We often see people at Mission Nutrition who complain about bloating, pain and discomfort, but they are commonly eating quickly, eating while they're walking around, giving their food a rough few chews before following up with another mouthful and hoping their body will do well with the rest.
You don’t have teeth beyond your mouth, so if you want to give your body the best chance of doing its magic with the food you give it, chew more! (Also, a side note, if you chew a lot of gum and often feel bloated, don’t be surprised. You will likely be swallowing air. And the sugar-free chewing gum contains xylitol which can cause extra gas and loose stools.)
2. Focus on fibre in food first: Fibre is primarily found in plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables and grains and plays a crucial role in keeping your digestive system healthy. It is fuel for your microbiome, supports the flow of digestion, and has the added benefit of reducing reabsorption of cholesterol too.
There are three types of fibre: soluble, insoluble and resistant starch, and variety is key! As adults, females need an estimated 28g of fibre daily, males 38g, but in New Zealand we currently average about 20g a day at best. Here's my guide to getting what you need. Be sure to keep yourself well hydrated too; that also really matters!
3. Be mindful of stress: I commonly see people with gut issues who think that food is the main cause, but when we dig deeper, it turns out that, while food is playing a part, stress is massively exacerbating their symptoms.
That’s because there is a continual bidirectional conversation going on between the gut and the brain via the ‘gut brain axis’, meaning how you feel can affect your gut (and vice versa). Ever been really nervous and needed to rush to the bathroom? That is an example of this in action.
Finding ways to manage the stress in your life can really help you optimise your gut and how it works. It could be that it's time to set stronger boundaries, review your commitment, say no, or ask for help. Optimising your breathing and incorporating more exercise that helps calm your nervous system like yoga, Pilates, or even just walking can also make a big difference.
4. Seek out biome boosters: Probiotic supplements have been all the rage for the last few years with the assumption that adding ‘good bacteria’ to your diet will tick the box of improving your gut health. But in reality, it isn't that simple.
I don’t recommend blanket daily use of probiotic supplements for most people, because the research just isn’t there to suggest it's worth the money.
Instead, I suggest targeted use of probiotics for specific circumstances. For example, if you've been on a course of antibiotics, following up with a course of probiotics can help re-populate the microbiome. Talk to your pharmacist about this when you pick up your script.
In general though, rather than swallowing pills, I recommend you spend your money on low-sugar, probiotic-rich foods which naturally introduce a range of healthy microbes into your digestive system. Sauerkraut (the chilled one, not room temperature as that won’t have any good bugs in it), kefir, kimchi and tempeh are good options to start with.
When it comes to kombucha, this is one occasion when a ‘no-added sugar’ or zero sugar option is a waste of time. Microbes need sugar to feed on, so if you buy a no-sugar, shelf-stable kombucha that is OK to be kept at room temperature, it might contain added probiotics but it won't have the original bacteria that naturally occur in fermented kombucha. Here's how to make your own. I've been making it for years and it's super easy when you get in the swing of it and can save you heaps of money.
5. Know your normal: While it is normal to have some variation in how things roll with your digestive system, it is important not to brush aside any ongoing change as it could be a sign of something more serious. Ongoing pain, blood in your number twos, frequently needing to go, or needing to push too hard for too long – these things need to be looked into.
Here’s a link to this article on 1news.co.nz: What exactly is meant by a 'healthy gut' - and how do I get one?
More info: If you would like personalised advice to help understand your symptoms or concerns around gut and digestive health, my team at Mission Nutrition would love to help.
