3 Easy Diet Changes to Improve Your Health

Posted March 22, 2021

We are what we eat, so the saying goes. But in fact, research shows that dietary habits influence our risk for chronic health conditions and disease. One of the diseases that has been proven to be linked to diet is colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer has been on the rise for the past 30 years, and rates have more than doubled among young adults under age 50. Numerous factors can raise an individual’s risk of colorectal cancer, but experts are uncertain what is causing this increase in younger adults. Many theories now focus on the diverse bacteria that lives in our digestive tract.

Let’s talk about your gut. No, not the extra fat you may carry around your belly, we mean the complex digestive system that processes what you eat and drink every day. Your gut bacteria, also known as your microbiome, is like a forest – full of diverse species that can be helped or hindered by the foods and beverages you consume.

Unfortunately, the typical American diet is high in processed or red meat, fat and added sugars and low in fruits and vegetables. Eating this way promotes the growth of harmful bacteria in your gut. Alternatively, a diet high in vegetables, fiber and fish can promote the growth of beneficial bacteria and create a healthy environment in your gut.

How to Improve Your Gut Health

Start small. Here are three ways to boost healthy bacteria in your microbiome:

1. Eat Less Sugar

Some families of “bad” bacteria thrive on sugar in your diet. Natural sugars are only found in fruit or milk and are easily identified on nutrition labels. If the product has no fruit or milk products listed in the ingredients, all of the sugars in the food are from added sugars.

Pro Tip: Review nutrition labels before purchasing a food and avoid products with five grams or more of added sugars. Did you know one 12-ounce can of soda contains almost 10 teaspoons of sugar? 

2. Limit Red and Processed Meat

Red meat refers to pork, lamb, venison, beef and goat. Processed meat is animal protein that has been preserved by smoking, curing, salting or adding preservatives. Both processed and red meat contribute to the growth of harmful bacteria in your gut.

Pro Tip: Leave the meat out of one meal per week then gradually leave meat out of one meal per day. You can also swap your red meat for a lean “white” protein like chicken, turkey, shellfish, fish or rabbit, or a vegetarian protein like beans or nuts.

3. Add Vegetable Fiber

Most Americans do not eat enough vegetables or the fiber that comes with them. Vegetable fiber helps remove waste products from our gut that can promote harmful microbiome bacterial growth.

Pro Tip: Try vegetables in different colors, which provide nutrients that may protect gut health. Peppers and other vegetables can come in yellow, orange, green, red and purple!

Stephanie Gall, DCN, RD, CD, is the Clinical Nutrition Manager at the University of Vermont Medical Center

Get Started with Gut-Healthy Recipes

Recipes from: R. Leah Pryor, Executive Chef, University of Vermont Medical Center