How Does What You Eat Maintain Digestive Health? 

“You are what you eat” isn’t 100% true, but what you eat does impact your digestive health. So how does what you eat maintain digestive health? Your body needs a variety of macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber and water) as well as micronutrients (such as vitamins and minerals), and each one has different roles in the body and the digestive system. 

For your digestive happiness, focus on fiber! Found only in plants, fiber has zero calories yet it’s filling. Fiber also promotes regularity (normal, healthy and comfortable bowel movements).* Adding bulk and volume to stool with insoluble fiber promotes ease in the bathroom. Diets high in certain fibers can promote bowel regularity and other aspects of GI health.* 

If you’re not getting enough fiber, you’re not the only one! Falling short is so common that the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans labeled fiber as a “nutrient of concern” – and not for the first time. With 95% of people not getting enough each day, experts call this the “fiber gap.” 

Types of fiber

The two most common ones are soluble and insoluble. Additionally, prebiotic fiber delivers the food that probiotics need to maintain a healthy balance of beneficial flora in the gut.* This helps give your digestion a boost.*

Soluble fiber

  • dissolves in water 
  • forms a gellike barrier in the gut lining
  • helps the body absorb nutrients*
  • Found in: psyllium husk, oats, legumes (lentils and beans), green vegetables and some fruits.

Insoluble fiber

  • helps bulk up your stool, to speed up digestion (also called “roughage”).*
  • Found in: nuts and seeds, leafy greens, whole grains, wheat bran and vegetables.

Fermentable fiber

  • indigestible carbohydrate easily metabolized by the microflora in the gut.
  • Prebiotics are fermentable fiber that feed our beneficial gut bacteria. Prebiotics help maintain digestive health and regularity by feeding probiotics.*
  • Found in: chicory root, pea fiber, green bananas, cooked and cooled rice and pasta, onions, garlic and supplements.