Save Your Gut! My favorite gut-healthy food swaps (and a big reason why you should!)

By Nancy Hall | December 1, 2021

You probably know that ultra-processed foods, sometimes known as “junk,” “fast,” or “convenience” foods, are not healthy foods. Consuming too much of these kinds of foods can increase your risks for cancer and heart disease, etc. A new study shows that they can lead to inflammatory bowel disease as well.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammation of the intestines. IBD includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Estimates indicate that over 3 million Americans (1.3% of the population) have IBD. People who get IBD seem to be genetically susceptible to it; researchers believe that these people’s immune systems get activated by triggers such as food sensitivities, stress, and harmful bacteria like E. Coli. That can cause inflammation in their gut. 

More and more research proves how much your food choices impact your gut health. There is a big link between what you eat and the health of your digestive system. And that’s because a big part of your immune system lives in and around your gut.

A 2021 study published in the British Medical Journal looked deeper into these links between the foods people eat and their risk for IBD. The researchers found that the more ultra-processed foods people ate, the more likely they were to get diagnosed with IBD over time. Their definition of ultra-processed foods included packaged foods and beverages such as processed meat, cold cereal, sauces, soft drinks, candy, chocolate, puddings, potato chips, ice cream, pastries, cookies, and fruit drinks.

This was a “prospective cohort study” where people were contacted several times over about 10 years. They were periodically asked what they ate and if they were diagnosed with IBD. In this particular study, there were 116,087 adults aged 35-70 years old across 21 countries. Each participant completed a questionnaire at least once every three years.

The results showed that eating five or more servings of ultra-processed foods each day almost doubled the risk of eventually getting diagnosed with IBD compared to someone who eats no more than one serving per day. That’s right, the more junk foods you eat, the more likely you are to have digestive problems.

The researchers wanted to look even deeper to see if age played a role. They split their results into two groups: those under 50 years old and those over 50 years old. The researchers did not find a significant difference between the age groups. This shows that regardless of age, the more ultra-processed food consumed the higher the risk of IBD. 

“Our findings support the hypothesis that intake of ultra-processed foods could be an environmental factor that increases the risk of IBD,” said the study authors.

This study didn’t discern exactly what it was about ultra-processed foods that increased the risk of IBD. Was it a specific process or ingredient? More research is needed to sort that out. The effect of high levels of ultra-processed foods on the gut over time may be partly due to the food’s impact on the friendly gut microbes that live there. Regardless of the particular reasons why, the link is clear: The more ultra-processed foods that you consume—regardless of your age—the higher your risk for eventually being diagnosed with IBD.

What can you do with the information found in this new study?/

Try reducing the number of servings of convenience foods you eat each day—especially if you’re at risk of IBD. For example, you can try these easy swaps of ultra-processed foods for minimally-processed foods:

  • Instead of soda pop or fruit drinks, try diluting real juice or adding fruit to your water
  • Instead of sugary desserts and refined sweetened food, try fruit or my delicious No-Bake Carrot Cake Power Bites (recipe below)
  • Instead of packaged cold cereal, try homemade oatmeal or chia pudding

No Bake Carrot Cake Power Bites

Carrot Cake Power Bites recipeDownload

Yield: 1 serving

This sweet dish contains the Detox Superfood cinnamon! This spice supports digestion, eases nausea, and stimulates circulation. It is antiviral and antifungal, and it balances blood sugar.

Ingredients

  • 1 large carrot
  • 2 tablespoons almond meal (ground raw almonds)
  • ¼ cup unsweetened desiccated coconut, sulfite free
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • Pinch sea salt
  • 2 pitted Medjool dates

Instructions

  1. Using the finer side of the grater, grate the carrot.
  2. When done, squeeze out the excess liquid from the grated carrot. You should have about ¼ cup of grated carrots.
  3. Put the almond meal, coconut, spices, and salt in a high speed blender or food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds.
  4. Next, add the carrots and dates to the food processor or blender, and mix until everything has blended.
  5. Using a cupcake tin lined with parchment baking cups or parchment paper, place about 2 to 3 tablespoons of mixture in each cupcake hole and press down.
  6. Place in the freezer overnight.
  7. Take each Power Bite out of the freezer at least 15 minutes before you plan on eating it.

Enjoy! 

Reference:

Narula, N., Wong, E., Dehghan, M., Mente, A., Rangarajan, S., Lanas, F., Lopez-Jaramillo, P., Rohatgi, P., Lakshmi, P., Varma, R. P., Orlandini, A., Avezum, A., Wielgosz, A., Poirier, P., Almadi, M. A., Altuntas, Y., Ng, K. K., Chifamba, J., Yeates, K., Puoane, T., … Yusuf, S. (2021). Association of ultra-processed food intake with risk of inflammatory bowel disease: prospective cohort study. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 374, n1554. 

Worried about your gut? Nourish it and more in my Midlife to Great Life 12 week program. Curious? Schedule a free consultation to discuss your health needs. Or, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at info@nancyleehall.com.

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