Gut health has a direct impact on our overall well-being. There are numerous things to avoid to maintain the health of your digestive system. However, there are various ways we can take to improve the health of our gut. Some of these gut-friendly products are even food items, making them great news for days when you’re feeling a bit hungry during meals and want to eat something delicious.

Many reasons exist to avoid processed foods, including artificial components, preservatives, and high sodium levels. If you’re trying to eat healthier and eat healthier, you might be thinking about which nuts are best for digestion. They all offer great nutrition benefits, in some form or another. Many people generally ask what nuts are good for gut health.

Consuming a diet with many nuts, such as walnuts, has proven to decrease the incidence of the development of cancers such as colorectal. This is because walnuts are high in dietary fiber, which helps to feed the microbiome of your gut. Provide the beneficial bacteria that reside in your digestive system.

You will experience an increase in digestion support because the microbiota can help you digest foods that are difficult to digest. In exchange for feeding these beneficial microbes, they produce nutrients and vitamins which help to keep your gut well-nourished and functioning.

Nuts and Gut Health

Nuts are tasty little packs of unsaturated and healthy fats, fiber, protein, and many other nutrients. For instance, peanuts and pecans are rich in B vitamins. At the same time, almonds are rich in calcium and vitamin E. Walnuts also contain many folates and vitamin E. alpha-linoleic acid (ALA, an omega-3 fat). Also, all nuts contain magnesium.

“In only a handful of nuts, that’s about one ounce or a quarter of 1 cup; you’ll have a good amount for your dollar. They have anywhere between 3 and seven grams of protein for every ounce. They also contain one up to three grams of fiber and 160 to 200 calories,” claims Registered Dietitian Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Most Nuts Are Easiest to Digest 

They are more challenging to digest than most food items. Food allergies, gut health problems, and high fiber content are some reasons people have difficulty digesting. 

It’s impossible to know the exact nuts that are the easiest to digest. However, there are ways you can assist your body in this process. Doing overnight soaks in salt and water to lessen the phytic acids found in nuts could aid. Phytic acid is an inherent protection mechanism in humans. They are unable to digest. You can also bake nuts until they become crispy to achieve the same result. 

Nuts are a ‘food’ for gut bacteria 

Nuts are food (prebiotics) for microbes (probiotics), and nuts’ skins play a significant role as they are high in polyphenols and fiber, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Research conducted on almonds and pistachios has shown increases in the development of beneficial bacteria, leading to an increase in butyrate, the short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which is believed to help maintain the health of colon cells.

The Importance of Dried Fruit and Nuts in the Gut Microbiota

Nuts are food (prebiotics) to feed the microbes (probiotics). The skins of nuts are believed to play a crucial role as they are abundant in polyphenols and fiber with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Research conducted on almonds and Pistachios has revealed increased growth of beneficial bacteria, which increases butyrate, a short-chain fat (SCFA) believed to maintain colon cells’ health.

Nuts provide food for gut bacteria

Nuts and the skins of nuts are high in fiber – a prebiotic (1-3) that provides food to the probiotic bacteria within the gut. The study found those two handfuls (56g) of almonds and 10g of skins of the almond every daily for six weeks significantly enhanced the growth of beneficial gut bacteria strains. Similar outcomes have been observed for Pistachios.

Probiotics as protectors

The nuts may protect probiotic bacteria. The study in Food Microbiology found chestnut extract and chestnut flour assist different strains of lactobacilli in resisting stomach acid and the bile. This means they will more often make it into the large intestine in a healthy state to do their work.

Maintain your weight in a healthy range

It’s still early, but the effect that nuts play in safeguarding and encouraging healthy gut bacteria is yet another method nuts can help manage the weight of your body. It’s all about beneficial bacteria, the compounds they produce, and the effect the compounds play in weight control mechanisms.

Healthy bacteria consume fiber and convert it into short-chain fats (SCFAs). These compounds could be involved in weight loss by altering hormones produced in the gut, which create a feeling of fullness and make the body more vulnerable to insulin. High insulin levels can trigger weight increases. Certain bacteria can obtain more energy from fibers which can cause a weight increase.

Studies also show that people with a broader variety of intestinal bacteria and higher levels of particular bacteria tend to gain weight, have less insulin resistance, and lower blood cholesterol levels and inflammation.

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Keys to the Composition of Beneficial Gut Microbiota 

The balance between the host and microorganisms needs to be maintained to maintain the gut barrier and the immune system’s functions optimally and consequently stop the spread of diseases.

Food ingredients significantly influence the gut microbiota, which affects its composition in terms of its richness and variety. On one side, a high intake of animal protein and saturated fat sugar salt can stimulate the growth of pathogenic bacteria to the disadvantage of healthy bacteria resulting in possible changes in your intestinal barrier.

However, eating complex polysaccharides and plant protein may be associated with an increase in beneficial bacteria, thereby stimulating SCFA production. Additionally, omega-3 micronutrients, polyphenols, and polyphenols seem to have the potential to provide health benefits through control of the gut microbiota.

What Nuts Are Good for Gut Health?

Diet habits can significantly impact the composition of your gut microbiota. Therefore, ensure that you follow an optimum diet by eating the foods mentioned above and including dried and roasted nuts.

We are going to answer this common question what nuts are good for gut health.

All nuts are beneficial for gut health. 

However, walnut is on the most prominent list.

Walnuts: Best Nut for Gut Health

The benefits of walnuts for your gut health and overall health.

Walnuts have been proven to provide various health benefits ranging from strengthening our hearts to reducing the chance of getting cancer. New research has shed some light on the mechanisms behind these benefits.

In case you didn’t realize that walnuts are a gold mine with health-related benefits.

A rich source of antioxidants The delicious snack has been found to lower the chance of developing colon cancer, reduce cholesterol levels, help keep the heart from getting worse, and even help strengthen our brains.

But what is so powerful about walnuts fighting off the spread of disease? Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign determined to discover the health benefits beneath the walnut’s wrinkly shell. They published their research results in Trusted Source. their findings within the Journal of Nutrition.

The nuts are believed to be a highly nutritious source of fiber. The fiber in our diet helps increase the diversity and strength of the gut microbiome. However, the research findings are more than that, demonstrating how walnuts can benefit the health of our gastrointestinal and cardiometabolic systems.

Walnuts boost levels of beneficial metabolites

To determine how walnuts affected the microbiota composition, The researchers conducted a blood analysis. They collected samples of feces taken from the participants at the beginning and final days of the study.

The study revealed that the consumption of walnuts increased levels of three microorganisms:

Faecalibacterium, Roseburia, and Clostridium. Researchers explain that the three bacteria create the metabolic byproduct butyrate. Which has been proven to enhance the health of the colon?

Faecalibacterium has already been proven in animal studies to lower inflammation. Animals with higher amounts also have better insulin sensitivities. Faecalibacterium may also be a probiotic bacterium.

Walnuts could help reduce the carcinogenic acid bile

The study also showed that walnuts consumed by people saw a decline in the so-called secondary bile acids.

While bile acids are standard compounds that help absorb lipids, cholesterol, and some vitamins within the digestive tract, some are harmful. Bile acids are primary or secondary. The latter is recently believed to cause colon cancer.

How microbes take in and process energy from walnuts could explain how walnuts affect our health.

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Almonds: Best Nut for Gut Health

There is a huge evidence that nuts are one of the loved nutritious, delicious, and healthy foods you can eat.

One cup of uncooked almonds (143 grams) offers a wealth of benefits that can be measured from a wide range of essential nutrients, such as calcium, vitamin E, niacin, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, and fiber, according to USDA’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

A delicious source of unsaturated fats and vitamins, the almonds also have been linked with a rising amount of positive health effects, from lessening your risk for cardiovascular disease to reducing two markers related to metabolic syndrome and encouraging satisfaction (feeling fuller when you eat).

The positive health news has been spread (with lots of help through the Almond Board of California). The profile of almonds has increased dramatically, as has the amount of almonds available in your local grocery store.

Indeed, almonds are leading in the new food items worldwide by a substantial difference (9.7 percent) and overall nuts (7.1 percent). This could be why you’ve noticed increasing numbers of almond and milk products.

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Almonds are food for the gut

The results of a recently conducted study funded through the Almond Board of California have discovered a healthy reason to eat almonds and almond skins. Almonds serve as prebiotics–non-digestible carbohydrates/plant fiber that feeds the good bacteria already living in the gut.

This study showed that subjects increased the amount of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus in the human gut after eating almond skins or almonds for only six weeks.

Scientists monitored the health of 48 healthy patients (ages 18-22) who supplemented their daily diets with 56 grams (almost 2 ounces) of almonds, 10 grams of almond skins, or 8 grams of fructooligosaccharides (FOS), a natural substance derived from plant sugars that are used as a prebiotic in products like EndoMune Advanced Probiotic.

During the observation period of six weeks, the gut bacteria of the collective of the volunteers were positively affected, however, at different time points.

For instance, those who consumed almond skins or FOS had higher levels of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria from the beginning. However, the people who ate roasted almonds didn’t show the growth of good gut bacteria, as did those in other studies, until the sixth week. After the conclusion of this study, both groups of almonds had the same levels of gut-friendly bacteria.

Furthermore, the health benefits of the gut associated with eating almond skins continued for two more weeks after the six-week time frame ended.

Another benefit of eating almonds roasted or skin: The levels of Clostridium perfringens, which is the spore-forming, gram-positive bacteria that causes the occurrence of food poisoning, drastically decreased. But, before eating almonds, remember that 80 percent of these nuts are fat, which is why it is recommended to take them lightly.

When looking for a great probiotic, ensure it’s got FOS or another prebiotic that feeds beneficial bacteria that live in your digestive tracts, such as EndoMune Advanced Probiotic or EndoMune Advanced Junior (for youngsters) with a variety of kinds and beneficial strains of bacteria.

Pistachios: Best Nut for Gut Health

A decorative element on certain food items or a nudge on others, the delicious Pistachio has been on the fringes of nutrition. Even those most committed to the cause of dry fruit often leave out this shell-cracking-carefully-extracting route to good health. If you’re not a fan of pistachios, you might have concluded that these nuts are not an essential part of your diet.

In the world, ensuring that your gut health is well-maintained is now at the top of many nutritionists’ agendas. It is because the gut isn’t just responsible for the digestion of foods, absorbing nutrients, and eliminating toxins. Still, it is also the guardian of the immune system and boosts your brain’s function and control mood.

Did you know, for instance, that 95 percent of the happy hormone Serotonin is created within the intestines of your body? Also, your gut is home to around 70 percent of cells that constitute the immune system?

Food choices are an essential factor in the most important ways to maintain your gut health. For nutrition, everybody has heard of foods containing probiotics beneficial for your gut health.

Have you heard of prebiotics?

Prebiotics are fibers in your diet that create a favorable environment for gut-healthy bacteria to thrive. Pistachios are a great source of prebiotics that aid in developing beneficial bacteria. Adding phytochemicals (antioxidants) can also positively affect the gut microbiome and help create a healthy environment that allows you to live a whole and healthy life.

Numerous experiments have been carried out to determine the effect of pistachios on the microbiome of your gut (defined as the microbiome in your gut that has both harmful and good intestinal bacteria).

In one study, an uninvolved group of adults was split into three categories: one who did not receive pistachios at all and another that received about 40 grams of pistachios per day, and the third were required to consume around 85 grams of nuts per each day (147 nuts, to be exact). In 19 days, with all other things being identical, researchers concluded that those in the third group showed higher levels of gut bacteria, suggesting a causal connection between nuts and gut health.

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Scientific Studies and References