Keeping your digestive health in check is one of the most important things you can do to support your overall health. From helping maintain regular and healthy bowel movements to playing a role in keeping your immune system in fighting shape to helping your body efficiently use nutrients obtained from the food you eat, your digestive health can have a profound impact on your wellness and wellbeing. Dairy foods can help.
And the good news is that maintaining a healthy digestive system is quite simple to do with a little know-how.
While living a lifestyle with large amounts of stress, avoiding physical activity, and not eating the recommended 25-38 grams of fiber per day is not recommended when you are trying to support your gut health, managing stress, staying active, and eating the right foods are all go-to steps to healthy digestion.
Dairy Foods and Digestive Health
Along with eating high fiber foods like fruits, veggies, and beans, focusing on fermented foods, like certain yogurts with live and active cultures and kefir can help support your digestive health in a natural way.
Both kefir and yogurt with live and active cultures contain a variety of live probiotics, or bacteria that offer a health benefit. These dairy options are often well-tolerated by people with lactose intolerance, and in some cases may help alleviate symptoms of constipation and diarrhea.
And eating these dairy foods regularly can positively impact the gut microbiota, which can play a positive role in how we metabolize and utilize nutrients. Generally speaking, including dairy fermented foods in your diet is one of the best things you can do to support your digestive health.
So, start your day with a fruit and kefir smoothie, enjoy a Tropical Oatmeal Parfait at snack time, and end your dinner with a sweet Blueberry Delight. All of these dishes contain a fermented dairy food as an ingredient, and enjoying them is a totally delicious way to give your digestive health some love and support.
Visit The Dairy Alliance recipe page for more delicious dishes to help you reset and feel your best in 2022.
Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LDN, CLEC, CPT is an award-winning registered dietitian, book author, and freelance writer. She has been working in the nutrition field for almost 20 years and is passionate about sharing evidence-based information with the public. She manages the Instagram account @LaurenLovesNutrition.