Your gut controls more than just your digestive system. As it turns out, maintaining a healthy gut microbiome is crucial to your overall health, and it can even impact your ability to lose weight, manage stress, and more. And while there are several factors that play a role in your gut health, your diet is one of the most important things to consider. Unfortunately, there are several foods you may be eating on a regular basis that could be take a toll on your digestive system, including one popular type of meat.
To discover the worst type of meat that you should limit your intake of as much as possible if you want to help your gut (and, in turn, your whole body) thrive, we spoke to Dana Ellis Hunnes, senior clinical dietitian at UCLA medical center, and author of Recipe for Survival. She told us that red meat is the worst offender. Read on to learn more about the potential health effects of this tasty but detrimental food.
Red meat
Although many of us enjoy grilling up some hot dogs at cookouts during this time of year (maybe alongside some healthy dips), experts warn that the rest of your body—especially your gut—may not be as big of a fan of red meat as your taste buds are. That's because red meat is highly inflammatory, which can lead to an array of digestive issues by throwing your gut microbiome out of balance.
"Red meat is inflammatory," Hunnes tells us. "It increases inflammatory markers in the blood, including IGF-1 and TMAO." When levels of this compound get too high, health complications such as digestive issues, high cholesterol, lower metabolism, and even heart disease are possible consequences.
So, how does TMAO and red meat impact your gut health, exactly? Hunnes explains that TMAO and other compounds "change the acidity in the gut and therefore affects the microbiome."
"In a way," she says, "red meat is somewhat toxic to good bacteria in the gut (the microbiome)." Gut dysbiosis (that's when the bad bacteria in your gut outnumbers the good bacteria) typically results in issues like gas, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea, and may even impact other areas of your health such as your immune system and your mental health.
All in all, it's important to remember that the health of your gut plays a crucial role in practically every area of your wellbeing, so limiting your intake of inflammatory foods like red meat and other processed options is one major key to living your healthiest life.
Luckily, there are plenty of other anti-inflammatory protein options to choose from that won't put your gut at risk. Hunnes cites plant-based proteins as some of the best choices. "Whole grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, legumes, all are known for improving gut health as they are anti-inflammatory and feed the healthy gut bacteria," she concludes. Sounds good!
READ MORE: How To Improve Gut Health Naturally: 12 Tips To Consider
