Tag: gut microbiome

Nature Knows Best: Simple Ways to Support Daily Digestive Wellness

Published on by Nikken

Foods that are in their natural state, or are minimally processed, are known as whole foods. They are generally recognized as foods that can support the balance and health of the gut microbiome, which is the “community of microscopic living organisms—including bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microbes”1that live in the gastrointestinal tract. Nature knows best, because whole foods provide digestion-friendly nutrients, including soluble and insoluble fiber, prebiotics, vitamins and minerals, all of which support digestive wellness.

Insoluble dietary fiber is found in foods such as whole grains and vegetables. Insoluble fiber promotes regularity while also supporting the movement of food through the digestive system. Its counterpart, soluble fiber, is found in foods like fruits, seeds and beans. Soluble fiber can support nutrient absorption and acts as fuel for the microorganisms in the gut microbiome and can support the health of the intestinal barrier. Some of the best foods for gut health include:2
• Yogurt and kefir: Contain probiotics, which are beneficial bacteria that can support a healthy gut microbiome and digestive wellness when consumed in adequate amounts.
• Fruits and vegetables: Apples, bananas, berries, broccoli and leafy greens provide fiber that helps keep digestion regular.
• Whole grains: Oats, brown rice, and whole wheat products are rich in fiber that supports a healthy gut microbiome.
• Beans and legumes: Lentils, chickpeas and beans are excellent sources of fiber and prebiotics. Prebiotics act as nourishment for the beneficial microorganisms in the gut as well as supporting mineral absorption, such as calcium and magnesium.
• Fermented foods: Sauerkraut, kimchi, miso and tempeh may support the presence of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Fermentation can provide beneficial microorganisms.
• Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds provide fiber and healthy fats that support digestive wellness.

Not sure if you’re eating enough of the right foods? Kenzen® Golden Gut Formula takes the guesswork away. It contains a patented, advanced pre- and probiotic blend to help replenish, rebalance and reinforce the gut. Some foods to avoid or limit in order to maintain gut health are:3
• Highly processed foods: Chips, fast food and packaged snacks are often low in fiber and may affect the balance of healthy gut bacteria.
• Sugary foods and drinks: Excess sugar may affect the growth of less beneficial gut microbes and may contribute to digestive discomfort.
• Fried and fatty foods: These can be hard to digest and may cause digestive discomfort.
• Alcohol: Drinking alcohol can affect the digestive tract and the gut microbiome.
• Artificial anything: Some people experience digestive discomfort after consuming products containing ingredients such as artificial sweeteners, preservatives, chemical additives and food coloring.

The importance of staying hydrated throughout the day cannot be overstated. Your body needs water for normal digestive function. Water helps dissolve food, activates digestive enzymes, and transports nutrients to cells. Adequate water is also essential for normal bodily functions, including digestion, and may support a healthy gut microbiome.4

Sleep and diet are linked: if you don’t get enough restful sleep and eat a diet full of nutritional gaps, you may be at a greater risk of challenges related to gut health. Maintaining a healthy weight can be part of an overall approach to supporting the gut microbiome, because body weight and digestive health can be influenced by a variety of factors. In other words, staying active is another key to digestive health: how much you move and how much you eat can support the body’s natural state of balance.

Gut health is not rocket science. In a nutshell, get enough sleep, stay hydrated and eat primarily whole foods that are gifts from nature. Nikken is here to support your overall well-being with an entire range of products that support restful sleep (Kenko Sleep), water filtration (PiMag® water) and nutritional supplementation (Kenzen® nutrition).

1 https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Microbiome
2, 3 https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/expert-qa/your-digestive-system-5-ways-to-support-gut-health
4 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ways-to-improve-digestion

How Does Exercise Enhance Gut Health?

Published on by Nikken

We know that eating a healthy diet contributes to optimal gut health. Now clinical nutritionists and gastroenterologists are finding definitive proof that exercise can support gut health, too. The combination of healthy diet and exercise reigns supreme, but the discovery that exercise plays such a big role in gut physiology may help many couch potatoes to get moving!

“Exercise is one of the most powerful ways you can boost your gut microbiome. Your digestive tract is a muscle, and moving your body is good for all muscles, gut included. When we are physically inactive, the muscles in our gut also become less active. Over time, they lose their natural coordination and strength,” explains gastroenterologist Christine Lee, MD.1

Regular exercise helps the gut find its ideal digestive pace. Each gut has its natural rhythm that keeps things moving. If it’s too fast, you might get the runs. If it’s too slow, you might be constipated, bloated or nauseated. Exercise helps the gut stay “just right” in terms of gut motility, that is, the movement within the gut.

During movement, especially exercise of a cardiovascular nature, the heart pumps harder in order to deliver blood and oxygen to the muscles. Part of that extra blood and oxygen goes straight to the gut. In other words, exercise improves circulation in the whole body, and that includes the gut, which helps the digestive tract work better to maintain the right balance of healthy bacteria.2

Gut muscles react to exercise the same way our visible outer muscles do. Biceps, quadriceps and abdominals visibly get more toned with regular exercise. What you don’t see are the internal gut muscles getting more toned. Even though not visibly more toned, improved regularity is proof that your exercise is paying off by helping waste process out of the body more effectively so your gut simply feels good every day.

Different types of exercise are being researched for their impact on the gut microbiome. There is evidence that low intensity exercise can help reduce the amount of time it takes food to travel through the digestive tract and be successfully pushed out as waste. This is important because this allows the gut microbiome to perform multiple functions effectively, including converting non-digestive parts of food into energy.3

In contrast, higher intensity exercise allows more oxygen to reach the brain and bloodstream. The brain and the gut are connected by the vagus nerve, as well as through molecules secreted into the bloodstream from the gut microbes and immune cells that travel from the gut to the rest of the body.4 The brain and gut are therefore in constant communication and regular periods of high intensity exercise enhance that interaction.

There’s no better time than the summer months to start or add to your exercise regimen. And, regular exercise helps the body crave healthy foods; healthy foods fuel your body for better performance during exercise!

Nikken launched Golden Gut Formula, loaded with both pre- and probiotics, so you not only help increase your beneficial bacteria but you’re nourishing them so they can multiply more rapidly. Adding Golden Gut Formula to a healthy diet and exercising daily may help accelerate your ongoing quest for empowered living! 

1, 2 https://health.clevelandclinic.org/gut-health-workout#:~:text=Your%20metabolism%20is%20your%20body’s,%2C%E2%80%9D%20explains%20Dr.%20Lee.

3 https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/new-microbiome-research-reveals-exercise-may-impact-gut

4 https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2025/03/gut-brain-connection-long-covid-anxiety-parkinsons.html#:~:text=Through%20direct%20signals%20from%20the,tracts%20are%20in%20constant%20communication.