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- The Mediterranean diet goes beyond simply food recommendations for gut-health benefits.
- Habits like eating with others, mindful eating and movement, plus quality rest, support gut health.
- These habits help to relieve stress and promote better growth of bacteria in the gut.
One of the best diets for supporting your gut health is the Mediterranean diet. This popular and well-researched healthy eating pattern prioritizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and seeds. Those very same foods happen to be the ones that also support a healthy and thriving gut microbiome.
But, the Mediterranean diet is more than just food recommendations. It embodies a whole way of life, and those lifestyle choices beyond food may have additional gut-health benefits. For example, enjoying your meals in the company of others or fitting in daily mindful movement might not be top of mind for gut health, but experts agree that they can offer additional gut-health perks. Read on to see what healthy Mediterranean diet habits you might want to try adopting for better gut health.
Eating with Others
Enjoying a meal with friends or family does more than just refill your social battery—it may be good for your gut too. “The Mediterranean lifestyle places a strong emphasis on slowing down, enjoying meals and connecting with others. This habit can benefit gut health in more ways than we might realize!” says Ashley Oswald, RDN, LD, IFNCP.
Eating with others fosters connection and that can positively influence stress levels and overall well-being, which are important considerations for digestive health, per Oswald. “Research on brain-gut behavioral therapies also highlights how psychological and behavioral factors can influence digestive symptoms, particularly in individuals with disorders of gut-brain interaction, such as IBS,” she adds.
The nutritional quality of meals eaten together is often better as well. “People are more likely to have a well-balanced meal when they eat together, and family meals are known to be associated with healthier eating,” says Amanda Sauceda, M.S., RD. “This variety in your diet can be supportive of a more diverse gut microbiome, which is thought to be a sign of good gut health,” she adds.
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Savoring Rather Than Rushing Meals
From eating in the car to doomscrolling on your phone through lunch, most of us have become masters of distracted eating. The only problem is that this kind of rushed and mindless eating isn’t good for our gut health. “When we are constantly rushing, multitasking or eating under stress, our nervous system may be less supportive of optimal digestion,” says Oswald.
If that sounds all too familiar, take a note from the Mediterranean region, where meals are more often savored rather than rushed. “Eating in a relaxed environment and taking time to enjoy meals may help support the gut-brain connection by reducing stress-related signaling and helping regulate the body’s digestive response,” says Oswald.
That doesn’t mean you need to carve out an hour of time to eat every meal. Start with one meal or snack a day and eat without any distractions like the TV, cellphone or your computer. As you become better at slowing down at one meal, you may find yourself practicing it more often. “Slowing down allows us to be more mindful of our eating pace, chew our food more thoroughly and recognize hunger and fullness cues,” says Oswald.
Daily Mindful Movement
The Mediterranean lifestyle also encourages daily physical activity, but it looks much different than carefully planned gym sessions or HIIT classes. Instead, movement is naturally incorporated throughout the day, like walking to work, along with daily tasks of grocery shopping, gardening or household chores. By contrast, most of us spend a lot of our waking hours sitting, either in the car while commuting, at work in front of a computer, or at home binge-watching our favorite shows.
What’s more, all that sitting can negatively impact your gut. Constipation is often linked with inactivity, but there’s evidence that it may also cause negative changes in the makeup of your gut microbiome. Since activity may not be as easily ingrained into your routine as it is in Mediterranean regions, you might need to get more creative about prioritizing movement.
For example, that might look like taking a walk after meals to break up sitting time while supporting gut health. “A 10- to 15-minute walk after a meal helps food move out of the stomach faster, and regular movement increases gut bacteria that make butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that feeds the cells lining your colon and helps calm inflammation,” says Julie Balsamo, M.S., RDN.
Prioritizing Rest
In the U.S., 1 in 3 adults report not getting enough rest, which is a far cry from the Mediterranean region, where rest is prioritized and even daytime naps are a culturally embedded practice. Missing out on adequate zzz’s can have a negative impact on your gut due to the gut-brain connection. “Research suggests that inadequate or disrupted sleep may negatively influence the diversity and balance of gut bacteria, including bacteria responsible for producing short-chain fatty acids. These beneficial compounds help nourish the cells lining the colon, support intestinal barrier integrity and help regulate inflammation,” says Oswald.
Even if you can only daydream about a midday nap, there are steps you can take to get not just enough sleep, but better-quality sleep, too. Aim for at least seven to nine hours of sleep per night and establish a consistent sleep schedule. Reserve one hour before bed for a nighttime routine. Incorporating rituals like dimming the lights, avoiding screens, stretching or deep breathing can be helpful for winding down at night and prepping your brain and body for rest.
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Our Expert Take
When you are looking to support your gut health, sometimes it may be worth looking beyond the food that is on your plate. Adopting principles of the Mediterranean lifestyle is something that is often overlooked, but could offer potential gut-health benefits. Habits like sharing meals with others, savoring rather than rushing your meals, engaging in mindful movement and prioritizing rest are habits that work synergistically with the Mediterranean diet to improve your gut health.
Add EatingWell
as a preferred source on Google to see more of our stories on Google News and in search results.
- The Mediterranean diet goes beyond simply food recommendations for gut-health benefits.
- Habits like eating with others, mindful eating and movement, plus quality rest, support gut health.
- These habits help to relieve stress and promote better growth of bacteria in the gut.
One of the best diets for supporting your gut health is the Mediterranean diet. This popular and well-researched healthy eating pattern prioritizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and seeds. Those very same foods happen to be the ones that also support a healthy and thriving gut microbiome.
But, the Mediterranean diet is more than just food recommendations. It embodies a whole way of life, and those lifestyle choices beyond food may have additional gut-health benefits. For example, enjoying your meals in the company of others or fitting in daily mindful movement might not be top of mind for gut health, but experts agree that they can offer additional gut-health perks. Read on to see what healthy Mediterranean diet habits you might want to try adopting for better gut health.
Eating with Others
Enjoying a meal with friends or family does more than just refill your social battery—it may be good for your gut too. “The Mediterranean lifestyle places a strong emphasis on slowing down, enjoying meals and connecting with others. This habit can benefit gut health in more ways than we might realize!” says Ashley Oswald, RDN, LD, IFNCP.
Eating with others fosters connection and that can positively influence stress levels and overall well-being, which are important considerations for digestive health, per Oswald. “Research on brain-gut behavioral therapies also highlights how psychological and behavioral factors can influence digestive symptoms, particularly in individuals with disorders of gut-brain interaction, such as IBS,” she adds.
The nutritional quality of meals eaten together is often better as well. “People are more likely to have a well-balanced meal when they eat together, and family meals are known to be associated with healthier eating,” says Amanda Sauceda, M.S., RD. “This variety in your diet can be supportive of a more diverse gut microbiome, which is thought to be a sign of good gut health,” she adds.
Related Stories
Savoring Rather Than Rushing Meals
From eating in the car to doomscrolling on your phone through lunch, most of us have become masters of distracted eating. The only problem is that this kind of rushed and mindless eating isn’t good for our gut health. “When we are constantly rushing, multitasking or eating under stress, our nervous system may be less supportive of optimal digestion,” says Oswald.
If that sounds all too familiar, take a note from the Mediterranean region, where meals are more often savored rather than rushed. “Eating in a relaxed environment and taking time to enjoy meals may help support the gut-brain connection by reducing stress-related signaling and helping regulate the body’s digestive response,” says Oswald.
That doesn’t mean you need to carve out an hour of time to eat every meal. Start with one meal or snack a day and eat without any distractions like the TV, cellphone or your computer. As you become better at slowing down at one meal, you may find yourself practicing it more often. “Slowing down allows us to be more mindful of our eating pace, chew our food more thoroughly and recognize hunger and fullness cues,” says Oswald.
Daily Mindful Movement
The Mediterranean lifestyle also encourages daily physical activity, but it looks much different than carefully planned gym sessions or HIIT classes. Instead, movement is naturally incorporated throughout the day, like walking to work, along with daily tasks of grocery shopping, gardening or household chores. By contrast, most of us spend a lot of our waking hours sitting, either in the car while commuting, at work in front of a computer, or at home binge-watching our favorite shows.
What’s more, all that sitting can negatively impact your gut. Constipation is often linked with inactivity, but there’s evidence that it may also cause negative changes in the makeup of your gut microbiome. Since activity may not be as easily ingrained into your routine as it is in Mediterranean regions, you might need to get more creative about prioritizing movement.
For example, that might look like taking a walk after meals to break up sitting time while supporting gut health. “A 10- to 15-minute walk after a meal helps food move out of the stomach faster, and regular movement increases gut bacteria that make butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that feeds the cells lining your colon and helps calm inflammation,” says Julie Balsamo, M.S., RDN.
Prioritizing Rest
In the U.S., 1 in 3 adults report not getting enough rest, which is a far cry from the Mediterranean region, where rest is prioritized and even daytime naps are a culturally embedded practice. Missing out on adequate zzz’s can have a negative impact on your gut due to the gut-brain connection. “Research suggests that inadequate or disrupted sleep may negatively influence the diversity and balance of gut bacteria, including bacteria responsible for producing short-chain fatty acids. These beneficial compounds help nourish the cells lining the colon, support intestinal barrier integrity and help regulate inflammation,” says Oswald.
Even if you can only daydream about a midday nap, there are steps you can take to get not just enough sleep, but better-quality sleep, too. Aim for at least seven to nine hours of sleep per night and establish a consistent sleep schedule. Reserve one hour before bed for a nighttime routine. Incorporating rituals like dimming the lights, avoiding screens, stretching or deep breathing can be helpful for winding down at night and prepping your brain and body for rest.
Our Expert Take
When you are looking to support your gut health, sometimes it may be worth looking beyond the food that is on your plate. Adopting principles of the Mediterranean lifestyle is something that is often overlooked, but could offer potential gut-health benefits. Habits like sharing meals with others, savoring rather than rushing your meals, engaging in mindful movement and prioritizing rest are habits that work synergistically with the Mediterranean diet to improve your gut health.
Add EatingWell
as a preferred source on Google to see more of our stories on Google News and in search results.
