Although we usually concentrate on keeping a good brain and heart, general well-being depends on a healthy stomach as equally vital. Digestion, immunological support, even mood control depend on a balanced gut flora. Unbelievably, your digestive condition can be much improved by the items you keep in your cupboard. You’ll learn how each of these shelf-stable foods supports gut health and how to include them into your meals from prebiotic-packed onions to fiber-rich canned beans.
The Six Greatest Pantry Foods for Gut Health
1. Canned Beans
Excellent sources of plant-based protein and fiber are canned beans including kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas. Beans’ soluble fiber functions as a prebiotic, feeding the good bacteria in your gut and so fostering a healthy microbiome. For most healthy people, Jenna Volpe, RDN, LD, CLT, gut health dietitian of Whole-istic Living, also notes that the insoluble fiber absorbs water and increases volume to stool, therefore facilitating the larger, healthier and easier to pass bowel movements.
Regular bean consumption—about one cup daily—was related in a 2023 study to enhanced gut microbial diversity, which is generally linked with better digestive health.The first
Easy to add to everything from a quick chopped salad to a cosy pot of Black Bean Chili, canned beans are ready to eat and incredibly adaptable.
For further inspiration, be sure to review The 7 Healthiest Beans to Eat, advised dietitians.
2. Canned Artichokes
Research indicates that artichokes may help to improve the gut microbiome, notes registered dietitian Kristie Leigh, Director of Nutrition & Scientific Affairs at Danone North America.2. Inulin, a kind of prebiotic fiber abundant in artichokes, is especially helpful in encouraging the growth of Bifidobacteria, a kind of gut bacteria that supports health.
Leigh explains how inulin is sometimes even taken from foods like artichokes and added to other items, such probiotic pills, to improve their gut-health advantages.
Try throwing canned artichokes on top of Spinach Ravioli for added flavor and fiber, mixing them into a Creamy Artichoke Dip, or adding them to a tasty Artichoke Salad.
The 6 Best Pantry Foods for Gut Health, According to Experts
3. Onions
Thanks in great part to their high prebiotic fiber content—especially fructooligosaccharides (FOS)—onions are must-have pantry basics for gut health. Beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli proliferate under stimulation from these fibers. “These bacteria support and maintain a balanced gut microbiome, which is crucial for digestion, immune function and overall health,” says registered dietitian nutritionist Sam Schleiger, M.S., RDN, owner of Simply Nourished Functional Nutrition.
Apart from being prebiotics that support a healthy gut, a 2022 review also revealed that FOS can help treat a wide spectrum of diseases, including osteoporosis, several GI illnesses, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Schleiger further emphasizes how among prebiotic-dense meals onions are among the most plentiful ones. Notes Schleiger, “With 100 to 240 milligrams of prebiotics per gram, [we might conclude] that regular consumption of onions [can help] improve gut health and may support digestion and overall nutrient absorption.”
Try French Onion Soup, Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Toast or Roasted Peppers & Onions if you want to include this gut-friendly fragrant element into your meals. Simply sautéing chopped onions as the foundation for many savory dishes will improve taste and help your intestinal health.
4. Garlic
Garlic is excellent for gut health, much like onions, since it includes prebiotic fibers like inulin and FOS, which feed beneficial bacteria in your stomach. Garlic also has antibacterial effects that help to control dangerous germs. To quickly increase the taste and gut-health advantages in your diet, try including garlic to daily dishes like Garlic-Roasted Salmon & Brussels Sprouts or One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Broccoli.
5. Oats
Thanks to their high beta-glucan content, a kind of soluble fiber that forms a gel-like structure in the stomach, oats are also another great pantry basic for gut health. This process nourishes helpful gut flora, helps slow down digestion, and lets nutrients be better absorbed.
Leigh claims that new studies point to oats possibly improving the makeup of our gut flora, thereby supporting immune system function.
Leigh advises a bowl of oats topped with yogurt for a gut-health-promoting combo to obtain both probiotics and prebiotics in one meal. You might also get inventive and include oats into dishes like savory Oat Risotto or even oatmeal pancakes.
See our 20 Best High-Fiber Overnight Oats Recipes to start your day in a gut-friendly way.
6. Nuts
Convenient for a pantry, nuts provide gut-healthy fiber and minerals as well as protein. The Mindful Gut’s developer, Amanda Sauceda, M.S., RD, notes that studies on nut influence gut health are just beginning to surface. From almonds to walnuts to pistachios, there is a great range of nuts available from which each offers special advantages.
Sauceda notes, “A study found that the addition of almonds was well tolerated by people with a lower-fiber diet and [helped] increase stool output.” Furthermore, some studies indicate that by boosting helpful gut flora, eating peanuts and pistachios can improve gut health.
