Right now, you have trillions of microorganisms, or microbes, living inside your gut! They make up your gut microbiome, an ecosystem, or community of organisms, that is unique to you.
Microorganisms (or microbes) living inside or your gut make up your microbiome — a community of organisms that is unique to you. These microbes are important for digestion, but they are also involved in metabolism regulation, which means that they can be implicated in the weight loss process.
Microbiome and Digestion
Gut bacteria aid with breaking down foods like complex carbohydrates and fiber like whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables. As your microbiome breaks down complex carbohydrates and fiber, it is converting food into energy and affects how our bodies store fat and regulate blood sugar.
What are the Best Foods for Gut Health and Weight Loss?
Eating a nutritionally balanced diet is important for gut health and weight loss. Think about foods as being micro- and macronutrients (e.g., vitamins and minerals and carbohydrates, protein, and fiber), which can also allow you to think about food in terms of probiotics and prebiotics.
Probiotics are foods that contain live microorganisms that help maintain or improve the good bacteria in our gut. Examples of probiotic foods are:
- Yogurt with live cultures
- Kefir
- Soft cheeses like cottage cheese, provolone cheese, or Gouda
- Tempeh
- Sourdough bread
- Miso
- Sauerkraut
- Kimchi
Prebiotic foods are typically high in fiber. They are the food for the microflora in our guts. Examples of prebiotic foods include:
- Whole grains
- Green onions (scallions)
- Onions
- Garlic
- Bananas
- Apples
- Oats
Gut Microbiome and Weight Loss
Your gut biome and weight loss are like two sides of the same coin. High-fiber foods are a critical component of a healthy gut and weight loss. Fiber is food for gut bacteria, and it makes you feel fuller for longer periods of time. Examples of high fiber foods include:
- Leafy greens like kale and spinach
- Whole grains like brown rice, barley, or quinoa
- Legumes like lentils, peas, or beans
- Berries like raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries
Does Semaglutide Help Heal Your Gut?
There is condition called dysbiosis which is characterized by an imbalance in the microbes inside your body. When there is not enough diversity in our gut microbiome, there is the potential for negative consequences like bacterial infections such as H. pylori and C. difficile, small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), or inflammatory bowel disease (IBF). Generally, when we think about semaglutide — the active ingredient in anti-obesity medications — we may think about its associated GI effects. Interestingly, there is new research that suggests the semaglutide has the potential to help with gut dysbiosis.
When you are working on improving the health of your gut microbiome, it is important to focus on consuming a nutrient-dense diet while excluding or restricting processed foods, artificial sweeteners, and alcohol, each of which can cause inflammation and negatively affect gut health and gut microbes. A diverse gut microbiome is a healthy gut microbiome. Following a nutrient-dense diet that includes prebiotic and probiotic foods can help ensure your gut microbiome stays healthy.
In addition to following a healthy eating plan, you might consider supplementing your diet with Biocare, a scientifically formulated dietary beverage designed to help promote a healthy gut microbiome* for people taking a GLP-1. Biocare is formulated with soluble prebiotic fiber, which promotes gut health, as well as digestively stable probiotics.
Prior to starting any weight loss program, whether it includes GLP-1 medication or not, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider to make sure your desired weight loss strategy is right for you.
