Improve gut health and add more protein to your diet by eating three foods, says doctor

You can improve your gut health and protein intake by adding certain foods to your diet

From digestive issues like stomach pain, bloating and nausea to issues sleeping at night, poor gut health can lead to all kinds of health problems.

Likewise, a lack of protein can result in symptoms like muscle loss, brittle hair and nails and a weakened immune system, which is not ideal as we head into cold and flu season.

Luckily, there's a way to improve both your gut health and protein intake. Dr Karan Rajan, who is known for sharing his medical wisdom on TikTok, shared three of the best foods to add to your diet in a recent video.

Nutritional yeast is his first recommendation. As vegetarians and vegans will know, nutritional yeast can give food a cheesy flavour without using any animal products. It also contains B vitamins, which are good for the lining of the gut.

Dr Rajan explained that it “has an incredibly high protein density, with 8g of protein in just two tablespoons of the stuff," adding that it also contains beta-glucans, a prebiotic also found in oats that “means more anti-inflammatory compounds produced in the gut and the growth of beneficial bacteria.”

The expert recommended adding it to meals like soups, salads and pasta, "and pretty much everything as long as you're happy with the cheesy taste".

Another food you should consider adding to your diet if you're hoping to increase your protein intake and boost your gut health is Greek yoghurt. "Because it's strained, Greek yoghurt has about twice the protein amount as regular yoghurt," Dr Rajan said.

“One cup [about 250g] can be about 15-20g of protein. But it's also a fermented product and contains live cultures, natural probiotics."

Greek yoghurt is great for adding protein to your diet while also improving gut health

Finally, Dr Rajan suggests adding edamame beans to your shopping list, revealing you can get up to 18g of protein from 160g of these beans when cooked. He said they’re also "very high in fibre" with the same sized serving packing 8g of fibre alongside the protein, "which is over a quarter of your daily recommended intake of fibre."

He explained that edamame beans contain prebiotic fibres and resistant starches, both of which "are beneficial in different ways in promoting the growth of bacteria like bifidobacteria." Dr Rajan concluded: "Edamame also contains isoflavones, a type of antioxidant which can help to reduce inflammation."