I'm A Gastroenterologist & These Are My Top 10 Foods For Gut Health

So we'll dive right into it. Below, find Singh's top 10 staples: 

"It gives a little spice to your food, a little flare to it," Singh continues. "People say, 'Oh, my salad is monotonous,' well, do something different. Put some cilantro in there, put some arugula in there, and all of a sudden you're eating something different, even though it's really still a salad." 

"I love this as a garnish to salad or any kind of dish. You can just throw some cilantro on there; it's a very flavorful herb," Singh adds. 

Plus: "It's packed with vitamins, it's a good source of fiber, and it can be used in a lot of different ways. You can grill it, you can sauté it, you can steam it, you can even chop it into small pieces and throw it in a salad. It can be pretty versatile," says Singh. 

Another cruciferous veggie to add to the list, bok choy contains a class of gut-healthy vitamins and minerals. Says Singh, "It's a good source of manganese and folate, and it's also a good source of sulforaphane." Remember, sulforaphane activates the protein Nfr2, which in turn activates certain antioxidant genes in your body. But it doesn't just stabilize free radicals the same way consuming vitamin C might—it activates the body's natural detoxification and antioxidant enzymes. 

"If I told you, 'Hey, I have a plant here that can help you with nausea, bloating, motility, joints, inflammatory response, and blood sugar balance,' would you take it? You would say, 'Hell yeah, I would take it!' And it's just ginger we're talking about here." 

He touts kimchi as a wonderful, spicy side dish, plus it includes all the benefits from healthy spices, like garlic, ginger, and chili powder. 

These are not your average sweet potatoes (which are vitamin-packed in their own right, of course). Okinawan sweet potatoes (which have a rich purple color) have a sky-high antioxidant profile. "It has more antioxidants than even blueberries," Singh says. In test-tube studies3, antioxidants in purple sweet potatoes4 were shown to aid in the growth of a specific type of gut bacteria that have been linked to improved digestion and gut health. 

That doesn't mean Singh ignores his blueberries. See, these berries contain blue-purple pigments, called proanthocyanidins5, that are superb for brain health, and they're also packed with fiber. "You can get [around] 6 grams of fiber per cup," says Singh. "It's a lower glycemic fruit, and if you eat the right amount, it's considered a low-FODMAP fruit as well." 

"There's so much data on turmeric. It's definitely a superfood," Singh notes. Specifically, turmeric inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory genes6, blocking the inflammatory response pathway—this, in turn, has a ton of full-body benefits, from supporting immunity7 to promoting gut comfort8. Plus, says Singh, "it gives some nice flavor to dishes." See here for all the ways you can use this golden spice. 

Aside from their rich nutritional profile, they're pretty versatile: "You can eat it as a snack, you can throw it on a salad (which I like to do a lot of times), you can pair it with an apple as a snack," says Singh. "Instead of going for a bag of chips and a soda, you can go for an apple and a handful of walnuts with a green tea instead. That's a totally different profile of nutrition you're giving yourself." 

You can find tons of gut-healthy foods to add to your daily meals—this list only scratches the surface, but they are Singh's all-time favorite staples. And with a load of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, their health benefits go way beyond gut health, too.