Doctor-approved best foods to restore gut health after antibiotics

Antibiotics are often essential for treating infections. However, these medications in particular can also disrupt the delicate ecosystem of bacteria in the gut. It may take several weeks or months to restore gut health. But what if you could make some contributions to it and boost gut health? Yes, eating the right foods can help you restore gut health. Dr. Joseph Salhab, a leading gastroenterologist based in Florida, has now explained some tips and tricks to restore gut health after taking antibiotics. “It can take several weeks to months to restore your gut environment after a course of antibiotics. Make sure you're including these foods to jump-start the process of restoring your gut bacteria,” Dr. Salhab says. Take a look..

Foods that restore gut health

Diet plays a crucial role in improving gut health. Eating the right foods can significantly boost digestion and help restore the balance of beneficial gut bacteria. Dr. Salhab suggests adding three categories of foods to support recovery. These are fermented foods that introduce beneficial bacteria, prebiotic foods that feed existing good bacteria, and polyphenol-rich foods that encourage a healthy gut environment. The foods include:

• Chia seeds
• Flaxseeds
• Sourdough bread
• Kefir
• Unpasteurized sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Plain yogurt with live cultures
• Miso paste
• Jerusalem artichokes
• Garlic
• Onions
• Leeks
• Dandelion greens
• Broccoli
• Kale
• Asparagus
• Green tea
• Blueberries
• Apples with skin
• Cranberries
• Oats
• Barley
• Bran cereal
• Bananas
• Walnuts

How the right food improves gut health

Dr. Salhab explains that it can take several weeks to months to restore gut health after taking antibiotics. After 2 months of treatment, most healthy gut bacteria return to normal levels.

“Research shows that eating specific foods can help accelerate this recovery through three key mechanisms: fermented foods directly introduce beneficial bacteria, prebiotic foods feed existing good bacteria, and polyphenol-rich foods create an environment that favors beneficial bacterial growth while inhibiting harmful bacteria,” the gastroenterologist said, in a video shared on Instagram.

“Consuming foods rich in fermentable fiber helps restore healthy gut bacteria and is associated with reduced antibiotic resistance, as fiber can be digested by gut bacteria to stimulate their growth and diversity,” he added.

What science says

New research published in Nature, led by the University of Chicago researchers, looked at how mice fed a Western-style diet are not able to rebuild a ‘healthy,’ diverse gut microbiome following antibiotic treatment. The researchers found that the mice were also more susceptible to infection by pathogens like Salmonella. However, when the mice were given food loosely mimicking a Mediterranean diet, which is high in plant-based fiber from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, they were able to quickly restore a healthy and resilient gut microbiome after antibiotics.


“We were really surprised by how dramatically different the recovery process is in the mice on the Western-style diet versus the healthier one,” the researchers said.

“The mammalian gut microbiome is like a forest, and when you damage it, it must have a succession of events that occur in a specific order to restore itself back to its former health. When you are on a Western diet, this does not happen because it doesn't provide the nutrients for the right microbes at the right time to recover. Instead, you end up with a few species that monopolize these resources, and don’t set the stage for other organisms that are required for recovery,” the researchers added, , leading to long-term imbalance, inflammation, and impaired gut function.

Disclaimer: This is for informational purposes only. Please consult a medical health professional before adopting any advice.