How to Get Butyrate From Food
Have you ever heard of butyrate? For a lot of people, butyrate is very unknown. But it’s a massive contributor to gut health and overall health! Read on to find out what butyrate is, and how to get butyrate from food.
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Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA)
When you eat fiber, your gut bacteria will start to produce Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA) through fermentation. There are 3 main types of SCFA: Butyrate, Acetate, and Propionate.
SCFA have multiple health benefits.
They help make the large intestine more acidic. This makes the intestine less attractive for bad inflammatory bacteria to reside there. It also actively inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
SCFA provide energy for the cells in your gut.
They promote the movement of your gut, the intestinal motility.
SCFA decrease visceral hypersensitivity, which is good news for people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)!
They reduce inflammatory markers.
That’s the general function of the SCFA, pretty impressive right? But every type of SFCA has a specific health benefit. Today we focus on butyrate and the foods that help produce it. Find out how to get butyrate from food, because you don’t want to miss out on the health benefits!
Want some help creating a diet to stimulate the production of butyrate? Schedule a free symptom assessment and I’ll show you how I can help!
What is Butyrate?
As mentioned above, butyrate is a SFCA that is produced by the fermentation of fiber through the microbes in your gut.
The specific bacteria that produce butyrate are Gram-positive Anaerobic bacteria. You don’t have to remember that, just FYI! If you want to recognize the bacteria in, let’s say, a stool sample or a probiotic, look for Faecalibacterium Prausnitzii or Roseburia. These are the biggest groups of butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut, among many others.
| Butyrate in specific has the following health benefits: |
|---|
| Anti-tumor properties Anti-inflammatory Repair and enhance the barrier function of intestinal cells Repair Leaky Gut by strengthening tight-junctions Stimulate the production of antimicrobial peptides Support intestinal immune cells Stimulate cell growth and DNA synthesis Regulates hunger and satiety Improves visceral sensitivity and intestinal motility Lower cholesterol by inhibiting intestinal cholesterol synthesis Improves insulin resistance |
Enough reason for me to get my butyrate-producing bacteria healthy and happy! But how to get butyrate from food?
How to Get Butyrate From Food
By now, you know butyrate is not just simply present in foods. You can’t just add butyrate to a product and have the health benefits.
Butyrate is made in your gut through the fermentation of fermentable fibers and resistant starch.
The butyrate-producing bacteria will be present in the gut of most people. But the better you feed them, the more there will be to produce the good butyrate for you! So make sure you feed your butyrate-producing bacteria and reap the health benefits!
Do you want a custom gut health plan, specifically made for you? Schedule a free IBS-symptoms evaluation with me, and I’ll show you how I can help!
Foods with Fermentable Fiber
Fiber in general is the main source of nutrition for your gut bacteria. When you eat enough fiber, your gut bacteria will grow strong and healthy and support your health.
You can find fiber in basically all types of plant-based foods. Think of fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes.
Butyrate is mainly produced from fermentable fiber and resistant starch.
| The foods that specifically contain butyrate-promoting fermentable fiber and resistant starch are: |
|---|
| Oats Rice Potatoes Legumes Inulin Oligofructose Jerusalem artichoke Yams Chicory root Dandelion greens Leeks Onion Garlic Wheat Bananas (Citrus) Fruits Vegetables Nuts Legumes |
Try to eat from this list at least once a day. Make sure you’re providing your butyrate-producing bacteria with the nutrition they need to keep you healthy!
As you may have noticed if you’re following the FODMAP diet, a lot of the foods that stimulate the production of butyrate are high in FODMAPs. This is why it is important not to stay on the FODMAP diet for too long and keep your gut healthy.
All other types of fiber from plants will support a healthy microbiome and definitely shouldn’t be forgotten. Consuming a big diversity of plants throughout the week will result in a more diverse and healthy microbiome.
So eat your plants! And tell me about your experience with fiber-rich foods!
