The Top Habit Destroying Your Gut Health, According to an Integrative Medicine Doctor

Emily Laurence

December 15, 2022 at 7:00 AM·6 min read

Yep, it's food-related.

There’s a reason why health experts refer to the gut as the “second brain.” The gut communicates with almost every cell in the body and is connected to virtually every aspect of health, including immunity, cognition, mood, heart health and digestion. With this in mind, the adage “you are what you eat” takes on a whole new meaning.

“Oftentimes, people are disconnected from the importance of gut health and how it influences how we feel on a daily basis,” says integrative medicine practitioner Will Cole, IFMCP, DNM, DC, the author of the upcoming book, Gut Feelings. While there are many factors that impact our gut, including stress, Dr. Cole says that a major one is what we choose to put into our bodies (in other words, what we eat and drink). Every meal, Dr. Cole says, is an opportunity to either support our gut health or negatively impact it. This leads him to call out the top habit commonly destroying so many people’s gut health: eating a diet primarily consisting of the “inflammatory core four.” Curious as to what those four are? Keep reading to find out.

How the "Inflammatory Core Four" Negatively Impact the Gut

Dr. Cole explains that the “inflammatory core four” are ingredients that negatively impact the gut and can cause inflammation in the body. Inflammation is the root cause of all health problems, ranging from the short-term (like digestive issues or acne) to the long-term (such as cancer or cognitive decline). Dr. Cole says that the biggest offenders to the gut are gluten-containing grains, added sugar, industrial seed oils and dairy. He adds that eating a diet primarily full of these ingredients is a common habit—and one that negatively impacts the gut.

Here's what the "core four" actually are, and how they impact the gut.

1. Gluten-containing grains

It’s not just people with celiac disease who Dr. Cole says should minimize eating gluten-containing grains. “This has more to do with what has been done to the wheat supply [in the U.S.] than to the gluten itself,” he says. For example, Dr. Cole says that wheat is often sprayed with glyphosate, an herbicide that kills good bacteria in the gut. On top of this, he says, the soil health in the U.S. has become depleted over time, which has affected the genetic makeup of wheat.

Have you ever heard from someone about how gluten-containing foods give them digestive problems when they eat them here in the U.S., but they were able to enjoy bread and pasta in Italy or France with no issues? Dr. Cole says this is because they grow and process their wheat products differently.

If you experience bloating, constipation or diarrhea regularly, cutting gluten from your diet could alleviate your symptoms. Scientific studies show that this can be helpful for many people with irritable bowel syndrome—even if they don't have celiac disease.

2. Industrial seed oils

Canola oil, vegetable oil and soybean oil are three industrial seed oils that are commonly used in overly processed foods, fast foods and maybe in your own kitchen at home. Dr. Cole recommends minimizing these oils and using oils such as olive oil, flaxseed oil or avocado oil instead, which are higher in omega-3 fatty acids.

“It’s not the oils themselves that are necessarily harmful [to the gut], but the lack of balance when it comes to healthy fats in the Western diet,” Dr. Cole says. He explains that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are both important for health, but most people in the U.S. don’t consume enough omega-3s, which knocks the ratio out of balance. One way to easily right the balance is to use oils high in the exact type of healthy fats most of us don’t get enough of. So keep your olive oil handy!

3. Added Sugar

Dr. Cole explains that sugar feeds the bad bacteria in the gut, which can then cause inflammation. Scientific studies show a direct link between sugar consumption and chronic disease. Dr. Cole says that sugar is often found in places many don’t even realize, like sauces and salad dressings. Consider this your reminder to do your label reading when grocery shopping or cooking.

“It can be helpful to track your sugar intake using MyFitnessPal or another app just to get an idea of how much you’re consuming,” Dr. Cole says. Aim to keep your added sugar intake under 50 grams a day.

4. Dairy

“There is a large number of people who are sensitive to casein, which is the dairy protein,” Dr. Cole says, adding that this can disrupt the gut. Like gluten, he says the way dairy is processed in the U.S. is what causes this sensitivity. If you still want to drink milk, he recommends choosing one sourced from grass-fed cows (or grass-fed goat’s milk). Or, keep an eye out for A2 milk, which comes from cows that only produce the A2 protein and not the A1 protein that people tend to be sensitive to. “Fermented dairy foods, like kefir and yogurt, are also more digestible,” Dr. Cole adds.

Minimizing the inflammatory core four makes room for ingredients that are actually good for your gut—primarily plant-based whole-food ingredients. There are many gut-healthy cookbooks available out there that can be used as guides, including Cook For Your Gut Health by America’s Test Kitchen, The Gut Healthy Cookbook by Alana Scott and The Fiber Fueled Cookbook by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, MD. If you are just starting to change your diet, Dr. Cole’s advice is to take gradual steps; you don’t have to drastically change how you eat overnight.

Over time, changing the way you eat to minimize the inflammatory core four will help good bacteria thrive in your gut while minimizing inflammation-causing bad bacteria. And that will affect your entire body for the better!

Next up, find out what 18 foods are best for gut health.