12 Foods That Can Help Your Digestion and What the Evidence Says

If you want to eat for better digestion, the most reliable steps are not exotic. Get plenty of fibre from oats, fruit, vegetables, pulses and wholegrains, drink enough water for that fibre to work, and go easy on greasy fried food. The NHS suggests aiming for about 30 grams of fibre a day.

The 12 foods below can all play a part in that pattern. Some have good evidence behind them, some are simply nutritious foods with a useful amount of fibre, and one, cod liver oil, has been oversold for gut health. Here is what each one can realistically do, and what it cannot.

What "good for digestion" actually means

Digestion is the work of breaking food into nutrients the body can absorb, and then moving what is left through the bowel. When people say a food "helps digestion", they usually mean one of three things: it keeps stools soft and regular, it is gentle on an upset stomach, or it feeds the helpful bacteria living in the gut.

No single food cleans or resets the gut. What helps most is a varied diet eaten over weeks and months. Two types of fibre matter. Soluble fibre, found in oats, apples and beans, absorbs water and forms a gel that softens stools. Insoluble fibre, found in wholegrains and the skins of fruit and vegetables, adds bulk and helps waste move along. If you are raising your fibre intake, do it gradually and drink more water, or you may feel bloated for a while.

Fibre-rich foods that keep things moving

Oats

Oats are one of the easiest ways to add soluble fibre, mainly a type called beta-glucan. A bowl of porridge or overnight oats helps keep stools soft and can ease mild constipation. Claims that oats cure heartburn or reflux are not well supported, although a filling, low-fat breakfast is less likely to trigger symptoms than a fried one.

Apples

Apples contain pectin, a soluble fibre, and their skin adds insoluble fibre, so eating them unpeeled gives you both. A medium apple provides a few grams of fibre and makes a good snack. Some people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) find apples cause wind, because they are high in certain fermentable sugars.

Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes supply fibre, especially with the skin on, along with vitamin A (as beta-carotene), vitamin C and potassium. They are usually easy to tolerate. Older claims that they "treat serious bowel disorders" go too far; they are a useful food, not a treatment.

Dates

Dates are rich in fibre and natural sugars, and many people find a few soaked dates helpful for regularity. Because they are energy-dense, a small handful is enough. There is no good evidence that dates themselves "increase friendly bacteria", although fibre in general feeds gut microbes.

Dark sweet cherries

Cherries add a little fibre and plenty of colourful plant compounds called polyphenols. Their main digestive value is as part of your daily fruit. Like apples, they can trigger symptoms in some people with IBS.

Avocados

Avocados are a surprisingly good source of fibre, with several grams in half a fruit, plus mostly monounsaturated fat. They make a filling addition to salads or toast. A note on an old claim: avocados are not a weight-loss food in themselves, since they are high in calories, though they can be part of a balanced diet.

Fermented and soothing foods

Yogurt with live cultures

Live or "bio" yogurt contains bacteria such as lactobacilli. The NHS notes some evidence that probiotics may help IBS symptoms, but little evidence for many other health claims. If you want to try probiotic products, take them consistently for at least four weeks, and talk to a doctor first if you have a health condition or a weakened immune system. Plain yogurt without lots of added sugar is the best everyday choice.

Ginger

Ginger has a long history as a folk remedy for indigestion. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says ginger may help with nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, while evidence for motion sickness is weak. Ginger tea is a pleasant, gentle option. Large amounts can cause heartburn or stomach upset, and supplements can interact with some medicines.

Peppermint

Peppermint is the food on this list with some of the strongest evidence, but in a specific form. A 2022 review of ten trials found peppermint oil capsules eased overall IBS symptoms and abdominal pain better than placebo, and a 2021 American College of Gastroenterology guideline recommends it for IBS. The evidence is for enteric-coated capsules, which release the oil in the intestine. Drops of oil stirred into water, as older articles suggest, are a different thing and can worsen heartburn. Peppermint tea is fine as a drink, but do not expect it to work like a treatment.

Bananas and beetroot

Bananas

Bananas are soft, easy to eat and rich in potassium, which is lost during diarrhoea. That is why they are often recommended when you are recovering from a stomach bug. They are not a "universal remedy" for diarrhoea, though. The most important step is replacing fluids, and oral rehydration solutions are better for this than food alone. Slightly green bananas also contain resistant starch, which feeds gut bacteria.

Beetroot

Beetroot provides fibre, folate and nitrates and is a nutritious vegetable to include. Claims that its betaine "heals" bloating, cramps and spasms have little evidence behind them. One harmless side effect worth knowing: beetroot can turn urine and stools pink or red for a day or two. That is normal, but blood in the stool is not, so if you are unsure, get it checked.

A correction on cod liver oil

Popular superfood lists have long claimed that less than a teaspoon of cod liver oil could cure inflammatory bowel disease. That is not true. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are long-term conditions that need medical treatment and follow-up, and no food or supplement cures them.

Cod liver oil does provide omega-3 fats and vitamin D, but it is also high in vitamin A. The NHS advises keeping total vitamin A from supplements to 1.5 mg a day or less, and not taking fish liver oil at all if you eat liver once a week. Too much vitamin A over many years may weaken bones, and pregnant women should check with a midwife or doctor before taking it. Oily fish such as salmon and sardines are a simpler way to get omega-3.

Common digestion myths

• "Detox" foods clean your gut. Your liver, kidneys and bowel do this work already. Fibre helps the bowel do its job; no food scrubs it clean.
• More fibre is always better. Adding too much too quickly can cause bloating and wind. Increase slowly and drink water alongside it.
• Spicy food damages the stomach. It does not for most people, but the NHS notes it can trigger heartburn or diarrhoea in some, and people with IBS may do better avoiding it.
• Fatty, fried meals are harmless if you are young. Greasy food is a common trigger for stomach pain and heartburn at any age.

When to talk to a doctor

Food can support a healthy gut, but it cannot replace medical care. Talk to a doctor if you notice a lasting change in your bowel habits, such as looser stools or more frequent trips to the toilet, blood in your stools or bleeding from the bottom, ongoing tummy pain or bloating, a lump in your abdomen, or unexplained weight loss. These symptoms usually have a harmless cause, but some can be signs of conditions such as bowel cancer that are much easier to treat when found early. Black or bloody stools need urgent advice, and heavy bleeding is an emergency.

Sources: NHS: Good foods to help your digestion; NCCIH: Peppermint oil; NCCIH: Ginger; NHS: Vitamin A; NHS: Bowel cancer symptoms. Original list via Healthdigezt and Organic Health.

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