Introduction
Many of us in the UK have reached for a blender in the hope of transforming our daily wellbeing. Whether it is a vibrant green drink grabbed on the way to the morning commute or a berry-packed blend designed to soothe a sluggish digestive system, smoothies are frequently celebrated as a convenient wellness shortcut. Yet for many people dealing with mystery digestive symptoms, such as post-breakfast bloating, unexpected cramps, or unpredictable bowel habits, that wholesome morning drink can sometimes leave them feeling worse rather than better.
This raises an important question: are smoothies good for gut health, or can they inadvertently disrupt our delicate digestive tract?
The short answer is that smoothies can be remarkably beneficial for your digestive microbiome, but their impact depends entirely on what you put into the blender, how you prepare it, and how your individual body handles liquid nutrition. A well-constructed blend can deliver an array of essential prebiotic fibres, healthy fats, and polyphenols to nourish beneficial gut bacteria. Conversely, a drink laden with high-fructose syrups, inflammatory emulsifiers, or an overwhelming volume of rapid-release sugars can easily overburden your digestive system.
This article explores the physiology of how smoothies interact with your gut, highlights the most gut-supportive ingredients, examines why certain recipes trigger discomfort, and outlines practical recipes and strategies to keep your digestion calm. For further reading, explore this guide to improving gut health.
At Blue Horizon, we believe that navigating digestive health requires seeing the full clinical picture rather than relying on quick fixes. We advocate a calm, phased approach: start by speaking to your GP to rule out underlying medical conditions, maintain a structured symptom and lifestyle diary, and consider targeted blood testing only when you need a clear snapshot of broader markers such as inflammation, thyroid function, or micronutrient levels to support an informed conversation with your healthcare provider.
The Science: How Smoothies Interact with Your Digestive System
To understand whether blended drinks support digestive wellness, it helps to examine how the gastrointestinal tract processes liquids, solids, and dietary fibres.
Blending versus Juicing: The Fibre Distinction
A frequent point of confusion is the physiological difference between juicing and blending.
When you juice whole fruits and vegetables, the mechanical process strips away the structural plant walls, discarding the fibrous pulp and leaving behind water, micronutrients, and easily absorbable free sugars. Without fibre to slow gastric emptying, juiced liquids enter the small intestine rapidly, often driving sharp spikes in blood glucose and delivering minimal nourishment to the micro-organisms residing further down in the large bowel.
Blending, on the other hand, pulverises the whole fruit, vegetable, seed, or nut. The physical fibre remains inside the drink. While the blender blades mechanically break down the insoluble cellular structures into smaller particles, the nutritional matrix of soluble and insoluble fibre remains intact.
Key Takeaway: Blending retains the complete fibre profile of whole foods, ensuring that the plant matrix reaches the large intestine to support regular transit and nourish beneficial microbes.
The Role of Dietary Fibres and Prebiotics
Dietary fibre is not a single compound; it is an umbrella term for a diverse family of complex carbohydrates that human digestive enzymes cannot break down in the upper gut. When these fibres reach the colon intact, they become fuel for the trillions of bacteria, fungi, and micro-organisms that make up the gut microbiome.
There are three primary categories of fibre relevant to smoothie preparation:
- Soluble Fibre: Found in foods such as oats, chia seeds, and berries, soluble fibre dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance. It slows gastric transit, helps stabilise blood sugar absorption, and softens the stool.
- Insoluble Fibre: Found in leafy greens, vegetable skins, and seeds, insoluble fibre adds bulk to digestive waste and helps stimulate peristalsis (the rhythmic muscular contractions of the bowel).
- Prebiotic Fibre and Resistant Starch: Specific types of non-digestible carbohydrates, such as inulin from chicory or resistant starch from unripe green bananas, that selectively stimulate the growth of health-promoting bacteria.
Microbial Fermentation and Short-Chain Fatty Acids
When your resident gut microbes ferment these prebiotic fibres, they produce vital metabolic byproducts known as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), primarily acetate, propionate, and butyrate.
Butyrate serves as the primary fuel source for the epithelial cells lining the colon, helping to maintain a tight, robust gut barrier. Acetate and propionate travel into the bloodstream, where they play complex roles in modulating systemic inflammation, metabolic health, and immune signalling. A diverse intake of plant fibres through whole foods and well-balanced blends directly supports SCFA production, fostering a resilient gut environment.
Are Smoothies Always Beneficial for the Gut?
While the theoretical benefits of blended plant foods are clear, real-world digestion is rarely one-size-fits-all. Smoothies carry both clear therapeutic strengths and potential digestive pitfalls.
The Clear Advantages
When designed with gut physiology in mind, smoothies offer several distinct benefits:
- Plant Diversity: Leading microbiome researchers highlight the importance of consuming at least thirty distinct plant varieties per week to foster microbial richness. Smoothies offer an effortless vehicle to combine leafy greens, berries, seeds, herbs, and roots in a single portion.
- A Vehicle for Cultured Foods: Smoothies provide a convenient base for incorporating fermented dairy or non-dairy products, such as traditional kefir or live natural yoghurt, which deliver live, active bacterial cultures directly to the digestive tract.
- Cellular Hydration: Proper hydration is essential for mucosal lining integrity and smooth bowel transit. Smoothies combine fluid and electrolytes (such as potassium and magnesium) naturally bound within whole plant tissues.
- Gentle Mechanical Breakdown: For individuals recovering from temporary illness or those with sluggish digestion, blending partially pre-digests plant walls, reducing the mechanical burden on the stomach while retaining nutrient density.
The Potential Drawbacks
Despite these advantages, smoothies can sometimes trigger uncomfortable digestive complaints:
- Rapid Consumption and the Cephalic Phase: Digestion begins in the brain and mouth. Chewing stimulates salivary amylase and signals the stomach to secrete hydrochloric acid and gastric enzymes. Drinking a dense 500ml smoothie in two minutes bypasses this oral mastication phase, which can lead to poorly buffered nutrients arriving too rapidly in the stomach.
- Osmotic Sugar Overload: Smoothies made predominantly from sweet fruit juices, dates, syrups, and multiple high-sugar fruits deliver a sudden concentration of fructose. In sensitive individuals, unabsorbed fructose draws excess water into the lumen of the small bowel via osmosis, resulting in sudden bloating, cramping, and loose stools.
- FODMAP Stacking: FODMAPs (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols) are short-chain carbohydrates that ferment rapidly. Combining several high-FODMAP ingredients in one glass—such as an apple, a ripe mango, honey, and cashew butter—can overwhelm your digestive capacity, causing rapid gas production.
- Industrial Additives in Packaged Ingredients: Store-bought smoothies, commercial plant milks, and flavoured protein powders often contain synthetic emulsifiers (such as polysorbate-80, carboxymethylcellulose, or xanthan gum) and artificial sweeteners. Clinical research suggests that certain emulsifiers may thin the protective mucus layer of the gut lining and alter microbial balance when consumed regularly.
Key Ingredients for a Gut-Supporting Smoothie
Building a smoothie that nurtures rather than irritates your digestive system requires choosing whole, minimally processed ingredients with specific functional roles.
1. High-Fibre, Low-Fructose Plant Bases
Rather than relying purely on sweet fruit, balance your blend with nutrient-dense vegetables and low-sugar fruits:
- Dark Leafy Greens: Spinach, Swiss chard, and baby kale provide lutein, folate, and insoluble fibre to support intestinal motility.
- Avocado: Half an avocado adds six to seven grams of fibre alongside heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. These healthy fats slow gastric emptying, preventing sharp blood sugar spikes and aiding the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K).
- Low-Sugar Berries: Wild blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are rich in polyphenols—micronutrients that act as natural antioxidants and selectively feed beneficial species such as Akkermansia muciniphila.
2. Targeted Prebiotic and Resistant Starch Sources
Incorporating specialised starches provides fuel for deep colonic fermentation:
- Green Banana Flour or Unripe Bananas: Rich in type-2 resistant starch, which passes undigested through the small intestine to generate high concentrations of butyrate in the colon.
- Milled Flaxseed and Chia Seeds: These seeds are exceptional sources of soluble mucilage fibre, which forms a soothing gel that coats the digestive lining and helps maintain comfortable, regular bowel movements.
- Whole Rolled Oats: A small handful of soaked oats delivers beta-glucan, a soluble fibre shown to support metabolic balance and healthy microbial ecosystems.
3. Fermented and Probiotic Additions
Adding live cultured ingredients directly enhances the microbial diversity of your drink:
- Traditional Kefir: A fermented milk or water drink containing dozens of distinct probiotic strains of bacteria and yeasts. Kefir has been shown to support gut mucosal immunity and improve lactose digestion.
- Live Natural Yoghurt: Unsweetened Greek or traditional natural yoghurt provides bioavailable protein, calcium, and strains such as Lactobacillus acidophilus.
4. Clean Protein and Epithelial Support
Protein helps stabilise blood glucose levels and supplies the amino acids necessary to repair the intestinal mucosa:
- Clean Single-Ingredient Protein Powders: Opt for unflavoured pea, hemp, pumpkin seed, or pure whey isolate powders that are completely free from artificial sweeteners, gums, and thickeners.
- L-Glutamine: This non-essential amino acid serves as a primary energy substrate for enterocytes (the cells making up the lining of the small intestine), supporting healthy mucosal barrier function.
- Hydrolysed Collagen Peptides: Collagen provides glycine and proline, amino acids fundamental to connective tissue maintenance throughout the gastrointestinal tract.
5. Gut-Friendly Liquids
Choose clean liquid bases that do not contain unnecessary thickeners or hidden sugars:
- Filtered water or pure mineral water.
- Pure coconut water (without added sugar or preservatives).
- Additive-free plant milks (check the label to ensure the only ingredients are water, the nut/grain/seed, and a pinch of sea salt).
- Fresh herbal teas brewed and chilled, such as peppermint, ginger, or chamomile.
Common Pitfalls: Why Your Smoothie Might Be Causing Bloating
If you drink smoothies regularly but frequently experience bloating, fullness, or altered bowel habits, one of the following physiological factors may be at play:
Aerophagia (Swallowing Air)
High-speed blenders whip substantial volumes of air into the mixture, creating a foamy texture. When you drink this foam quickly through a straw, you ingest that air directly into your stomach (aerophagia), leading to upper abdominal distension and belching.
Practical tip: Blend on low speed for the final ten seconds to settle the foam, tap the blender jug firmly on the worktop before pouring, and skip the straw in favour of sipping slowly from an open glass.
Temperature Shock and Gastric Motility
Pouring an ice-cold, frozen-fruit concoction straight into an empty stomach can cause temporary cramping or slow down gastric motility in individuals with sensitive digestive tracts. Cold temperatures cause blood vessels in the stomach wall to constrict slightly, which can delay normal enzymatic activity.
Practical tip: Use room-temperature liquids, allow frozen ingredients to thaw for five to ten minutes before blending, or include warming digestive spices such as freshly grated ginger or ground cinnamon.
Introducing Fibre Too Fast
If your baseline diet has been relatively low in dietary fibre, suddenly drinking a dense smoothie containing fifteen grams of complex fibre can overwhelm your resident gut bacteria. The sudden influx causes rapid bacterial fermentation and substantial gas production before your microbiome has had time to adapt.
Practical tip: Start small. Begin with a single teaspoon of chia seeds and a small handful of spinach, gradually increasing the volume and diversity of fibrous ingredients over several weeks.
Liquid Ingredient Checklist
To ensure your smoothie supports digestive comfort, consider using this simple checklist when shopping for ingredients:
- Does the plant milk contain only the base ingredient (e.g. almonds, oats) and water, without carrageenan, guar gum, or added oils?
- Is the yoghurt or kefir unsweetened and unflavoured?
- Is the protein powder free from artificial sweeteners (such as sucralose, acesulfame K, or high-dose polyols)?
- Are the fruits balanced with vegetables and healthy fats to moderate the glycaemic response?
Five Gut-Nourishing Smoothie Combinations
Here are five balanced recipes designed to support microbial diversity, provide soothing soluble fibre, and minimise digestive stress.
1. The Soothing Prebiotic Green Blend
This recipe combines gentle leafy greens with resistant starch and healthy fats to provide long-lasting satiety and colonic fuel without overloading on fructose.
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach
- ½ small ripe avocado
- ½ green (unripe) banana or 1 teaspoon green banana flour
- 1 tablespoon milled flaxseed
- 1 scoop unflavoured pea protein or collagen peptides
- 200ml additive-free almond milk or filtered water
- A thumb-sized piece of fresh peeled ginger
Method: Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 60 seconds, reduce speed to low for 10 seconds to dissipate air bubbles, and serve at cool room temperature.
2. The Probiotic Berry & Kefir Cooler
A vibrant blend rich in anthocyanin polyphenols and live bacterial cultures to support the mucosal lining and digestive microbiome.
- ¾ cup plain, unsweetened whole-milk or coconut kefir
- ½ cup wild blueberries (fresh or partially thawed)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds (soaked in 3 tablespoons of water for 10 minutes)
- 1 small handful of fresh mint leaves
- 100ml pure coconut water
- A pinch of ground Ceylon cinnamon
Method: Combine the soaked chia seeds, kefir, coconut water, mint, cinnamon, and berries. Blend until smooth. Sip mindfully.
3. The Gentle Gut-Restorative Blend
Designed for sensitive days when digestion feels delicate and you want easily digestible, warming nutrition.
- ½ cup steamed and cooled courgette (creates a creamy texture without fruit sugars)
- ½ small banana
- 1 scoop unflavoured collagen peptides or hydrolysed rice protein
- 1 teaspoon L-glutamine powder
- 1 tablespoon almond butter (100% pure, no palm oil)
- 200ml warm-brewed chamomile tea, allowed to cool to room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Method: Blend all ingredients until velvety. The soothing chamomile and L-glutamine provide gentle nutritional support for intestinal mucosal integrity.
4. The Daily Fibre & Polyphenol Powerhouse
Formulated to help you reach your weekly plant-diversity goals using a wide spectrum of functional seeds and greens.
- 1 cup chopped Swiss chard or baby kale (stems removed)
- ½ cup fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1 tablespoon whole rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon hemp hearts
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh turmeric root (with a tiny pinch of black pepper)
- 200ml unsweetened oat milk or water
Method: Add ingredients to the blender, blend thoroughly until the seeds and greens are fully integrated, and enjoy slowly as a midday snack.
5. The Low-FODMAP Digestive Calmer
Specially tailored for individuals prone to significant bloating or gas after eating standard high-fructose fruits.
- 1 cup firm, unripe banana slices
- ½ cup fresh strawberries
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 150ml lactose-free kefir or unsweetened almond milk
- 50ml water
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
Method: Blitz on high until completely smooth. This blend keeps fermentable oligosaccharides and excess fructose low while maintaining excellent fibre and micronutrient content.
Beyond the Blender: The Blue Horizon Phased Approach
While optimising your morning smoothie is a sensible, practical lifestyle step, chronic or persistent digestive symptoms should never be managed in isolation. Digestive symptoms—such as persistent bloating, irregular bowel movements, unexplained fatigue, skin flare-ups, or brain fog—are complex signals from your body that require structured clinical evaluation.
At Blue Horizon, we advocate a clear, doctor-led three-step journey to understand what your body is experiencing:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ THE BLUE HORIZON METHOD │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Step 1: Consult Your GP │
│ Rule out formal gastrointestinal and endocrine pathologies │
│ │
│ Step 2: Structured Self-Tracking │
│ Record symptoms, food intake, sleep, and lifestyle habits │
│ │
│ Step 3: Targeted Blood Testing │
│ Obtain a comprehensive clinical snapshot to guide care │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 1: Consult Your GP First
If you are experiencing persistent changes in your bowel habits, constant abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, or persistent lethargy, your very first step must always be an appointment with your NHS GP.
Your doctor will evaluate your symptoms and perform essential clinical rule-outs. Depending on your presentation, a GP can investigate conditions such as coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis), chronic infections, or bowel malignancies.
Safety Warning: If you ever experience sudden and severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, black or bloody stools, unexplained rapid weight loss, or difficulty swallowing, you should seek urgent medical attention via your GP surgery, NHS 111, or your local A&E department.
Step 2: Structured Lifestyle Tracking
If primary medical conditions have been ruled out, the next step is systematic observation. Instead of making random, restrictive dietary changes, maintain a calm, written diary for two to three weeks:
- Symptom Timing: Note exactly when symptoms occur relative to meals (e.g. immediate upper bloating versus lower bowel discomfort four hours later).
- Meal Context: Record how quickly you consumed your food or smoothie, whether you were stressed, and whether you sat down to eat.
- Lifestyle Inputs: Track your sleep quality, daily hydration, physical activity levels, and resting stress.
- Transit Patterns: Note the consistency and frequency of your bowel habits using the standard Bristol Stool Chart.
This objective data allows you and your healthcare professional to identify whether specific habits—such as drinking icy smoothies on an empty stomach under high work stress—are contributing to functional gut disturbances.
Step 3: Targeted Blood Testing as a Clinical Snapshot
Sometimes, despite eating a fibre-rich diet and drinking nutritious smoothies, you might still feel run-down, bloated, or exhausted. In these instances, private blood testing can provide a valuable, structured snapshot of your internal physiology to support a more informed discussion with your GP.
A routine diet may fall short if underlying systemic processes are affecting nutrient absorption, metabolism, or tissue recovery. Key areas where blood testing provides clarity include:
- Thyroid Function and Metabolism: An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) directly slows down gastrointestinal motility, leading to chronic constipation, abdominal bloating, dry skin, and fatigue. Standard NHS testing often evaluates Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) in isolation. However, looking at Free T4 and Free T3 (the active hormone that drives cellular metabolism) provides a clearer picture of metabolic activity.
- Essential Cofactors and Autoimmune Markers: Thyroid performance is closely linked to cofactors like magnesium and cortisol, as well as autoimmune markers such as Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOAb) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb). For example, elevated cortisol from chronic stress can inhibit digestive enzyme production and alter the gut barrier.
- Nutritional Reserves: If the gut lining is inflamed or sluggish, absorbing micronutrients can be compromised. Assessing Ferritin (stored iron), Active Vitamin B12, Folate, and Vitamin D (25-OH) helps verify whether your body is absorbing the nutrients you consume.
- Systemic Inflammatory Markers: High-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (CRP) provides an objective measurement of baseline systemic inflammation.
For those seeking a comprehensive review, Blue Horizon offers tiered testing options arranged to provide clear choices:
- Bronze Tier: A focused panel providing the base thyroid markers (TSH, Free T4, Free T3) alongside Blue Horizon Extras: Magnesium and Cortisol. These cofactors help evaluate how stress and mineral balance may be influencing your energy and metabolic pace. You can explore the Thyroid Premium Bronze profile for more details.
- Silver Tier: Includes everything in the Bronze tier, while adding Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOAb) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb) to check for autoimmune thyroid activity. The Thyroid Premium Silver test is designed for this antibody-focused option.
- Gold Tier: Builds upon the Silver tier by adding a broader health and nutritional snapshot: Ferritin, Folate, Active Vitamin B12, Vitamin D (25-OH), and CRP. This tier is particularly helpful for individuals wanting to assess both thyroid function and core nutrient reserves simultaneously. View the Thyroid Premium Gold profile for the full details.
- Platinum Tier: Our most comprehensive profile, incorporating everything in Gold plus Reverse T3, HbA1c (for long-term blood sugar regulation), and a full iron panel (Iron, Transferrin Saturation, TIBC, and UIBC). The Thyroid Premium Platinum test provides the most detailed option in this range.
Bronze, Silver, and Gold profiles can be completed conveniently at home using a microtainer fingerprick sample, a Tasso home collection device, or via a clinic visit or nurse home visit. Because the Platinum panel requires a professional venous blood draw, it is completed via a clinic appointment or a home visit from a qualified nurse. For all thyroid-related panels, we generally recommend taking your sample at 9am to align with natural diurnal hormone fluctuations.
You can compare the available options through the full thyroid blood tests collection. It is essential to remember that private blood tests are not a replacement for medical diagnosis or clinical care; rather, they provide high-quality data to help you and your GP make targeted, well-informed decisions about your health.
Practical Steps to Optimise Your Daily Smoothie
To ensure your blended drinks actively support your digestion without causing discomfort, implement these practical guidelines:
- Aim for a 70:30 Vegetable-to-Fruit Ratio: Prioritise leafy greens, courgettes, cucumber, and avocados over high-fructose fruits. Use half a cup of antioxidant-rich berries or half a green banana for natural sweetness.
- Incorporate Healthy Fats and Clean Proteins: Adding healthy fats (chia seeds, flaxseeds, avocado, nut butters) and pure protein powders slows down the absorption of carbohydrates, ensuring steady energy levels and supporting gut lining repair.
- Chew Your Smoothie: This might sound counterintuitive, but swishing your smoothie around your mouth for a second or two before swallowing stimulates salivary enzymes, preparing your stomach and pancreas for smooth digestion.
- Keep It at Room Temperature: Avoid packing your blender with excessive ice cubes. Use room-temperature liquids and slightly thawed fruit to avoid shocking your stomach.
- Watch the Speed: Finish your blending cycle on low speed to allow air bubbles to escape, and drink from an open glass rather than a straw to reduce swallowed air.
Conclusion
Smoothies can be a fantastic, nutrient-dense tool for promoting gut health, delivering essential prebiotic fibres, protective polyphenols, and beneficial live cultures in an easily accessible format. However, they are not an automatic cure-all. When packed with excessive fruit sugars, industrial additives, or consumed too quickly, they can easily contribute to bloating and digestive distress.
By adopting an intentional approach—selecting clean, whole-food ingredients, balancing fibres with healthy fats and proteins, and sipping mindfully—you can turn your daily blend into a powerful ally for your digestive microbiome.
If you continue to experience mystery digestive symptoms, low energy, or discomfort despite eating well, remember to take a structured, phased approach. Speak with your GP to investigate any underlying conditions, keep an objective symptom and lifestyle log, and consider comprehensive blood testing when you need a clear metabolic and nutritional snapshot. Understanding your body from the inside out is the most reliable way to achieve lasting, vibrant health. The Blue Horizon blood test guide explains the ordering and testing process in more detail.
FAQ
Can drinking smoothies every day cure my gut issues?
No single food or drink can cure chronic digestive issues. While a well-balanced smoothie provides beneficial prebiotic fibre, healthy fats, and micronutrients that support a diverse microbiome, it cannot replace medical diagnosis or comprehensive treatment. If you experience persistent bloating, pain, or altered bowel habits, you should consult your GP to identify the root cause rather than attempting to self-treat with dietary changes alone.
Why do green smoothies make me feel bloated?
Green smoothies can trigger bloating for several reasons. High-speed blending can introduce trapped air into the liquid, leading to swallowed air (aerophagia). Furthermore, if your digestive tract is not accustomed to high amounts of raw, insoluble fibre from greens such as kale or spinach, your resident bacteria may produce excess gas as they ferment it. Drinking very cold smoothies quickly can also disrupt normal stomach contractions. Try reducing the portion size, blending on low speed to settle foam, and sipping slowly at room temperature.
Is it better to drink a smoothie on an empty stomach or with a meal?
For most people, drinking a balanced smoothie on its own as a light breakfast or snack is completely fine, provided it contains healthy fats and protein to prevent a sharp spike in blood sugar. However, if you have a particularly sensitive digestive tract, consuming a nutrient-dense, cold liquid on a completely empty stomach can sometimes trigger rapid gastric emptying or mild cramping. In such cases, having a small portion alongside solid food or ensuring your blend is served at room temperature can help.
Are fruit smoothies bad for gut bacteria because of natural sugars?
Whole fruits contain beneficial vitamins, water, and prebiotic fibres that nourish gut bacteria. However, smoothies that rely heavily on multiple high-sugar fruits (such as mangoes, dates, and grapes) or fruit juices deliver a concentrated dose of fructose. If consumed in large amounts or drunk very quickly, unabsorbed fructose can ferment rapidly in the large bowel, causing discomfort, and may promote the growth of less desirable bacterial species. Balancing low-sugar fruits, like berries, with vegetables, seeds, and healthy fats is much more supportive for your gut.
