Your DIGESTIVE SYSTEM keeps you healthy, protecting against everything from DIABETES to DEPRESSION, HEART DISEASE to CANCER, say HARVARD EXPERTS. In fact, 90% of diseases can be traced to the health of your "MICROBIOME" --the balance of HELPFUL MICROBES that keep your G.I. tract in the pink.

TO EASILY KEEP YOUR GUT HEALTHY--OR HEAL IT FAST:

1. FILL UP ON FIBER!

NINE IN TEN (10) OF US DON'T ACHIEVE THE FDA OF 25 GRAMS OF FIBER! "FIBER is the primary energy source for the beneficial microorganisms in the gut, so if you're not eating a high-fiber diet, you're essentially starving the gut microbiome.," preventing the proper absorption of essential vitamins and minerals, says Joel Fuhrman, M.D., president of the Nutritional Foundation. In fact, The Journals of Gerontology reports that folks who take in the most fiber are 79% more likely to avoid age-related heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancer than those who take in the least. Dr. Fuhrman advises filling up on "G-BOMBS," an acronym for the most important foods to eat every day: green veggies, beans, onions or garlic, mushrooms, berries and seeds or nuts.

2. SIP CRANBERRY JUICE!

You know how important the PROBIOTICS in foods like yogurt are for a healthy gut. Well, PREBIOTICS are even more essential! "PREBIOTICS 'feed' a healthy microbiome," explains Dr. Fuhrman--and cranberry does it best!

Sip 2 oz. of unsweetened cranberry juice daily.

3. SUPERCHARGE YOUR SALAD!

Mom was right to tell you to eat your broccoli, but for a different reason than she knew. "Cruciferous vegetables--which include kale and cauliflower--are especially nourishing for your gut," Dr. Fuhrman says. "Plus they're rich in anti-cancer compounds."

His Rx: Eat a salad every day made with cruciferous veggies and spinach, which contain an enzyme that metabolizes sugars in the gut to help fend off a variety of diseases.

4. AVOID ASPARTAME!

SUGAR is a MAJOR culprit in feeding "BAD" gut bacteria--and artificial sweeteners, like ASPARTAME and SACCHARIN, do just as much harm, if not more! "These low-calorie sweeteners disrupt the balance and diversity of gut microbiota," says gastroenterologist James J. Lee, M.D., and they affect "good" gut bacteria in ways that worsen blood-sugar control!

Try STEVIA; the herbal sugar substitute has no negative impact on the gut.

- Kallie E. Kristensen