TPV FITNESS BLOG
Foods to Avoid for Inflammation and Poor Gut Health
This month is our Gut Health Challenge!
We’re focusing on simple, effective ways to support your digestion, reduce inflammation, and boost overall wellness—starting with what’s on your plate. Your gut health plays a major role in everything from energy levels to immune function to mood, and inflammation is often the root of chronic discomfort and disease.
So let’s start strong. Here are the top foods to avoid if you’re looking to reduce inflammation and support a healthy gut.
1. Ultra-Processed Foods
Packaged snacks, frozen meals, deli meats, and fast food often contain additives, preservatives, and artificial ingredients that disrupt the gut microbiome. They’re also typically loaded with refined sugars and unhealthy fats—both of which drive inflammation.
Tip: If you can’t pronounce it on the label, your gut likely doesn’t want it!
2. Refined Carbohydrates
White bread, pastries, white rice, and sugary cereals spike blood sugar levels and lack the fibre your gut needs to thrive. These foods feed the “bad” bacteria in your digestive tract and starve the good ones.
Swap it: Choose whole grains like quinoa, oats, brown rice, and sprouted breads.
3. Added Sugars
Sugar feeds harmful gut bacteria and contributes to bloating, gas, and gut imbalance. It’s also a well-known trigger for systemic inflammation when consumed regularly.
Watch out: Sugar hides in ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, and dextrose.
4. Trans Fats and Refined Seed Oils
Trans fats (found in processed snacks and baked goods) and highly refined oils like soybean, corn, and sunflower oil can increase inflammation and damage cell health.
Choose instead: Extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil.
5. Conventional Red and Processed Meats
Regular consumption of processed meats like bacon, sausages, and deli meats has been linked to gut issues and chronic inflammation.
Better choice: Grass-fed meats, lean poultry, or plant-based protein sources like lentils and chickpeas.
6. Excessive Alcohol
I know, I know, you don’t want to hear this, but alcohol irritates the gut lining, disrupts your microbiome, and raises inflammation markers—especially with regular or binge drinking.
Gut-friendly tip: Cut back or try alcohol-free alternatives, even for just a few weeks.
7. Artificial Sweeteners
Found in many “diet” or low-calorie products, sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin can negatively impact your gut bacteria and glucose metabolism.
Natural swaps: Try monk fruit, stevia, or raw honey in moderation.
Let’s Support Our Gut—Together!
During this month’s Gut Health Challenge, focus on eating more real, whole foods: colorful fruits and veggies, fermented foods like yogurt and kimchi, plenty of water, and foods high in fibre. What you avoid matters just as much as what you include—and small changes can lead to big improvements.
-Coach Steph.
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