How to feed your gut to fight illness and improve health
The ‘next big thing’ in health so often turns out to be just another quick fix that doesn’t work long-term, and many of us have learned to be sceptical. Good health, we’ve been made to believe, takes hard work, sacrifice and self-restraint – and there’s no such thing as a silver bullet. Except there is, kind of, and that’s taking care of your gut health.
Over the past decade there has been huge leaps in our understanding of how crucial our gut microbiota (our good gut bacteria) is to our overall health. The benefits of nourishing our microbes go way beyond weight management – from mood to skin to hormones and immunity, they are powerful little things.
Our microbiota typically alters with age, exposing us to an imbalance of our gut bacteria and the ensuing inflammation that’s the root of many chronic diseases. But it’s not a life sentence. We can dictate much of our gut diversity by how we treat it.
What our microbes love most of all is an abundant and diverse range of fibre. Where does that come from? Plants. Plant-based diversity is more than just a trend – it’s based on a groundbreaking scientific discovery.
A diet that lets you eat more
Research shows that we don’t have to go full blown vegan, or even vegetarian. However, there is credible evidence to suggest that we could all benefit from eating more plants, but that doesn’t necessarily have to mean only plants. There is no calorie counting here, no weighing and measuring, and no cutting out. Simply, aim for 30 different plants over the course of a week. It’s much easier than you think if you follow some easy hacks.
Why this target? The five-a-day rule can be a good place to start, but it totally ignores the trillions of microbes living in our gut. They all need different types of plants to flourish. So in saying eat more, it’s not just about quantity, but also variety. It’s easy to kid ourselves into thinking we eat a wide variety of foods when really we tend to stick to the same old favourites. It has become cheaper and easier to eat processed foods instead of feeding our gut microbes with the vast array of plants they – and we – need in order to thrive.
While an estimated 300,000 edible plant species are available to humans, more than half of our global energy needs are met by just four: rice, potatoes, wheat and maize. Many of us just reorder the same supermarket delivery, week in, week out. But our gut microbiota need us to shake it up a bit.
Tea, coffee and even dark chocolate count
The recommended daily intake of fibre is 30 grams in most countries. The average intake? Well under 20 grams. Our ancestors, on the other hand, used to clock up about 100 grams a day!
So, increasing your intake by 50% over time is a good place to start. If nothing else, but to get back up to national recommendations. To get 30 grams in a day, around three portions of wholegrains, two pieces of fruit, five portions of veg and one to two portions of nuts, seeds or legumes per day should do it. Upping your fibre by just 8 grams per day is linked with a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer and death from all causes.
Think ‘plants’ and you might immediately picture green veg and salads. But there’s a wealth of flavour and colour out there to enjoy: wholegrains (barley, oats, millet), fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes (beans and pulses), even herbs and spices (including tea and coffee) count. Refined plants such as fruit and vegetable juices and white grains don’t.
What if you’re just not that into plants? There are two things to consider here. First, every food can taste bad if it’s not prepped right. There’s a world of difference between soggy, overcooked broccoli and lightly steamed, crunchy florets roasted in soy sauce and garlic. Second, the way we perceive taste is influenced by a range of factors. Research shows you can train your taste buds by eating more of the foods you don’t (think you) like, particularly for more complex flavours.
Emotional eating? Blame your gut
Forget calories in and out, or restrictive diets that are low fat, low carb and so on. There’s a definite link between our gut and our metabolism. Our gut microbes and the chemicals they make when they digest the fibre we eat from plants can impact appetite. Essentially, they tell our body we’ve had enough. In turn, this halts the production of hunger hormones such as ghrelin, and increases the ‘I’m full’ hormones such as leptin. This likely explains why it’s often fibre intake, independent of calorie intake or type of diet, that results in healthier weight and greater dietary adherence. Other chemicals produced by our microbes are thought to target the reward network part of the brain, which influences our relationship with food and our tendency towards emotional eating.
In a nutshell, feed your gut microbes well and it’s likely to keep everything else in check. So step off the scales, put down the calorie-counting calculator and just eat more plants.
10 science-backed foods to boost your resistance to colds, flu and viruses
The following foods are filled with key nutrients to nourish your immune system:
Walnut
Garlic
Sun-exposed mushrooms (In summer, leave them on the windowsill to absorb sunlight).
Firm tofu
Carrots
Oranges
Wheat
Chia seeds
Turmeric
Broccoli
Immunity is powered by the gut. An impressive 70% of our immune cells actually reside in the gut, alongside our gut microbiota. The microbes teach our immune system what is worth reacting to (like disease-causing microbes) and what is safe (like proteins found in certain foods). So one of the best ways we can support our immunity is by supporting our gut microbiome.
Eight diversity hacks to get more plants into your diet
Swap crisps for a handful of toasted nuts or seeds.
If you’re making a fruit crumble, substitute a third of the flour with oats and another third with ground almonds.
Don’t just add kidney beans to your chilli; replace with mixed beans.
Switch your single piece of fruit for half a cup of mixed berries (fresh or frozen).
Every time you go to serve up a meal at home, stop and think, ‘What could I add?’ Every bit counts. Adding a simple green salad and eating it before meal will help both blood glucose spikes and nourish our gut microbes.
Stock up on frozen veg and fruit – so when you’ve got nothing fresh left, it doesn’t matter. For extra diversity, buy mixed bags of both.
No casserole, stew, risotto or pie is complete without one more vegetable than the recipe says – it can be as simple as adding a tin of lentils or chickpeas.
Make up a seed shaker and add a sprinkle to cereals, yoghurt, smoothies and salads, or eggs, avocado on toast, or soup.
Extracts taken from Dr. Megan Rossi from https://www.telegraph.co.uk