Which Foods Are Best For Feeding Your Gut Microbiome


You Should Consume A Larger Variety Of High-Quality Foods Because The Microorganisms In Your Gut Can Affect Your Mental Health, Heart Risk, Weight Gain, And Even Sleep.


Trillions Of Bacteria, Viruses, And Fungus That Reside Inside Your Stomach Are Fed Every Time You Eat. Do You, However, Feed Them The Correct Foods?


When It Comes To These Groups Of Microbes That Make Up Your Gut Microbiome, Or Microbiota, Scientists Used To Know Very Little. But A Rising Body Of Evidence Points To These Enormous Communities Of Bacteria As The Key To Your Health And Wellbeing, And Nutrition As One Of The Most Straightforward And Effective Methods To Shape And Nourish Them.


Numerous Enzymes, Hormones, Vitamins, And Other Metabolites That Affect Everything From Your Immune System And Mental Health To Your Risk Of Gaining Weight And Developing Chronic Diseases Are Produced By Our Gut Microorganisms As A Result Of The Foods We Eat, According To Studies.


By Creating Mood-Altering Neurotransmitters Like Serotonin, Which Affects Happiness, Hunger, And Sexual Desire, And Dopamine, Which Controls Motivation, Learning, And Pleasure, Gut Flora Can Even Have An Impact On Your Mental State. According To Several Recent Studies, The Make-Up Of Your Gut Microbiota May Even Affect How Well You Sleep.


However, An Unfavorable Microbial Concoction Can Produce Chemicals That Flood Your Bloodstream And Cause Plaque To Form In Your Coronary Arteries. Your Hunger, Blood Sugar Levels, Inflammation, And Risk Of Obesity And Type 2 Diabetes Can All Be Affected By The Hormones They Generate.


Your Diet, Environment, And Lifestyle Choices All Seem To Have A Considerably Greater Impact On The Composition Of Your Gut Microbiome Than Your Genes Do. In Actuality, The Impact Of Genes Is Quite Minimal. Even Identical Twins Only Have A Third Of The Same Gut Microorganisms In Common, According To Studies.


Your "Good" Bacteria Love Fibre And Variety.


Generally speaking, Researchers Have Discovered That The More Varied Your Food, The More Varied Your Gut Flora Will Be. According To Studies, A Diverse Microbiome Is Associated With Excellent Health, While A Less Diverse Microbiome Is Associated With Greater Incidences Of Obesity, Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, And Other Chronic Disorders.


According To Tim Spector, A Professor Of Genetic Epidemiology At King's College London And The Creator Of The British Gut Project, A Crowdsourced Initiative To Map Thousands Of Individual Microbiomes, Eating A Variety Of Fiber-Rich Plants And Nutrient-Dense Foods Appears To Be Particularly Advantageous.


Even If You Already Consume A Lot Of Fruits And Veggies, Spector Suggests Diversifying Your Weekly Diet With More Plant-Based Items. Increased Use Of Herbs And Spices Is One Quick Approach To Do This. For Your Salads, You Can Utilize A Variety Of Leafy Greens As Opposed To Just One Kind Of Lettuce. It's Beneficial For Your Microbiome To Eat More Nuts, Seeds, Beans, And Grains As Well As A Range Of Fruits And Vegetables In Your Stir-Fry.


These Plant-Based Foods Contain Soluble Fibre, Which Is Generally Undisturbed By Much Of Your Digestive System Until It Reaches The Large Intestine. There, It Is Devoured By Gut Microorganisms, Who Then Metabolize And Transform The Fibre Into Advantageous Substances Like Short Chain Fatty Acids, Which Can Reduce Inflammation And Support Blood Sugar And Hunger Regulation.


In One Study, Researchers Tracked More Than 1,600 Participants For Around Ten Years. They Discovered That Persons Who Eat The Most Fibre Also Had The Highest Levels Of Microbial Diversity. Over The Course Of The 10-Year Study, Which Was Reported In The International Journal Of Obesity, They Even Acquired Less Weight.


Junk Food Is A Haven For Colonies Of "Bad" Microorganisms.


The Ratio Of A Person's Beneficial Bacteria To Potentially Harmful Ones Is A Crucial Indicator Of Intestinal Health. Spector And A Group Of Scientists From Harvard, Stanford, And Other Universities Discovered Clusters Of "Good" Gut Microorganisms That Protected People Against Cardiovascular Disease, Obesity, And Diabetes In A Study Of 1,100 People In The United States And Britain Published Last Year In Nature Medicine. Additionally, "Bad" Microbe Clusters That Promoted Inflammation, Heart Disease, And Poor Metabolic Health Were Found.


While It Is Obvious That Consuming A Lot Of Fibre Is Beneficial For Your Microbiome, Research Indicates That Eating The Incorrect Foods Might Tip The Scales In Your Gut In Favor Of Microorganisms That Promote Disease.


The "Bad" Microorganisms Were More Prevalent In Those Who Consumed A Lot Of Highly Processed Meals, Which Are Low In Fibre And High In Additives Like Sugar, Salt, And Artificial Chemicals, According To A Study Published In Nature. It Also Includes Packaged Snacks Like Cookies, Candy Bars, And Potato Chips, As Well As White Bread And Pasta, Processed Meats, And Soft Drinks.


The Zoe Predict Study, The Largest Personalized Nutrition Study Ever Conducted, Served As The Foundation For The Conclusions. It Is Run By Zoe, A Health Science Business Spector And His Associates Founded That Charges Customers To Have Their Microbiomes Investigated.


Microbiome-Friendly Recipes


Increase Your Intake Of Spices, Nuts, Herbs, And Fermented Foods.


Set A Goal To Attempt To Eat About 30 Different Plant Foods Each Week Once You Start Expanding The Variety Of Plant Foods You Consume Every Day, Advises Spector. Although It May Seem Like A Lot, You Probably Already Consume Many Of These Things.


The Example Menu Demonstrates How You Can Easily Eat 30 Different Plant Foods In Only Three Meals Throughout The Course Of The Week.


  • Start One Morning With A Bowl Of Plain Yoghurt, Sliced Strawberries And Bananas, A Sprinkle Of Cinnamon, And A Large Handful Of Mixed Nuts (Containing Almonds, Pecans, Cashews, Hazelnuts And Peanuts). Meal Count: 8 Plant-Based Foods
  • Eat A Leafy Salad The Next Day That Includes At Least Two Types Of Mixed Greens, Tomatoes, Carrots, Broccoli, And Peppers. Grilled Chicken Or Fish Can Be Seasoned With Herbs De Provence, A Mixture That Normally Consists Of Six Herbs. 12 Plant Items Total In This Meal.
  • Eat Pesto-Seasoned Chicken Later In The Week With A Side Of Stir-Fried Vegetables With Green And Yellow Squash, Mushrooms, And Shallots, Along With A Dish Of Brown Rice With Onions And Kidney Beans. Pesto Is A Sauce Made Of Basil, Pine Nuts, And Garlic. Ten Plant Foods Total In This Meal.


Consuming Fermented Foods Like Yoghurt, Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Kombucha, And Kefir Is Another Approach To Feed Your Gut Bacteria. Probiotic Microorganisms, Which Are Found In Fermented Foods, Create Vitamins, Hormones, And Other Nutrients. They Can Strengthen Your Immune System And Diversify Your Gut Flora When You Eat Them, According To Maria Marco, A Professor Of Food Science And Technology At The University Of California, Davis Who Specializes In Studying Bacteria And Gut Health.


According To A Stanford University Study That Was Published In The Journal Cell Last Year, When Participants Were Given Fermented Foods To Eat Every Day For A Period Of 10 Weeks, Their Gut Microbial Diversity Grew And Their Levels Of Inflammation Decreased.


We're Getting A Lot Better At Understanding Why Bacteria Are So Beneficial To Us, Added Marco.