Why diversity matters for your gut microbiome ?
Research suggests that having a wide array of microbes in our gut makes our microbiome more capable and resilient. Lower bacterial diversity has been observed in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease, psoriatic arthritis, type 1 diabetes, atopic eczema, coeliac disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and arterial stiffness.
Consequently, diversity seems to be a generally good indicator of a “healthy gut.” Some species of bacteria prefer certain foods over others, so we can influence the bacteria that live in our gut with the food we eat. As an example, if you only ate bananas all day, every day, you’d end up with a gut full of banana-loving bacteria !
One of the most interesting things that ‘The American Gut Project’ found is that when they looked at stool samples from over 10,000 citizen scientists from around the world (not just in the States) individuals who ate 30+ different types of plant-based foods per week had a more diverse mix of gut microbes than those who ate less than 10.
So it seems like 30 different plant -based foods per week is what a good number to aim for !
Here are my 5 simple top tips on how to get to 30 and more I reckon !
1.The mixed vegetables and fruits ‘mash’ : On your next shopping trip pick up a variety of different vegetables. When you get home chop all your veg in small portions and add some of each in freezer bags in preparation for the week ahead. You could use a mixture of carrots : red, orange and yellow, some greens : watercress, kale, cucumber, spinach and celery. The taste will depend on the combination that you choose. From experience if you add some beetroot and ginger the flavor is always good. In the morning you can grab one of the bag then put in your blender with some coconut water add a handful of mixed berries and whiz it all. Plant count : up to 15 already!
2. Instead of only buying frozen peas or broccoli , mix it up sometimes and go for mixed frozen vegetables . Plant count : up to 5
3. Instead of just one type of bean use mix canned beans and add to salads, soups, and stews. Plant count : up to 8
4 Use pouches of mixed grounded nuts and seeds such as https://linwoodshealthfoods.com/shop/?gclid=CjwKCAiAp4KCBhB6EiwAxRxbpIpoZSYktslCLu2Dx9-kIpS5nNN2PWIWV0__Kq3Mzq_jGOGacLjmaBoC8lAQAvD_BwE and add to your morning porridge or into some yogurt. Buy different bags and rotate. Plant count : up to 10- 15
5. Add mixed herbs to your cooking such as herbes de Provence which can contain dried thyme. Dried savory. Dried oregano. Dried rosemary. Dried marjoram. Dried parsley. Use when roasting some vegetables or with roasted tomatoes. use other combinations .Plant count : up to 6
You could also make a lovely pesto with fresh herbs : You could try a combination of Sage, thyme and cumin seeds about a handful (fresh). Grind these separately first to get them powdered as much as possible before adding 150ml of olive oil, also add some sea salt for taste. This makes a runny pesto that’s easy to spread over food. Keep the oil and herbs mixed in a jar at room temperature for a couple of days, after which you can keep them in the fridge. Make a couple of variations per week with different herbs so that you’re putting a variety of these therapeutic natural compounds into your gut. How do you serve them? Add 1-2 teaspoons of these raw pestos to salads or fish and cooked meat or roasted vegetables. Plant count : 4-5
During my 3 months Digestive reset plan https://gwengibson.co.uk/appointments-packages I will show more on how you can achieve a varied diet in order to fed your gut bugs. Get in touch if you would like some help with your digestion..