Our diet has a huge impact on the makeup of our GM and following a healthy, balanced diet is key – there are no fads here:
- Foods that alter the GM in a beneficial way are known as prebiotics. Fibre is one of the most important prebiotic foods for your GM and has been shown to increase GM diversity. However there can be some downsides to a high-fibre diet including increased gas and bloating which can be a problem for some people (gases are produced by the GM during their fibre feast). You want to aim for 25-35g of fibre per day
- Eat plenty of plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits and cereals because they’re high in fibre and have a positive effect on gut diversity
- Many dairy foods are excellent sources of natural pre- and probiotics g. live yogurt
- Fermented foods that contain “live cultures” e.g. kimchi, miso and kombucha are believed to increase GM diversity but these may be problematic for some with gut problems
- Keep animal fats and processed foods to a minimum as they have a negative effect on your GM
- Many forms of alcohol reduce GM diversity, although red wine in moderation has been shown to increase diversity
Are probiotics with the hype? There’s a huge amount of ongoing research and in the future we may find that particular probiotics are of benefit in certain situations or individuals, so-called ‘precision medicine’, but we aren’t there yet.
©The Gut Experts 2021
