Author: Kelly Hafner (DipNut, mBANT, rCNHC, mIFM)

There is no question that modern life is hard on gut health. From poor diet and stress to medications and environmental exposures, not to mention the recent widespread increase in the use of antimicrobial sanitisers the gut microbiome is faced with more challenges today than it was even just a few decades ago.

The microbes in our gut play a critical role in protecting us from disease through their influence on the immune system and research demonstrates the correlation between changes in the microbiome and the incidence of chronic disease. (a)

So, what can we do to support a healthy microbiome? In this article we will focus on improving 3 fundamental aspects of gut health:

1.       Microbiome diversity
2.       Integrity of the gut lining
3.       Inflammation

Fortunately, some key diet and lifestyle strategies can help to do just that.

Our Number One Rule for Better Gut Health

Diet is key to establishing and maintaining a healthy and diverse microbiome. We take a food-first approach and promote a diet filled with a variety of colourful plant-based foods (b) that are rich in both phytonutrients and fibre to encourage the growth of the good bacteria (and crowd out the not-so-good bacteria), support the gut barrier (bye-bye leaky gut) and reduce inflammation.

Eating for Your Microbiome

Phytonutrients

Phytonutrients are nutrients within plants that help to protect plants from their environment and give them their vibrant colours. These phytonutrients also confer powerful protection for our health (c). Over 25,000 different phytonutrients have been identified which is why it is important to consume a wide variety of colourful fruits and vegetables each day. These powerful compounds feed our good gut bacteria, support our immune system, reduce inflammation, mop up free-radical damage and we particularly love them for their ability to positively influence genetic expression (d).

Fibre

One important function of our good gut bacteria is to produce Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) from the fibre in our diet. SCFAs help to improve the integrity of the intestinal lining, regulate blood sugar and help to reduce constipation by improving transit time (e).

By improving the integrity of the gut lining we also reduce the circulation of lipopolysaccharides (LPS)  which are essentially toxic metabolic by-products of certain bacteria that enter the blood through a compromised gut barrier and contribute to systemic inflammation. Increased levels of LPS have been linked with many chronic diseases including obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer (f).

Most people don’t get near enough fibre, aim for 30 – 35grams per day but go slowly to give the body a chance to adjust (g).

Here are our Top 10 diet and lifestyle tips to support a healthy microbiome:

1. Be sure to enjoy your meals in a relaxed state (rest and digest). Taking a few deep breaths before meals can improve digestion and absorption.
2. Chew your food thoroughly to activate the digestive process and take unnecessary stress off the digestive system.
3. Consume prebiotic foods which are the primary fuel source for our good bacteria. Some examples include carrots, oats, green bananas, boiled and cooled new potatoes, asparagus, radish, flaxseeds, honey and dark chocolate.
4. Include fermented foods rich in probiotics such as kimchi, sauerkraut, live yoghurt, kefir and kombucha.
5. Consume a wide variety of colourful plant foods, including legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, whole grains, low glycaemic fruit (berries), and vegetables. We recommend 30+ different colourful plant foods per week.
6. Enjoy modest amounts of high-quality protein (organic, grass-fed meat and poultry, eggs, legumes, fermented tofu, nuts and seeds) and healthy fat (wild fish, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado).
7. Enjoy tea, herbs and spices such as garlic, rosemary, oregano and turmeric which have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.
8. Stay hydrated but limit fluid intake during meals as it dilutes the digestive enzymes required to properly digest and absorb your food.
9. Limit or avoid processed foods and foods high in added sugar and artificial sweeteners which feed the bad bacteria and increase the likelihood of dysbiosis and leaky gut.
10. Limit or avoid any foods to which you are sensitive, intolerant, or allergic. Some common examples are corn, dairy, eggs, fish and shellfish, peanuts, soy, tree nuts, and wheat (gluten).

Feel free to leave us a comment if you have any further questions.

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