What is the one thing that you can do this year such that by doing it you would make the biggest impact on your health?
Inspired by the book “The One Thing”* and after pondering this question, I have decided to “go small” this year (microscopic, in fact) with my New Year’s resolutions. And I hope I can inspire you to do the same.
As you well know, optimal health involves many aspects. But there is one that stands out for its ability to affect your health on so many different levels that it deserves to be top of your new year’s resolution list: your gut microbiome.
The microorganisms that are housed in our gut have been receiving a lot of attention in the past years and for good reason. Most health issues (including weight issues, allergies, immune disorders, brain fog, neurodegenerative diseases, eczema, migraines, arthritis and many more) have been connected, through research studies, to our gut microbiota.
The gastrointestinal (GIT) microbiome can be compared to an ecosystem that lives within us. It is made up of a large variety of different species that play a crucial role in supporting each other as well as our biological functions. You can compare it to the Amazon rainforest, which affects our entire planet’s climate. The human gut microbiota is considered an organ in its own right with an estimated weight of 1 to 2 kilograms and involvement in more biochemical reactions than our liver (and the liver has a LOT going on!).
There is still a lot to discover but what we know so far is that gut microbes are capable of sending signals to our brain and can therefore influence our memory, moods, and concentration. They modulate our immune system, support digestion and absorption. They produce neurotransmitters and vitamins as well as important substrates from the food we eat, such as butyrate, which helps with insulin sensitivity, energy production, metabolism and weight management (ever wondered why you can’t seem to lose weight..?).
The unfortunate fact is that we have collectively been destroying our inner ecosystem with the foods we eat (junk foods, processed & refined foods but also a monotonous diet or a restricted diet, which, even if otherwise comprised of healthy foods, can reduce microbiota diversity), our stressful lives, use of antibiotic and other medicine such as NSAIDS, proton pump inhibitors as well as exposure to toxins. As a result some microbial species are extinct or close to it and some of the pathogenic microbes have been allowed to overgrow just like weeds in a garden that hasn’t been tended to for a while. This is also known as gut dysbiosis, which can promote disease. Research has so far shown that a lack of microbial diversity in the gut can be linked to allergies & asthma in children, obesity and insulin resistance, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides and body-wide inflammation.
Fortunately, there are simple yet powerful things that you can do to help restore balance and promote the growth of diverse micro-organisms in your gut. While probiotics and fermented foods have so far been getting most of the attention in supporting the gut microbiome, it is important to realize that they only help to temporarily colonize the gut with beneficial bacteria. What is more important to is to focus on consistently providing the gut microbiota with a large variety of foods (=prebiotics) that promote growth of different species of beneficial bacteria.
Essentially, the more diversity in the food we eat, the more diverse (and healthy) our inner gut microbial ecosystem.
What you want to do is to include plenty of different plant-based wholefoods in your diet: somewhere in the region of 40+ different kinds per week.
Some of the very best gut microbiome supporting foods are:
Polyphenol rich foods.
Polyphenols are naturally occurring chemical compounds found in plants that are known for their anti-oxidant power. A small portion of polyphenols is absorbed in the small intestine, the rest travels down to the colon where they are broken down by gut bacteria into bioactive metabolites that have health promoting properties. Some rich sources are berries, plum, flax seeds, dark chocolate, black & green tea, apple, black & green grapes, spinach, pecan, prunes, olives, red onion, curcumin, pomegranate, hazelnut, almonds.
Prebiotic rich foods.
Prebiotics are the non-digestible compounds in plant-based foods that help beneficial bacteria to grow. There are a few different types, such as:
- Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). This is a type of carbohydrate that is found in foods such as Jerusalem artichokes, tubers, chicory roots, dandelion roots, garlic, onion, leeks, banana, and asparagus.
- Galactooligosaccharides (GOS). You find GOS in foods such as legumes, brassica family vegetables (such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, etc.), beetroot, rye sourdough bread, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.
Foods that are high in resistant starch.
Resistant starch is a type of starch that “resists” digestion and travels down to the colon where bacteria digest it, by way of fermentation thereby producing some beneficial Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs). Sources include common carbohydrates like rice and white potatoes that have been cooked and cooled (you must eat them cold to get the benefits). Green bananas, potato starch, legumes or tiger nuts are high in resistant starch as well.
Raw fruits and vegetables, nuts & seeds.
Research has shown that people who eat more raw vegetables and fruits and nuts and seeds have a higher gut microbiota diversity score.
But… hold on!
Before you go running to the farmer’s market to load up on “new” vegetables and fruits, there are a few things to be mindful of: many of my clients need some “prep” work before shifting into this kind of gut microbiome supporting, fiber-rich diet. This is either because they are dealing with underlying conditions that require a period of targeted gut healing or they need a short and targeted anti-microbial treatment to eradicate some pathogens before they can focus on restoring microbial diversity. If you feel this may be you, I would be happy to have a chat to see if I can help support your digestive healing process. You can set that up here.
So… make looking after your gut microbiome your One Thing for this year and you’ll be well on your way to a healthier you.
Happy New Year!
* Adapted from the line in the book “The One Thing – The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results” by Gary Keller
