Gut health research has come a long way in recent years and has become a popular topic of conversation in the medical community, the health industry and social media. This is because it has been shown time and time again that our microbiome, or the bacteria that grow in our gut, are linked in a big way to many facets of our health such as our immunity, our mental health and our ability to maintain a healthy weight. If we have a wide variety of good bacteria and a low number of bad bacteria, we tend to feel better and live healthier. With rises in the number of people with conditions linked to poor gut health such as irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as those just generally struggling with bloating, reflux, gasiness and other general complaints, it is understandable why this has become such a relevant topic. So how do plants help our little gut bugs? Let’s find out!
Prebiotics
Micro-organisms in our guts feed on prebiotics, also known as soluble fibre. Many people know fibre as the insoluble form that helps push food through our gut and helps prevent us from becoming constipated but the soluble form of fibre is just as important for our gut health as it provides nourishment for our microbiome. When the good bacteria in our gut consume soluble fibre, they produce short chain fatty acids which have been shown in research to be very beneficial and can potentially reduce a person’s likelihood of becoming diabetic and becoming obese as well as reducing inflammation. Plant foods are an excellent source of prebiotics, with fruit, veg, grains, seeds and nuts all working to improve gut health and digestive function.
Variety is key
When aiming to improve our gut health, it is important to consume a wide variety of plant foods as they all contain different forms of fibre which feed different species of good bacteria and we know that the more different species of good bacteria in the gut, the better our gut health will be. The Irish Nutrition and Dietetics Institute (INDI) suggests consuming 30 different plant foods a week as a general rule and even has a challenge advertised on their website which I will leave linked below. This can seem difficult if you are a picky eater or just don’t consume that many fruits and veggies but it can be fun to try out new foods that you’ve never tried before. I’ve been trying this challenge for several weeks now and I only tried a kiwi for the first time in my life last week and I’ve been going through packets of them ever since they’re delicious! You never know what you could be missing out on and I think it’s always fun to broaden our horizons so it’s definitely one diet challenge I would recommend.
Fibre Fuel
80% of Irish people do not consume enough fibre in their diet. It is recommended that we consume 24-35g of fibre daily, which is difficult to do if you aren’t consuming enough fruits and veggies. As I’ve already discussed, fibre is essential for our good bacteria to grow and provide us with the benefits of a healthy gut so if your aim is to heal your gut and reduce your symptoms, this is an excellent place to start! No fancy supplement is going to heal your gut like a diet full of the diverse soluble fibre that we obtain from plant foods so lets work on increasing those powerful plants!
Links:
https://www.indi.ie/11-news/1458-the-30-different-plant-based-foods-per-week-challenge.html
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