Eat your way to a happy gut
Your gut microbiome, the community of bacteria and other microbes that make a home in your digestive tract, influences many aspects of health, from digestion and immune function to heart and brain health.
We know that healthy guts tend to have a broad diversity of healthy microbes, and that we can support that diversity by eating a wide range of plant foods.
People who eat 30 or more plant varieties each week have greater microbial diversity in their guts than people who eat fewer than 10 plant varieties a week, according to the American Gut Project — an ongoing research endeavor based at the University of California San Diego, which has recruited more than 10,000 volunteers in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. The project’s scientists are studying how diet, lifestyle and health status affect microbial diversity.
At first, 30 plant types may sound like a LOT. I promise, it’s not. It’s quite doable when you pay attention and get curious about incorporating new foods.
Can you identify the 9+ plants in this zesty Buddha bowl? (Don’t forget the sesame seeds!)
I’ve always encouraged my clients to eat 8-12 servings of vegetables each day (1 serving = 1/2 cup of most raw veggies and 1 cup of raw leafy greens). Eating all those veggies, we’re better able to hit targets for the fiber, vitamins and minerals we need to be healthy. But many folks find it challenging to eat that many vegetables. (I can help you do this!)
However, when we talk about feeding our gut microbes, it’s variety that we’re after more than quantity. Vegetables, fruit, nuts & seeds, beans and other legumes, whole grains, herbs & spices.
A garnish of chopped cilantro on your soup. A sprinkle of sunflower seeds on a salad. A dish seasoned with turmeric, cumin and garlic. Each of these examples is its own plant. So you can see that it’s quite doable to consume 10 plant types in just one meal! (See recipe ideas below.)
Plus, when you focus on variety, reaching those 8-12 servings of vegetables becomes much easier!
How does plant variety and diversity of microbes help us?
Our gut bacteria work their magic by gobbling up fiber and polyphenols — the colorful compounds that give foods like blueberries, bell peppers, tomatoes, beets and carrots their distinctive bright colors.
Various types of fiber and polyphenols are the food for different gut microbes. (Eating high-fiber and colorful foods is part of my gut repair plan.)
When bacteria consume fiber and polyphenols, they create beneficial compounds such as conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, and short-chain fatty acids, or SCFAs.
The American Gut volunteers who reported eating 30+ plants per week were also found to have more CLA and SCFAs in their bodies. Here’s how they help:
• CLA supports weight loss and is possibly protective against cancer and atherosclerosis, or narrowing of arteries that raises the risk for heart disease and stroke
• SCFAs are anti-inflammatory, and have positive effects on immune function. They have both preventative and therapeutic benefits with many diseases and health conditions, including obesity, cardiovascular health, liver disease, diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases, digestive issues, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and others.
On your next grocery trip, pick out a fruit or vegetable that’s new to you or that you haven’t prepared in a while.
How to eat 30 plants
Start with one or two of the tips below to boost your plant variety.
Eat a mix of leafy greens. Arugula and kale this week, chard and romaine next week. Or buy a bag of mixed leafy greens, which often contain 3+ varieties
Switch up your berry routine. Blueberries are wonderful, but so are raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. Not in season? Buy them frozen
Each week, buy 2-3 different vegetables to snack on. Examples: carrots, celery, cucumber, cherry or grape tomatoes, snap or snow peas, bell peppers, mushrooms and jicama
Cook a mix of root veggies. Roast or steam different types of sweet potatoes, potatoes and winter squashes
Eat cultured vegetables such as Kimchi and others, which provide beneficial bacteria along with a variety of herbs and spices
Make meals with multiple ingredients. Think smoothies, soups and salads
Once or twice a month, pick out a new fruit or vegetable at the grocery store
Recipes with 8-10 plant varieties
