4 TIPS FOR A MORE DIVERSE/HEALTHY GUT MICROBIOME
4 TIPS FOR A MORE DIVERSE/HEALTHY GUT MICROBIOME (that doesn’t involve a probiotic supplement)
By now you’ve probably heard that a healthy, diverse gut microbiome is linked to better health, better immunity, a healthier body composition/weight, better mental health, and more.
When thinking about creating a healthy microbiome, most people automatically think about probiotic supplements, which have become very popular in recent years… and there’s good reason for this, as more & more research is being done on which strains are the most beneficial to humans.
However, solely relying on a probiotic to fix your gut is like throwing a handful of seeds into an empty, dirt field and expecting a lush forest to grow. Yeah, maybe those few seeds may produce a tree or two, eventually, which may drop a few seeds to produce another tree or two, and so on… but, it’s going to take many, many years to create a shady spot to sit.
However, if you added many seeds throughout the field, and fertilized them, the process would be much faster.
The same is true for the gut.
Probiotic supplements are great, but really it’s the stuff that feeds the good bacteria that will make the biggest difference.
Here are 4 tips to create diversity in the gut…
Microbiome Mash - make a “mash” of 3-5 vegetables you never eat by blending them in a blender or food processor. Store it in a jar in your fridge, and before each meal eat 1-2 Tbsp of the mixture. Our gut bacteria feed off of the foods that we eat, and variety in the diet creates variety in the gut… but, completely overhauling your diet to new foods can cause GI distress. By simply eating 1-2 Tbsp a few times a day, you can “fertilize” your gut bacteria with different veggies than you normally eat. Over time you’ll create more diversity.
Fermented Food Mix - buy 3 different fermented foods such as (refrigerated) sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented pickles, etc. These foods naturally have many different strains of probiotics, and consumption of them are linked to a better gut. Eat 1-2 Tbsp before each meal. Rotate through the different types throughout your day, so you get a variety of beneficial bacteria, naturally.
Polyphenol Feast - Polyphenols feed good gut bacteria, and some of the richest sources of these compounds are in coffee, teas, berries, and herbs. Enjoy coffee, teas, and berries… and add a sh*t ton of herbs like rosemary, garlic, oregano, thyme, etc. to your food at each meal. You’ll be feeding the “good guys” in your gut, and your healthy food will be flavorful too!
Create Resistant Starch - cook & COOL your starchy foods such as rice or potatoes before eating them. (they can be reheated to be eaten) This process of cooking & cooling changes the starch structure creating a resistant starch which does not breakdown fully. Instead they ferment in the large intestine, and more gut bacteria is created. Other sources of resistant starches include green bananas, plantains, and uncooked oats.
If you do take a probiotic supplement, you can improve its efficacy by taking it at the same time when you implement these practices above. The food you consume as you digest the supplement can act as the fertilizer to help it populate your gut better.
A healthy, diverse microbiome is essential when it comes to health & vitality. You have the power to create a healthy microbiome by what you consume each day.
To your health!
XO,
Stacie