Diet and the Microbiome: Why Should I Care About What I Eat?

If you’ve ever been confused about which trending diet is best for your health, you’re not alone.

Recommended diets are constantly changing, leaving many of us searching for insights online. We’re often confronted with conflicting information and remain unsure of what to do.

That’s why the incredible collective of microbiome experts at BetterBiome have decided to focus on this issue for the month of March. They’ve worked hard to put together well-researched blog posts and podcasts that provide some clarity and insight about the world of food from a gut-health perspective.

All of the food we eat impacts our gut microbiome in positive and negative ways. To kick the month off, here are 7 Ways to Eat for Your Gut:

1. Diverse. The more varied your diet is, the better it is for your gut. An easy way to increase the diversity of your diet is to up the amount of fruits and vegetables you consume daily!

2. Nutritious. This one is obvious, but when we eat nutritious foods our gut benefits immensely. The less processed foods, the better!

3. Varied. Stability, richness, and diversity are 3 key factors to a healthy gut and eating a diverse range of food is the perfect way to support all of them. Eating produce you don’t usually eat is a great way to hit them all!

4. Fermented.  Fermented foods are a great way to naturally obtain probiotics that support your gut microbiome. Eat more Kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, etc!

5. Fiber-Rich.  The good bacteria in our gut need fiber to feed on. These are called prebiotics and can be found in foods like garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus and more.

6. Natural. Unnatural foods like artificial sugars (aspartame, sucralose, and saccharine) can negatively affect the bacteria in your gut.

7. Organic. Many people are aware of how antibiotic treatments can harm their microbiome, but may not consider antibiotics used in food sources as a part of that. Finding local, organic meat sources or eating less meat can benefit your gut.