A fibre recipe for gut health
If you want to keep your gut ecosystem
thriving, try to eat plenty of high fibre
foods. We know that different fibres
help in different ways, and the best
advice is to eat a wide variety of
nutritious whole foods from all food
groups that naturally contain different
types of fibre.
Some of the key prebiotic fibre
foods include:
} Aromatic vegetables such as
onions, garlic, leeks, celery and
Jerusalem artichokes. These are
high in a type of carbohydrate
called inulin, which bacteria use to
promote healthy colon cells and
other health benefits.
} Barley and oats are a rich source of
the soluble fibre, beta-glucan.
Beta-glucan acts as food for your
good gut bacteria and helps lower
cholesterol levels.
} Starchy foods such as cooked
potatoes, beans and lentils and
green bananas are a great fuel
source for gut bacteria.
} Fermented foods such as
sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir and yoghurt
contain a good supply of healthy
bacteria to add to your microbiome.
TWO WEEKS IS ENOUGH TO MAKE
CHANGES TO THE MICROBE
POPULATION THAT CAN ALTER OUR
RISK OF DISEASE.
What does current research
tell us about diet and gut
health?
While scientists have yet to work out
what the ‘perfect’ diet is for gut health,
we know that the worst way of eating
for your digestive health is having a diet
with too many highly processed foods,
too much sugar and not enough fibre.
The good news is that a shift to a
healthier diet can change the bacteria
mix in as little as a few days.
A research study involving African
Americans, who swapped a meat-heavy,
highly processed diet for a diet of
African foods rich in beans and
vegetables, saw a positive change in gut
microbes within just two weeks. The
reverse swap saw that when Africans
switched to a typical American diet, their
microbe profile was more in line with a
higher risk of colon cancer. Two weeks
is a short time, but long enough to make
changes to the microbe population that
can alter our risk of disease.
Start making simple dietary
changes today, and your gut
microbes will thank you
tomorrow.
You may like to treat it as a ‘gut health
challenge’ to start with, but know that
the health benefits remain as long as
you stick to better food choices. To do
this, approach your diet as a long-term
game where you make small changes
and healthy food swaps over many
weeks to months, to make the changes
sustainable.
Something as simple as eating two
pieces of fruit each day and choosing
wholegrain foods over more refined
grains, is a great way to start. Then,
look at adding in more prebiotic foods,
experimenting with fermented foods
and working legumes into your
everyday meals. Before you know it,
your insides will be in better shape
than ever.
FEATURE ARTICLE WINTER 2020
YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE
13