Why have I just asked my 1-1 athletes to record the variety of plant food in their diet over the last week?
It is incredibly important to have a rich diversity of plant life in our diets. Each type, and indeed each colour of the same plant eg. peppers, will add something different to your diet which not only includes minerals, vitamins, anti-oxidants etc. but also encourages a healthy gut as they are the fuel for the bacteria.
There is a wealth of research which goes as far as calling the gut, or the microbiome in the gut, our ‘second brain’ and tells us that feeding the trillions of good gut bacteria leads to a healthier human being as they metabolise the food we ingest, extracting the nutrients we need, and help defend us against ( and ‘crowd out’) the bad bacteria which can produce toxins and lead to disease.
They have an enormous impact on our health in general and also how we age.
Advantages of a healthy gut include:
Easier to stay slim
Reduces risk of T2 Diabetes, asthma, gut inflammatory diseases ( eg. colitis), and candida and thrush infections. Decreases systemic inflammation.
Improves ability to challenge, and recover from, infection ie. Improved immune function
Improves blood sugar levels which are part of metabolic syndrome. This is a combination of high blood sugar, high BP, high cholesterol, and increased bodyfat around the tummy. In turn metabolic syndrome significantly increases risk of stroke and T2 diabetes
Influences mood and is a factor in reducing depression
Gut bacteria create amino acids, hormones ( 90% of our serotonin, known as our ‘feel-good hormone’) and some vitamins – K, B12, folate and biotin – and dial up the expression of genes that can suppress inflammation, improving your immune response to the threat of colorectal cancer
Lowers LDL cholesterol (otherwise known as the bad cholesterol)
May reduce dementia symptoms
May reduce risk of Parkinson’s disease
May help to resist cancer
May reduce osteoporosis
Lowers the damaging effects of stress
Better digestion and nutrient absorption
How to improve your microbiome
The key thing is trying to re-balance the ratio of ‘good’ to ‘bad’ bacteria in the gut. We want to increase the ‘good’ or probiotic bacteria so it can ‘crowd out’ the bad thereby weakening their influence. Microbial diversity is key, meaning that plant diversity in your diet is key. In general 85/15 is considered is ideal, not that we can know….. that said you can have tests done to find out exactly which bacteria, and what levels, exist in your gut.
Examples of foods that promote the growth of good bacteria:
REMEMBER THE GOOD BACTERIA (PROBIOTICS ) NEED TO BE FED BY THE PREBIOTICS
Probiotic foods : fermented foods (naturally, not with vinegar) eg. sauerkraut
kefir ( without added sugar or flavourings)
tempeh, kimchi, kombucha and miso
Prebiotic foods: garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, bananas, oats, barley, flaxseeds
jerusalem artichokes, apples, cacao, wheat bran, seaweed, cabbage
grains, beans, peas, chickpeas, soybeans and cruciferous veg
Eat organic when you can
What to avoid or minimise in your diet:
Sugar
Artificial sweeteners
Pesticide residue ( see previous blog on Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen)
Antibiotics (remember these can also come from the meat you eat and the milk you drink - go organic when you can)
Diet low in fibre
You may well be aware of the many types of probiotic supplements available to us, but how do we know which is the best one.
Ideally a ‘poop’ test will tell you which ones you should ideally supplement so as not to create further imbalance. Different strains colonise different parts of the gut and they all play a different role so it is difficult to be specific without knowing.
However, as a general guide look for something with at least 10 billion CFU’s per day and a large range of strains – but remember this is only a kick-start and it will be the healthy gut environment, created for the most part by what you eat, that will feed and sustain your microbiome and make you a healthier human being
Oh and what is considered the minimum number of different plants, seeds, etc to have in your diet per week : 40
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