My top tip for looking after your gut health: aim for 30 plant points a week!
That’s 30 different types of plants across all 6 plant food groups: fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes (beans & pulses), nuts & seeds, herbs & spices.
Why?
The more diverse, whole plant-based foods you eat, the more you’re likely to boost the diversity of the trillions of gut microbes you have (or the sciencey name Gut Microbiota, or what I like to call our GM)
Why does that matter? Essentially, the more diverse your microbes are, the more skills your GM team has, and the more they can look after you… it’s all about the give and take, like in all relationships.
They do so much for us.
- Training our immune system.
- Making essential vitamins, hormones and more.
- Keeping our gut barrier strong.
- Helping to balance our blood sugar levels.
- Communicating with our brain and other organs.
- And ultimately helping to protect us against many diseases.
That does NOT mean you have to cut out food groups and eat 100% plant-based for good gut health. No restrictive diets here! It’s about what you INclude, not EXclude.
And if you’re sitting there thinking “but so many foods give me gut symptoms!” I promise it doesn’t need to be that way. I’ve worked with hundreds of people The Gut Health Clinic to get on top of gut issues and reintroduce that variety into their diets, to eat as wide a range of plant-based foods as possible.
I know seeing a specialist dietitian one-on-one is not accessible for many, so I’ve put it all into an easy-to-follow handy guide just for you in my book!
