For Gut Health Eat A Diverse Diet

Want to Get Fit? – Eat Something New!

When was the last time you tried a recipe with a new vegetable, fruit or meat?  Do you eat the same thing for breakfast every day?  Are meals at your house so predictable your family know what’s for dinner based on the day? 

If you answered yes to some or all of the questions - You are not alone.

According to Dr. Tim Spector, author of the book “The Diet Myth” one of the major problems with the Western diet is monotony.  His research suggests that a diverse diet of fruits, vegetables, grains and protein leads to a gut microbiome that is similar to our ancient hunter gatherer ancestors.

Diversifying our diet is probably the best way to bolster your gut health and get the benefits of a diverse collection of probiotic bacteria.

Here are 5 ways to easily diversify your diet.

1. 75% of the calories we consume come from 12 types of crop and 5 species of animal – Diversify your diet by trying new foods and recipes that call for different ingredients that you have not tried before.

2. There are 1000 varieties of banana but we only eat one type – Develop a taste for different types of fruit. Adding fruit to your diversified diet can add not only new flavors but a variety of different nutrients.

3. Humans eat only 0.06% of all edible plant species – Think out of the box when it comes to vegetables. Our supermarkets are filled with new and exotic vegetables, learn to add these to your diet.

4. Help your gut microbiome – Adding other sources of protein like beans, nuts and pulses provides a great source of protein to meat and also provides fiber for your gut bacteria. The will ensure gut and body wide health.

5. Fad diets can harm more than help – Many fad diets tell you to stop eating or focus specifically on certain foods. This may be good in the short term but in the long term it can hurt you particularly, your gut bacteria. By varying your diet you can you can have a little of many different foods which can be just as satisfying and healthful.

Finally, by diversifying your diet you not only add new flavors, textures and nutrients to your diet but you also help your microbiome or gut bacteria. It is known that gut bacteria can predict obesity with an accuracy of more than 90%. So if you are limiting your diet and excluding many food groups, your gut microbes will suffer and you have a higher chance of being overweight.

Research has shown that by diversifying your diet you can make a real and immediate impact on your gut bacteria, so by eating the right amount of many different foods can have a beneficial effect on your overall health.