Welcome to the first in our new series where we pose your questions to one of our expert healthcare professionals. First up, Dr Chris George shares his GP-approved tips and tricks for looking after your gut microbiome.
Dr Chris George answers your questions on what you can do to support your gut health
Before I dive in to answer how you can look after your gut health, I want to first explain the why...
Why should we look after our gut health?
As we discover more about the incredible 100 trillion plus different microbes living inside our gut, it has never been more important that we take care of them. The ecosystem of gut bugs includes bacteria, viruses, protozoa, fungi, and yeast which collectively outnumbers human genes by more than 100 times! The gut microbiome refers to the genetic material of these microbes and is often used interchangeably with the gut microbiota.
It is thought that the more diverse and numerous in number the better our overall health is. This community of gut-friendly bugs have a powerful and mutually beneficial relationship with our body. The role of the microbiome includes aiding digestion, nutrient absorption, vitamin production and immune system regulation to name just a few. An ever-increasing evidence base shows that looking after our gut health can help ward off unwanted disease by enhancing the immune system.
An imbalance and reduction in diversity of the gut microbiome (termed “dysbiosis”) is thought to not only cause unwanted digestive symptoms (such as abdominal pain, flatulence, diarrhoea etc) but according to latest research may also be implicated in wider disease processes (such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity etc).
The good news is that the gut microbiome is individual to each person much like our fingerprint and changes with time based on lots of different factors such as what we eat, our environment, exercise, age and medications that we take. This exciting concept of a dynamic microbiome allows each and every one of us to consistently make beneficial changes to our lifestyle that can help to better our overall health and wellbeing.
10 science-backed approaches to help support your gut microbiome
There are numerous science-backed approaches to improve our gut microbiome and I’m sharing ten of the most practical methods to kickstart your health journey today.
1. Join the 30 plant points a week challenge
Aim for 30 different plants a week which can sound like a big challenge but mixed herbs, seed mixes and spices are great ways to ensure you hit these numbers.
2. Try and very the types of food you eat each week
A variety of different foods helps to diversify and increase the population of beneficial bugs living inside the gut.
3. Try to minimise processed and ultra processed foods
We know ultra processed foods can negatively impact the gut so reduce where you can.
4. Give fermented foods a try
Introduce fermented foods to your meals as these contain bacteria with a potential probiotic potential.
5. Go for live yoghurts
Double check when purchasing yoghurt that it contains live bacteria to ensure it contains the bugs that you need to help support your microbiome. Top tip – ensure it states “live and active cultures” on the label.
6. Look into kefir
If you’re used to live yoghurt you may wish to mix things up and include kefir which contains a wider range of bacteria and is made up of kefir grains.
7. Increase the amount of fibre
This helps to feed the healthy gut microbes which will ensure that they too will look after you in a beneficial relationship known as symbiosis. Follow these steps to get to 30g of fibre a day.
8. Reduce your alcohol consumption
Alcohol is thought to negatively impact the gut microbiome so reducing consumption could help gut health and make hangovers a thing of the past.
9. Find a furry friend
Having a pet has been associated with an increase in beneficial bacteria – meaning our furry friends may help to keep us healthy and active for longer! If you don’t have a pet, why not go for a walk with a friend who owns a dog.
10. Get yourself into the great outdoors
Time in nature has never been so important given our busy work schedules and living in increasingly urbanised areas. There is a close relationship between being outdoors and an increased richness of the gut microbiome. So, as the days get longer why not go outside, top up on vitamin D and improve your gut health simultaneously.
Our understanding of about the importance of the gut microbiome has increased over the last few years thanks to the ever-expanding research into this area. It is therefore crucial that we look after our gut health by taking simple and practical steps each day to care for our gut-friendly bugs. With life expectancy set to increase it is vital that we are not just fit and healthy today, but we invest in our gut health to ensure that we remain independent, healthy and strong into the next chapter of our lives and beyond.
To learn more about other gut health topics, visit Symprove’s Gut Hub.
