An expert in nutritional psychiatry and intestinal health, My pooh has a zooStates that the more diverse the diet, especially the higher the intake of plant-based foods, the more diverse the gut flora.
“It seems that a more diverse gut flora is associated with better health outcomes,” says Jacka, director of the Deakin University Food and Mood Center. “Given the rainforest analogy, rainforests, where the lives of plants and insects are very diverse, seem to be healthier and more durable, but in the case of single cultivation or inhabited by one or two species. Because it is dominant in the environment, it tends to be less robust and resilient. “
According to one large study, people who ate more than 30 plants a week had a more diverse intestinal microflora than those who ate less than 10 plants a week.
That may seem daunting, but Debenham says: Simple changes can make a big difference. “
Swapping cereals, adding different fruits and vegetables to your daily smoothies, and using different proteins, herbs, and vegetables in your salads will give you more range.
Jacka reminds us that vegetable foods contain not only fruits and vegetables, but also herbs, nuts, seeds, legumes and various types of whole grains. If your breakfast has oats with berries, nuts, and seeds on top, a single hit will serve at least four types of plant-based foods.
But that doesn’t mean it should be your breakfast every day for the rest of your life.
“To encourage a more diverse community in the gut, we need to diversify our plant-based foods,” says Jacka. She suggests rotating eggs one morning with oats, then rye bread with peanut butter, and the next day with mushrooms and herbs.
“I’m a very lazy cook and I’m very busy,” she admits. “In the supermarket, we go to muesli, which is full of different types of grains, seeds and nuts. We cook in advance. Rice with brown and red rice and quinoa together – three different plants soon Sex food. “
Why is gut microbiota diversity so important?
Our gut flora and its processes are associated with almost every aspect of our health and function, including skin, weight, energy, sleep, mood and immune system.
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“When you eat, it affects your gut and the molecules that your gut produces because it breaks down plant fiber and polyphenols. Those molecules, or polyphenols, go out into your body. , Affects virtually every single system, “explains Jacker. “So it’s very specific and very immediate: what you eat will affect your health and how your body literally works within hours.”
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