How To Support Your Gut Microbiome With A More Plant Based Wholefood Diet

Do you want to enhance your well-being by boosting your gut health? A significant aspect of this involves making wise food choices that benefit your microbiome.

Recently, increasing research has highlighted the connection between consuming a plant-based diet and our microbiome. Evidence suggests that certain dietary patterns are healthier than others, with the wholefood plant-based diet gaining attention.

Eating a variety of plant foods is key to good health. Fiber is now recognized as crucial for nourishing our gut ecosystem, the microbiome, and more fiber seems to be better. Consuming diverse plant foods in their natural state fosters an efficient digestive system, which can help prevent diseases that burden our healthcare system.

Gut issues – More prevalent than you might think.

Gut issues often stem from an imbalanced gut microbiome. You might be among those who have experienced stomach discomfort or know someone who suffers from bloating, gas, pain, and general malaise. You might know someone who struggles to enjoy foods like beans, lentils, or high-fiber foods, often experiencing constipation or diarrhea. When this occurs, we frequently seek intervention from medical professionals, often without resolution, which can be costly.

We are often advised to eliminate certain foods or groups to address various problems. This approach can deplete the ecosystem in our colon, leaving us worse off. In the short term, we may feel better due to cleaner diets, not because of food restrictions. For instance, the Paleo diet eliminates processed foods, junk foods, and fatty takeaways, making us feel better. However, it also eliminates grains, which are vital for health, particularly heart health, and longevity. If you have a condition like celiac disease or suspect gluten sensitivity, monitor your gluten intake. Not all grains contain gluten, so alternatives are available.

What is the microbiome?

Our gastrointestinal tract hosts a community of different bacterial families known as the microbiota. These include bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and archaea, each playing a role in our gut. Some are beneficial, while others can be harmful if unchecked. Recent advances in meta-genomic analysis have identified more bacterial species in our gut than ever before, thanks to advanced diagnostic sequencing. This discovery helps us understand these gut microbes and their functions.

The term microbiome refers to these families and their genetic material, influencing gene expression in our gut. Our genome is small compared to theirs, as they outnumber our cells!

Each person hosts trillions of microbes, especially in the gut. Imagine these tiny bugs feeding on and metabolizing our food, releasing substances that affect our gene behavior.

What is dysbiosis?

Dysbiosis is an imbalanced gut microbiome, with more harmful than beneficial bacteria. Some good bacteria may become extinct or exist in minimal amounts due to inadequate nourishment. Without proper food, they don't multiply or metabolize substances, impacting our health. Dysbiosis leads to inflammation and damage to the thin gut lining, which allows nutrients to pass into our body. Without good bacteria, the tissue becomes easily damaged, and gaps in the gut wall allow toxins to enter our system, sometimes called leaky gut.

Science confirms – we need fiber for health.

Research shows that feeding our microbiome a variety of plant matter supports beneficial bacteria growth, keeping harmful bacteria in check. It's simple to achieve this by choosing different healthy plants, such as nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. We must keep harmful bacteria numbers low by promoting beneficial bacteria growth. An example of harmful bacteria is C. diff., discussed later.

Your body needs to adjust to eating more plants.

Introducing these foods may cause issues like stomach pain, gas, and bloating. You may feel unable to eat fiber-rich foods. Your body needs time to adjust, so ease into it gradually. Listen to your body and observe the effects, as benefits will be worth it. Initially, you may have frequent bathroom trips as your body adapts to extra fiber, which is normal.

C. diff: An example of dysbiosis and takeover;

The bacterium Clostridioides difficile, known as C. diff., is problematic, thriving when gut conditions allow. This occurs when our gut lacks diverse microorganisms, often due to insufficient healthy plant intake. A healthy gut controls these bacteria, but dysbiosis allows C. diff to flourish, causing pain, fever, and bloody diarrhea. Antibiotics often fail, so a diverse microbiome is crucial for controlling harmful bacteria. In severe cases, a fecal transplant may be necessary.

How does the microbiome affect immunity and health?

Research shows that a healthy gut microbiome improves overall health. Your microbiome continuously interacts with your immune system, with about 80% of immunity residing in the gut lining. They work closely together.

The immune system deploys special cells to defend and protect healthy cells when a threat is detected. Immunity is linked to gut health due to the microbes in the colon, which produce metabolites affecting immunity. Bacteria feed on food, producing beneficial or harmful metabolites. Plant foods generate short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, propionate, and acetate, which are beneficial.

SCFAs nourish the large intestine by fermenting fiber. They protect the gut lining and immune system, guarding against diseases like:

Inflammatory bowel diseases like Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease
Diabetes
Obesity

SCFAs reduce inflammation and protect against heart disease, Australia's leading killer. Heart disease is linked to high LDL cholesterol and blood sugar issues. SCFAs lower LDL cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, and improve insulin resistance. Heart disease often follows type 2 diabetes, resulting in both conditions.

Other factors nourishing our microbiome.

Supporting immune function and SCFA production involves increasing fiber-rich foods. Foods with resistant starch and phytochemicals, found in plants, also nourish the microbiome.

Include oats, cooled potatoes, and plenty of legumes for resistant starch, which benefits gut bacteria.

Phytochemical polyphenols in berries, green tea, and cocoa are beneficial micro feeders known as antioxidants.

Foods to include in your diet – Yes, more plants.

We need to consume a diverse range of plant foods, rich in soluble and insoluble fiber. These come from fruits, vegetables, seeds, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. Choose various plant foods daily in their natural form from different sources.