Last week I wrote about how important it is to keep abundant friendly bacteria in your gut. There are five key ways you can do this.

The first way is via behaviours that promote general wellness. A healthy lifestyle contributes to a healthy gut, and in an upwards spiral a healthy gut then rewards you with further good health. Physical activity brings blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract, promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria. A healthy gut is better able to regulate melatonin and cortisol, assisting with sleep and stress management which then promote beneficial bacteria.

The second way to promote good bacteria is by eating a wide variety of whole foods. Most people are aware of the relationship between dietary fibre and good digestive health but the benefits of a plant-based diet are much greater than just keeping regular. The foods you eat help good bacteria grow and a diverse gut flora is a healthy one. The greater the variety of plant-based foods you eat, the greater the variety of types of bacteria you can promote.

The third way to promote good gut health is by reducing processed foods. While whole foods promote diverse variety of good bacteria, fake foods destroy good bacteria and feed bad bacteria. If you want to keep your equilibrium it’s important to choose foods as close to their natural state as possible, avoiding additive, preservatives, unhealthy fats and sugars. When choosing packaged products look for a short ingredients list without too many numbers and words you can’t spell.

The forth way to promote good bacteria is to increase your intake of probiotics. We usually only think of adding probiotics when the doctor suggests a pill to counter the effect of antibiotics. Taking a supplement is certainly an option, but why would you do that when you can eat nutrient-dense foods that can benefit your health in so many other ways and maybe even stop you getting sick in the first place. Focus on unpasteurised fermented foods such as kefir, kimchi, kombucha, miso, saurkraut, tempeh and yoghurt.

The fifth way to promote good bacteria is to increase your intake of prebiotics. Prebiotics are a type of fibre that act as food for the probiotic bacteria, they are fertilizer for the gut. Examples of prebiotic foods are apples (particularly apple cider vinegar), bananas, asparagus, beans, chickpeas, garlic, jerusalem artichokes, leeks, lentils, nuts and tofu.

Different sorts of probiotic and prebiotic-rich foods contain different strains of probiotic so it’s important to consume a variety of them across the week. I recommend you eat three different types probiotic and prebiotic foods each day, and six different types of each across the week.

We all have around one to three kilograms of bacteria living in our large intestine. This is collectively known as the gut microbiome. There are hundreds of different species of bacteria, some are friendly and some are not. When the gut flora contains too many harmful bacteria and not enough friendly bacteria, an imbalance can occur. Keeping your good guys abundant has five benefits.


The first benefit is for your mood. There is a constant interplay between your gut and your brain, meaning the brain is not the only organ in control of emotions. Micro-organisms in the gut secrete many chemicals to the rest of the body, including dopamine and serotonin. This means that there is a link between gut health and mental wellness which makes sense to anyone who experiences gut discomfort under stress.   

Related to your mood is your sleep. Anything that disrupts your circadian rhythms can have a negative effect on gut microbiota. Melatonin, the sleep hormone, is another hormone secreted by the gut. The interplay with cortisol, the “wake up” or “stress” hormone is an important balance to create for optimal sleep and health.

The third benefit of good gut health is better nutrient absorption. Having a good balance of gut bacteria and digestive enzymes ensures that the nutrients in your food can be processed and mobilized to where your body needs them.

The forth benefit is improved immunity. Your gut flora is the gatekeeper for pathogenic bacteria, preventing them from settling in and troubling the immune system.  Robust gut health reduces the permeability of the gut or “leaky gut” which has been associated with a range of diseases.  

The fifth benefit is weight management. The more diverse gut microbes you have the easier it is to manage your weight. This may be because certain microbes can alter your sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that moves sugar out of your blood and regulates fat metabolizing processes.  Of course, better mood, sleep and energy combined with not being sick all the time really helps with your ability to stick to healthy habits.

Check out my next post for five things you can do to improve your gut health for optimal wellness.