Lotsa' plants = a happy gut

One of the easiest ways to support your healthy gut bugs — and hence a healthy gut — is to eat plants with every meal.

Your gut bugs thrive when they have an abundance of different plants to consume. They use this plant fibre to make a range of short chain fatty acids, such as butyrate.

How many plants is enough plants? There's a scientific answer to that.

A 2019 study found that those who ate at least 30g of fibre daily and 30+ different plant foods each week had more beneficial bacteria in their gut than those who ate fewer plant foods. And the 30+ group had more short chain fatty acids as a result.

What do short chain fatty acids do?

Short chain fatty acids help your gut in a variety of ways. They:

• Repair any damage that has been done to the lining of the gut wall;

• Decrease inflammation;

• Reduce food sensitivities;

• Support better mood through the gut-brain axis;

• Reduce the incidence of some chronic diseases.

There are some instances when a high fibre diet isn’t a good idea in the short-term, such as when we are working on eliminating SIBO. And if plant foods make your digestive symptoms worse, it's a good sign that something is out of whack and needs to be addressed.

But if your digestive function is generally good then a diet rich in plant foods is the best way to preserve that function.

If you struggle for ideas about how to increase the plant fibre in your diet, check out my free guide Feed Yo' Gut Bugs for tips on upping the fibre anti.