Written by Sandra Mikhail, Founder and Director of Nutrition A-Z
Maintaining a healthy gut is essential for overall well-being, as it plays a critical role in digestion, immune function, and even mental health. However, not all diets are created equal when it comes to supporting gut health. So, in this blog post, I wanted to explore the three best diets that promote a healthy gut and the three worst diets that could potentially harm it.
The 3 Best Diets for Gut Health
1.The Diversity Diet The Diversity Diet emphasises the consumption of a wide variety of plant-based foods, aiming for at least 30 different plants each week. This approach is grounded in the principle that a diverse microbiome is a healthy microbiome. The more types of fibre and nutrients you consume, the more varied and robust your gut bacteria will be.
- Why It’s Good for Gut Health: The Diversity Diet encourages a range of fibres and phytonutrients, which feed different beneficial bacteria in the gut. This variety helps to enhance microbial diversity, which is linked to better digestion, improved immune response, and a lower risk of chronic diseases.
- How to Implement: Incorporate a colourful array of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes into your diet. Try to introduce new foods each week and mix up your meals to ensure you’re hitting that 30-plant goal.
2.Mediterranean Diet Renowned for its heart-healthy benefits, the Mediterranean diet is also excellent for gut health. This diet focuses on whole foods, including plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, along with moderate amounts of fish and poultry.
- Why It’s Good for Gut Health: The high intake of fibre from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains promotes healthy bowel movements and supports the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. The inclusion of healthy fats from olive oil and fish also helps to reduce inflammation in the gut.
- How to Implement: Base your meals around plant foods, use olive oil as your primary fat source, and incorporate fish or poultry a few times a week. Avoid ultra-processed foods and limit red meat consumption.
3.Fermentation-Friendly Diet A diet that includes a variety of fermented foods can significantly benefit gut health. Fermented foods like yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and miso are rich in probiotics, which are live beneficial bacteria.
- Why It’s Good for Gut Health: Probiotics from fermented foods can help balance the gut microbiome, improve digestion, and boost immune function. Regular consumption of these foods can help replenish and diversify the gut flora.
- How to Implement: Incorporate a serving of fermented foods into your daily diet. Start with natural yoghurt or kefir at breakfast, add sauerkraut or kimchi to your lunch or dinner, and use miso in soups and dressings.
The 3 Worst Diets for Gut Health
1.Carnivore Diet The Carnivore Diet is a highly restrictive eating plan that involves consuming only animal products, such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy, while excluding all plant-based foods.
- Why It’s Bad for Gut Health: This diet severely lacks dietary fibre, which is essential for feeding beneficial gut bacteria. The absence of fibre can lead to a decrease in microbial diversity, potentially resulting in digestive issues, inflammation, and a higher risk of chronic diseases.
- Potential Consequences: Long-term adherence to the Carnivore Diet can lead to constipation, nutrient deficiencies, and an imbalance in gut microbiota, which may negatively impact overall health.
2.Ketogenic Diet (Keto) The Ketogenic Diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that aims to put the body into a state of ketosis, where it burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates.
- Why It’s Bad for Gut Health: The Keto diet significantly limits carbohydrate intake, which includes many fibre-rich foods. This can result in a lack of prebiotic fibres that feed beneficial gut bacteria, potentially reducing microbial diversity and affecting gut health negatively.
- Potential Consequences: The low fibre intake associated with the Keto diet can lead to constipation, digestive discomfort, and a less diverse gut microbiome. Additionally, high fat consumption might alter the composition of gut bacteria in a way that promotes inflammation.
3.Low-FODMAP Diet (Long-Term) The Low-FODMAP diet is designed to help manage symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by restricting certain types of carbohydrates that are difficult to digest.
- Why It’s Bad for Gut Health (Long-Term): While effective for short-term symptom relief, a prolonged Low-FODMAP diet can lead to a reduction in beneficial gut bacteria due to the exclusion of many prebiotic-rich foods. This diet limits a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains that are crucial for maintaining gut health. For this reason, you should not be on a low FODMAP diet for more than 6 weeks.
- Potential Consequences: Extended use of the Low-FODMAP diet may result in decreased microbial diversity and an increased risk of nutritional deficiencies. It’s essential to gradually reintroduce high-FODMAP foods to support a healthy and diverse gut microbiome.
Embracing diets like the Diversity Diet, Mediterranean Diet, and Fermentation-Friendly Diet can enhance gut health, while restrictive diets like the Carnivore Diet, Keto Diet, and long-term Low-FODMAP Diet can pose significant risks. For this reason, you need a gut-specialist dietitian by your side to help you focus on inclusion and not exclusion for a blissful gut and a thriving inner-ecosystem. Focus on consuming a variety of plant-based foods and fermented products to foster a thriving gut microbiome and enjoy the myriad health benefits that come with it.
Book your appointment with one of our gut-health specialists here.
