It’s all about the microbes

A personal experience of a changing relationship with food over the past eight years, by Hilary Hiscoxof Congresbury NWR

Eight years ago I read Gut by Giulia Enders, a brilliant, amusing and informative book and, along with many others, became interested in the foods that feed not just myself but the trillions of good bacteria that live in my gut. Not long afterwards I read The Gut Makeover by Jeannette Hyde and I began to really do something about looking after these teeny tiny microbes that are vital to health in so many ways, from keeping us regular to fighting off infection, and lots more in between. Since then, I have attended a study day on gut health, several workshops on fermentation, read many papers and articles on the subject and have acquired a library of useful books. The following is a little of what I’ve found out. Learning more about how important gut health is to overall wellbeing has been so interesting, and I’ve discovered lots of new and delicious culinary combinations.

The most fascinating discovery to me was that not only do we have trillions of these unseen entities snuggling down in our bowel, but we have neurones—yes brain cells—down there as well! When the good gut microbes are well nourished, they work hard to keep their surroundings in a pristine condition, thereby enabling the gut neurones to send vital messages to those in our head, which are working away to control all sorts of things in an attempt to keep us healthy, and happier. Numerous research studies have shown that not only physical health improves when the gut functions as it was designed to, but so does mental health. You may have watched Debbie Lethby’s NWR Zoom talk last April in which she explained her work in this field.

So, how was I going to cultivate and nurture a diverse microbiome, the collective term for our internal microbial population, while continuing to enjoy my pescatarian diet? Well, I needed to include more probiotics, those foods that contain the live bacteria our gut needs and the prebiotics to feed them. Prebiotics were key; they are foods that cannot be broken down until they reach the colon, where they would then feed the good bacteria I was adding. Thankfully, like most of us, I was already eating many of these, as a lot of them are staples. The real trick was to get as diverse a population of both as possible, so I added lots of new vegetables and other plant foods to my usual daily intake.

I learned that the easiest way to ensure I would get the necessary variety of each, was to ensure that I was eating at least 30 different plant foods a week. That sounded daunting

Photo by Christine Isakzhanova on Unsplash

until I found out that herbs, spices, nuts, seeds and pulses as well as fruit and vegetables all counted towards that total. I was soon up to more than 30! Another way to help the diversity was to choose as many plant foods with different colours and textures as possible at each meal. It looks more vibrant and appetising, too. I liked the slogan ‘Aim to eat a rainbow’ at each meal. I was also warned that an excess of any one food type results in exclusion of the beneficial varied content, so the recommendation is not to overload a plate with too many carbs which can crowd out those pre and probiotics. Think of toast and/or cereal in the morning, sandwiches for lunch followed by pizza or pasta for dinner—that doesn’t leave much room for a wider range and larger portion of vegetables.

Yet another way I have achieved a good boost of different probiotics has been by introducing a small amount of fermented food each day. Milk kefir and sauerkraut are my favourites to make cheaply and easily at home, and both are packed with their own beneficial bacteria. Starting with a little and building up, I really noticed an improvement in my IBS symptoms and, once I realised how little time it takes to get a stock of ferments in the fridge, I branched out and have added water kefir, kombucha and kimchi to my repertoire, not to mention the most delicious fermented tomato salsa—so quick and simple to make. Probiotic supplements are inferior and not nearly as much fun.

The other things that we know we need to achieve for optimum health are exercise, good restorative sleep and regular relaxation, all of which feature in that interaction between our gut and our brain, known as the gut-brain axis. Another interesting area to explore is when we eat. Known as TimeRestricted Eating, this is still being researched as it’s thought that knowing how long the gut is rested overnight can also be beneficial. I’m sure there is much still to be discovered. You may be interested in the personalised nutrition study currently being rolled out in the US by the ZOE1 organization. Of course, it is also a good idea to keep a check on foods that can destroy the good bugs and damage our microbiome as well as the gut lining itself, leaving it more permeable and therefore allowing unwanted substances to pass into the blood stream rather than where they should be heading. Cutting down on sugars and excess alcohol as well as avoiding processed foods is advised. However, I must finish by saying that, although eating for gut health has now became a way of life for me, I do not have a case of Ortharexia Nervosa—I refer you to number 39 of the 50 Food Facts in NWR’s 2022 Annual! More importantly, I do think that getting my gut in a better condition has allowed me to cope with and enjoy some of the unhealthier treats which used to upset my digestion; I just don’t have them on a regular basis. I was also pleased when I discovered that my microbes benefit from a glass of red wine, some dark chocolate and even a cup of coffee.

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