Explain how simple changes can keep you healthy – inside and out

have trillions of bacteria in your gut they all thrive on different foods, so ety is key to making them all happy. he recommendation is to eat 30 rent types of plant-based fruit and a week, including nuts and seeds. may sound like a lot, but try adding nut and seed mixes to your smoothies or cereal, and use a variety of veggies to make simple stir-fries.

■ TOP TIP: Cook with olive oil. It’s high in polyphenols, which gut bacteria love.

The action of chewing physically breaks down food into small pieces, and the enzymes in saliva help break it down further. Smaller pieces means there is less work for the rest of your digestive system to do, reducing the chance of excessive gas, bloating and pain.

■ TOP TIP: Chew each mouthful 20 to 30 times before swallowing, and make sure you are sitting down when you eat.

A study investigated the effect of a six-week exercise regime on the composition of different microbes in the gut. After exercise, previously sedentary individuals had increased levels of beneficial gut bacteria and short-chain fatty acids, which you need for good gut health. However, these levels returned to baseline when exercise was subsequently stopped.

■ TOP TIP: Exercising outside will expose you to an even greater number of bacteria that are only found in nature.

Stress, anxiety and depression can have a direct effect on the microbiome and how well your gut works. Research has shown that people suffering from anxiety or depression have a less diverse range of gut bacteria than those without.

Prolonged periods of stress may increase inflammation. Over time this can damage cells in the intestinal wall, resulting in the gut membrane becoming more permeable and allowing substances to pass through that shouldn’t.

This can increase susceptibility to diseases such as Type 2 diabetes

A polyphenol is a natural chemical found in some plant-based foods that is packed with antioxidant and disease-fighting properties. If something has antioxidant properties, it has the power to combat the negative effects of free radicals, which can cause stress-related cell damage to the body, including ageing.

Imagine them as superheroes, sweeping up the free radicals that your body naturally produces, as well as those you are exposed to as part of everyday life. Your microbes need polyphenols to thrive and make them more effective.

Only five to 10% of polyphenols are absorbed in the small intestine, meaning the rest travel on down to the large intestine, where your gut microbes break them down into more useful components that are beneficial to our health.

Polyphenols are also a prebiotic. They support your beneficial microbes and keep the less helpful ones under control. Polyphenols also help microbes produce short-chain fatty acids, which act as fuel for our gut cells and support our immune function. Polyphenols can be found in brightly coloured vegetables and fruit, dark chocolate, red wine and green tea.

■ TOP TIP: Swap milk chocolate for good quality dark chocolate to enjoy the gut-loving properties it contains.