The shopping list with a sprinkle of zzzzz

FLAXSEEDS

THESE are rich in insoluble fibre, so scatter them over your breakfast porridge, or add them — toasted — to salads.

OATS

CONTAINS a soluble fibre called betaglucan which will boost your biome and improve your cholesterol levels. It does this by binding cholesterol in your gut, preventing it from being absorbed).

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES

MORE than 70 percent of the fibre comes from inulin, making artichokes one of the richest sources of it. The high levels of nondigestible carbohydrate often lead to flatulence, so best avoided if you aren’t a regular vegetable eater or have IBS.

WHOLE GRAINS

FULL of the sort of fibre good bacteria love. Switch from white to brown rice and add quinoa, whole rye, bulgar wheat into the mix.

BARLEY

AN ANCIENT grain with a slightly nutty flavour that is good in soups and stews. It is a good source of the soluble fibre beta-glucan that can boost your biome and can reduce cholesterol levels.

YOGHURT

A GOOD source of the probiotic Lactobacillus. I like full-fat, plain, Greek yoghurt, and add fruit to sweeten it, or scatter over cinnamon, flaxseeds and nuts. If you can’t tolerate dairy try unsweetened soya or coconut yoghurt which have ‘good’ bacteria, too.

you will need to stock up on the best foods to get you sleeping, but first will need to boost your intake of ‘prebiotic’ ones.

These contain non-digestible plant fibre that encourages the growth of ‘good’ bacteria in the gut, and are denoted by a red dot in this shopping guide. But can a prebiotic capsule work? A few years ago I took part in an experiment to see if fibre supplement Bimuno, which contains prebiotic galactooligosaccharide (GoS), could boost the ‘good’ gut bacteria that aid sleep.

It was supervised by Professor Phil Burnet, an oxford university neuroscientist.

Despite my scepticism, the powder did make a difference. Before taking it, 79 per cent of my time in bed was spent asleep (pretty poor), but five days after taking it, my sleep efficiency rose to 92 per cent (excellent). Prof Burnet said you might get similar results from eating lentils, chickpeas, butter beans, lima beans and cashew nuts, but because the powder contains higher doses, obtaining it through food might take longer.

Ensuring we have the right balance of gut-friendly microbes in the first place is also important. This is where probiotics come in (marked with a red dot in this shopping guide). Probiotics are live bacteria or yeast that you eat, hoping they will take root and enrich your microbiome.

A small study, published in March 2019 by neuroscientists based at the university of Verona, Italy, found modest improvements in both mood and sleep quality in participants taking probiotic capsules, over those taking placebos.

There are lots of probiotic capsules and supplements out there, but I prefer topping up my ‘good bacteria’ through food.

WITH excellent prebiotics, seaweed is packed with vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre, and omega3 fatty acids. A distinctive ocean flavour makes it an acquired taste. Try nori (which is used to make sushi), dulse, (which I was told tastes like bacon when fried — it doesn’t), and kelp (a gluten-free alternative to noodles). AVOID milk chocolate, which is full of fat and sugar, but unsweetened cocoa powder contains more than 30 per cent fibre and is a good source of flavonoids and polyphenols, both good for your gut bacteria. Cocoa breaks down in your colon to produce nitric oxide, which is good for your cardiovascular system.