A GUT COACH

The first thing to do is take a microbiome test. I did mine through the Brisbane-based biotech company Microba. Simply wipe the cotton swab onto used toilet paper, seal it up in the return envelope and pop it in the express post. You then go on with your day, feeling smug that you’ve taken the first step towards better gut health and that you’ve just sent poo in the post.

A few weeks later, you’re sent a link to an interactive report that shows in mind-boggling detail the name of every one of the critters that live in your gut and what they like to eat. While this test is beneficial for those experiencing symptoms of a gut condition, it can just as effectively be used by healthconscious people looking to optimise and personalise their nutrition.

This is the route I took, enlisting the help of a gut coach to work out a plan of action to improve my wellbeing, including a list of wholefoods tailored to my specific microbiome, allergies, exercise routine and medical history. A designer diet might sound like the next in food fads, but considering your microbiome is as unique to you as your fingerprint or dental records (seriously – your microbiome could be used in forensics CSI: Miami-style), a tailored approach to nutrition makes sense.

I was happy to see my little grubs were demanding more raspberries and dark chocolate, but not so happy to see I needed to cut back on the cheese.

“Personalised nutrition is a big deal because what works for one person may not work for another,” explains my Microba gut coach, dietitian Bianca Maree Harrington. “It’s my job to consolidate the information in a userfriendly way and make recommendations about wholefoods and perhaps a plan for further investigation with other medical health professionals.”