BE MINDFUL OF WHAT YOU EAT

The easiest tweak you can make is with diet, Dr Patel says. “A diet rich in plants, unsaturated fats and vegetable oils, and low in refined sugars and red and processed meat, has been shown to increase gut microbe diversity and reduce physiological changes such as chronic inflammation,” she explains.

Consider how many different fruit, vegies, grains and legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices you eat across a week. According to one study, those who ate more than 30 unique plant foods per week had more diverse gut microbiomes than those who consumed 10 or fewer types weekly. While eating 30 different plant foods every week might seem like a gutsy ask, any improvement helps. Chart your plant foods for a week – you may even find yourself trying new foods or ones you’ve forgotten about.

The fibre in your meal’s vegies, grains, and beans can increase bacterial colonies and species diversity.

When gut microbes are fed complex carbohydrates, they ferment the fibre-rich food, producing helpful metabolites that promote gut health.

In essence, Dr Cox says, fibre can help feed good microbes and promote a healthy microbiome. High amounts of fibre are found in beans, wholegrain cereals, broccoli, cauliflower and even raspberries. (Just beware that switching too quickly to a high-fibre diet can lead to uncomfortable gas, Dr Cox warns.) If you add sauerkraut, tempeh or fermented tofu to your sandwich, you may get extra gut points. Fermented foods can help ‘seed’ good microbes, Dr Cox explains. In the end, it’s all about being conscious of what you eat. “Be thoughtful about your food choices,” Dr Bhatt says, “because you’re eating for trillions.”