A healthier, happier you? It all starts with your TUMMY

MANY of us have become used to a certain degree of everyday discomfort. It might be grumpy moods, skin rashes, frequent colds, belt-tightening bloating or grumbling gut pain.

You may worry you’re becoming glutenintolerant, or that your creeping weight gain is another cruel inevitability of age.

But have you ever stopped to think the microbes in your gut could be to blame?

Our digestive tract is lined with trillions of microscopic bacteria — some ‘friendly’, others less so — and modern science is only now beginning to understand the way they shape our mood and health.

Until recently, I was sceptical about the extent of their influence. But in-depth research has convinced me the state of our personal army of gut bacteria (our ‘microbiome’) is more important than I ever imagined.

If your biome is out of kilter — as it seems to be in so many of us today — those tiny microbes could be affecting you in all sorts of unexpected ways.

Luckily, this is easily remedied. Although everyone’s biome mix is determined by genetics and various influences from early childhood, it is also affected by what you eat, as well as how you live your day-to-day life.

By eating the right foods and adopting the right lifestyle, you should be able to reinforce the armies of ‘good’ bacteria along your digestive tract, to ensure a harmony that could have far-reaching implications on all aspects of your life.

The important thing is knowing which foods keep these ‘good’ bacteria happy, and which to avoid.

What’s more, as well as bolstering your health and mood, keeping your bacteria happy is likely to result in you losing a bit of excess weight.

And so, with the help of nutritional therapist Tanya Borowski and GP Clare Bailey, I have developed a host of delicious, gut-friendly recipes the whole family can enjoy.

You’ll find a tempting selection in this magazine, plus many more in pullouts all next week in the Daily Mail. The series kicks off in the paper today with my story of how I came to be obsessed by gut research.

FEED YOUR BACTERIA TO FIGHT OFF DISEASES

YOUR digestive tract is home to thousands of competing and co- existing microbial species. We used to think their job was pretty basic: to protect the gut from invaders (bugs, chemicals and diseases that creep into our food), synthesise a few vitamins and chomp through fibre we might otherwise struggle to digest.

But in the past few years, there has been a surge in research dedicated to the fascinating world of the microbiome. As a result, we are starting to realise how influential they truly are.

These tiny beings not only protect the digestive system but, it seems, they also regulate our entire immune system. There is evidence that by super-charging the mix of bacteria in your gut, you may even be able to cut the number of coughs and colds you get and reduce your vulnerability to diseases.

In recent years, we have seen a rise in allergic diseases, such as asthma and eczema, often caused by an overactive immune system. We have seen a surge, too, in autoimmune conditions — such as inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s, and even type 1 diabetes — all of which are often linked to an out-of-control immune system.

With my healthy gut diet, I will show you how a few simple dietary changes are enough to ensure happy gut bacteria, which really can reduce the impact of these diseases.

Amazingly, there is also evidence gut bacteria play a part in influencing our moods and, without our knowing it, guiding some of the food-related decisions we make every day.

A bonus for many people will be that our microbiome appears to influence weight. This is because gut bacteria

help determine how much energy your body extracts from the food you eat. They may even play a part in driving cravings for unhealthy foods. But it’s not as simple as stripping out the ‘ bad’ bacteria and fuelling up on the ‘good’. A key finding has been the realisation that, ideally, we need a very wide range of different microbes in our gut. Problems seem to arise when one particular group — say, the microbes that thrive on junk foods — start to dominate. This might lead to inflammation and gut pain, but it can also generate cravings for more junk food. As someone who finds it hard to say ‘no’ to chocolate, I am intrigued by a study that found chocoholics have a very different set of gut microbes to people who are indifferent to its charms. more importantly, there is good evidence that slim, healthy people tend to have a wide range of different species in their gut. So, if you are overweight or sickly, there’s every chance your biome is made up of a limited and unhealthy squad of bacterial recruits.

CHANGE HOW YOU EAT — AND HOW YOU LIVE

WHAT’S becoming increasingly clear is that our modern lifestyle (too much sugar, junk food, stress and sleep deprivation) has created the worst possible environment for the diverse gut army we need.

As a result, many important species are in decline. Widespread overuse of antibiotics, used to treat us and the animals we eat, is partly responsible for killing off many of the good guys — and this has provided the ideal opportunity for the bad guys to thrive.

Chemicals in processed foods, such as emulsifiers added to extend shelf-life, have been shown to knock out good bacteria. This may be enough to contribute to some gut problems or even type 2 diabetes.

But we can’t just blame pizzas, ready meals and fizzy drinks. many of us, even healthy eaters, now consume a narrow range of foods.

Some 75 per cent of the world’s food comes from just 12 plants and five animal species, and most families eat a limited repertoire of meals, with a boringly small range of fruit and veg. The more limited the range of foods you eat, the more limited your bacterial diversity is likely to be.

The great news is that you can change this. It’s easy. What you eat and how you live will have a huge impact on the sort of creatures thriving in your gut. That’s where my healthy gut diet comes in.

I will explain how nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, red wine, olive oil and vegetables including leeks, garlic and onions are packed with the natural plant chemicals microbes love. I’ll also encourage you to eat fermented foods, such as live yoghurt and sauerkraut, to help your guts thrive.

We all know we should be active, keep an eye on weight and stress levels and limit alcohol. But it turns out these things not only keep us in good condition, they keep our bacteria in shape, too.

Today and all next week, I’ll explain how to do this and why, whatever your weight and individual gripes or pains, this could be the best step you can take towards long-term health.