Crocuses in the Botanic Garden late afternoon.
My attention was caught by an article the other day, where someone was saying that no one weight loss method suits everyone because of their gut microbiome.
Since then I've been reading up about this complex 'organ' composed of trillions of microorganisms, up to 5,000 different species, some helpful to us, some not, engaging in millions of chemical reactions everyday including making hormones and vitamins.
They live in the lower colon and thrive on fibre - found in plants (raspberries have a specially high fibre content, who knew), with a recommendation from the gut microbiome scientists to eat a variety of 30 plants each week. This includes herbs and spices, fresh coffee and green tea, nuts and seeds, as well as your cabbage and carrots.
Apparently, it is the diversity which is important, thirty different plant based foods each week seems to hit the sweet spot, and you don't need to eat huge amounts of every kind.
Fibre-rich and fermented foods (yoghurt, kefir, kimchi, kombucha and sauerkraut - but not in vinegar) are also recommended, so beans, peas and lentils. Iceberg lettuce gets a poor press, having no nutrients to speak of: brightly coloured fruits and vegetables are the thing.
The whole world is a maze of numbers: a banana contains 600 different chemicals and, once your microbiome gets hold of it, 6,000 different chemical reactions take place.
Our individual gut microbiomes are just that: very individual. We share approximately 20%-30% of our unique combination of microbes with anyone else (with genes, it's nearer to 99% - we share 44% with the poor old Iceberg lettuce). I wonder if it will start being used for ID purposes?
Healthy people have a very diverse gut microbiome with a thriving ecosystem of many different microbes doing good things for us like improving our immune system, and keeping "bad" microbes in check.
Ultra-processed or industrial food is not good for the microbes: a diet of McDonalds for ten days in a healthy young man reduced diversity in his microbiome by 40% and it had still not fully recovered a year later (he felt a bit ill after ten days too).
Having said that, no food is restricted and there is a suggestion that the occasional McDonald's, say once a year, may even shake your microbiome up a bit. But generally, ultra-processed industrial foods including emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners (can contribute to obesity), and pretty much low-fat anything are out.
Interestingly, different people have very different responses to different foods. In one experiment where everyone ate the same meal, there was up to an eight-fold difference in how their bodies reacted. A similar experiment with identical twins also showed great variations in how each twin responded to the same meal.
Some people have a microbe that produces toxins from meat, others don't, and there are differences in how different people respond to fats and sugars. Through prescribing a series of specific meals, the scientists can indicate which foods are especially beneficial for you, and which others it would be better to eat less of. With the right, customised, foods that work for you plus plenty of plants and fibre, you will have a strong immune system and lose (or maintain) weight.
Polyphenols also seem to play a big part with extra virgin olive oil, fresh coffee beans, red wine and good quality dark chocolate at the top of the list. I can live with that.
Find out lots more, and the science, at: https://joinzoe.com/learn
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